2 Days Chimpanzees trekking Tour and Canopy walk Adventure

Rwagasabo Safaris is the best operator in the country! I booked this unforgettable nature tour with them, along with equally amazing city tours in Kigali. Mr. Serge Placide has been very helpful and accommodating to ensure the trip to Rwanda went smooth and fun.

Rwagasabo Safaris offers the best private tour for Nyungwe Forest National Park! Serge made it possible for me to experience everything I wanted in the short time I had to spend in this amazing place. He was responsive and very accommodating. I booked my tour less than a week before my trip and the only permit available for a chimpanzee trek was at 5:30am the morning after I arrived in Kigali. I asked Serge if I could be picked up from the Kigali airport and driven overnight to Nyungwe, and Serge made this happen! Serge and Fabrice met me at the Kigali airport when my flight arrived late at night. Serge took me to a restaurant to get some dinner before Fabrice drove me overnight to Nyungwe. I arrived in time for the chimp trek with nine other people and a park guide. Fabrice drove the guide and me to the starting point from the visitor center. I got the impression that Serge and Fabrice have great relationships with the park guides, which made the logistics of everything smooth. The chimpanzee trek was fascinating! We found 3 large male chimps and got to spend one hour observing them. They climbed up and down the trees. One built a nest. We watched as they ate figs by the handful and spit them out after chewing them up. After the chimpanzee trek, Serge called Fabrice to check whether I wanted to rest or do the canopy walk. I was feeling energized by the chimp trek so I did the canopy walk with Fabrice and a park guide. We saw monkeys on the hike and the views from the suspension bridge were beautiful. The park guide graciously humored my request for him to take photos (from the ground) of me on the bridge. I had requested to stay at the Nyungwe Hill Top View Hotel and I’m so glad Serge was able to book me there. I had a spectacular view from my cottage bedroom and porch. The next day I hiked the Ndambarare Trail with a park guide to a waterfall. I had seen photos of the waterfall before my trip, but it was more impressive in person! After the hike, as we were driving out of the area, Fabrice spotted a baboon on the side of the road! He stopped so we could observe it right next to the jeep. Fabrice then drove me to the Murambi Genocide Memorial. I had read about this memorial online before my trip and when I booked my tour, I asked Serge if I could visit the memorial on the way to Kigali. Again, Serge was very accommodating. The memorial is a gut wrenching and somber experience that includes 1,000 exhumed bodies of victims. When I signed the guest book, I noticed I was the only person who visited the memorial that day and that prior days hardly had any visitors. I found this sad because as difficult as it was to view, the memorial really depicts the horrors of the Rwandan genocide and honors the victims. From the spectacular natural scenery, to the kids in the village who were excited when a jeep passed and greeted you, to the wildlife encounters, Nyungwe will always hold a special place in my heart. I am grateful to Rwagasabo Safaris for an incredible experience!

Serge & Fabrice were amazing. Serge is very kind, incredibly knowledgeable, extremely savvy, and unbelievably fun. Fabrice is a skilled, careful driver which is required on the many challenging roads. Everyone knows Serge in Nyungwe and he is well respected in the community. He planned the perfect trip. He picked me up Saturday at my hotel and we went to the waterfall hike ( which is moderate and NOT flat!!), then we had lunch and went in the canopy walk in the afternoon. He was very encouraging and helped me overcome my fear of heights, all with a compassionate caring attitude. Then, on the second day we did the Chimp trek which was fantastic. I love that he came with me and didn’t turn me over to the park guides. His knowledge as a biologist added to the experience. His is committed and o making it a once in a life-time-experience with loads of laughs and very interesting, intellectual discussions. He is by far the best tour guide I have ever had! And Fab is the absolute sweetest!