Join Origins Safaris on a once-in-a-lifetime journey into the lush hills of Uganda and Rwanda to encounter Chimpanzees and Mountain Gorillas in the wild. Observe Chimpanzees with a primatologist, and track Gorillas in the forests of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Volcanoes National Park. Then travel on to Republic of Central Africa to see the Western Lowland Gorillas and Grauer Eastern Gorilla in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A primate trek that combines all these great apes is an incredible adventure journey that will never be forgotten, not only for encountering them in their own surroundings but also for experiencing the different landscapes and cultures that all these countries have to offer the ardent adventurer.
Primate trekking in Rwanda, Uganda, DR Congo & RCA is one of the most exhilarating safari tours and moving experiences you can have with Origins Safaris. You can get so close to these giant primates, observing them observing you. Their human-like movements, innate dignity and social interaction create a unique connection within each of us.
Rwanda – “Land of a Thousand Hills”
Rwanda has often been called the “Land of a Thousand Hills”. It is a mountainous country with a moist, temperate year-round climate. The main and enduring attraction of both Rwanda & Uganda are its primate populations; in particular the Mountain Gorillas: one of the most awesome wildlife viewing experiences in the world.
Chimp Trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park
Nyungwe Forest is the largest montane forest in Central Africa. It is home to Chimpanzees along with 13 species of primates including troops of Chimpanzees and the largest grouping of Black and White Colobus Monkeys in Africa. It has a rich variety of birds, flora and other fauna, while Kahuzi Biega National Park in DR Congo stands as a habitat for the Grauer’s Eastern Gorillas. Other adventure activities include the Canopy walk in Nyungwe.
Quite simply, Nyungwe Forest National Park is Rwanda’s most important area of biodiversity. It has been rated the highest priority for forest conservation in Africa and its protected area covers one of the oldest rainforests in Africa. Despite its huge biodiversity, Nyungwe is little known outside of East Africa and remains overlooked by many tourists. This is a shame as the park offers some superb hiking and the chance to track Chimpanzees that have been habituated to human visits.
Hiking through equatorial rainforests in search of our closest genetic cousin is an unparalleled experience that more than a few people rate above tracking the mountain gorillas. However, of the four big-name Chimpanzee parks in East Africa, the apes of Nyungwe are far and away the most timid.
Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Rwanda is a landlocked East African country with a green, mountainous landscape. Its renowned Volcanoes National Park is home to Mountain Gorillas and Golden Monkeys. The park encompasses the 4,507 metre-tall Mt. Karisimbi and four other forested volcanoes.
Spanning a 160²km area in the northern part of Rwanda, Volcanoes national park is part of the great Virunga volcano conservation region spanning Virunga national park Congo and Mgahinga national park Uganda. It was initially a small area around Karisimbi, Mikeno and Visoke volcanoes which was gazetted to protect the Mountain Gorillas which were facing the threat of extinction as a result of poaching. In 1967, the American zoologist Dian Fossey spearheaded this conservation campaign of the Mountain Gorillas and mobilized resources to fight against poaching in this area, a fight she put up until her murder in 1985. There are 10 habituated Gorilla groups for visitors to see. A maximum of 8 people per group is allowed.
Volcanoes national park is also home to spotted hyena, buffaloes, elephants , black-fronted duiker, and bushbuck. The park also harbors 178 bird species including at least 29 endemics to Rwenzori mountains and the Virungas.
Uganda – “The Pearl of Africa”
Uganda – “The Pearl of Africa” – is one of East Africa’s better kept secrets. It has long been a favourite haunt for adventure travellers. Uganda has it all: remote wilderness areas, breathtaking scenery, extraordinary cultural diversity and incredible wildlife.
Bwindi Impenetrable Park
As names go alone, there can hardly be a more evocative African destination than the so-called Impenetrable Forest of Bwindi. But unlike many other alluringly named places, this one is just as magnificent as it sounds. A swathe of steep mountains covered in thick, steamy jungle, the 331-sq-km World Heritage–listed Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of Africa’s most ancient habitats, even surviving the last Ice Age as most of the continent’s other forests disappeared.
The combination of its broad altitude span (1160m to 2607m) and its antiquity has produced an incredible diversity of flora and fauna, resulting in some 120 species of mammal and over 350 species of bird calling Bwindi home. The stars of the show, however, are the approximately 340 Mountain Gorillas living here, which is why most people come. Seeing these critically endangered creatures up close is an unforgettable experience – don’t miss it.
Democratic Republic of Congo – “Tarzan’s Africa”
Of all the countries of Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo is the closest to “Tarzan’s Africa”. You can very easily imagine him swinging on a vine right in front of you as you travel through this country, visited more by adventurers than tourists. No one goes there to rest and sit in a chair for a couple of weeks. Congo is an experience and asks for active people who (with respect for nature and local culture) like to learn, observe and have no objection against social contact.
Carpeted by huge swathes of rainforest and punctuated by gushing rivers and smoking volcanoes, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire) is the ultimate African adventure – one of one of Africa’s most thrilling, life affirming and challenging destinations. In a country long-riven by strife, Virunga National Park is a rare success story. It is now one of Africa’s most electrifying wildlife destinations, where you can come face to face with Congo’s growing population of the Grauer Eastern Gorillas in Kahuzi Biega National Park & Mountain Gorillas in Virunga National Park, as well as the rare Okapi found in Okapi Wildlife Reserve.
Virunga National Park
In the DRC it is possible to go Gorilla trekking for a lesser cost than in Rwanda and Uganda. The great Virunga National Park is shared by Uganda, Rwanda and Congo, but the biggest part of the park is on the Congo side – meaning there is a greater chance of seeing mountain gorillas here than the other two destinations. Virunga National Park is among the best destinations for Gorilla trekking.
In the afternoon after your trekking the view of Virunga Volcanoes are very photogenic.
A Gorilla safari experience in the DRC is best combined with hiking the Nyiragongo mountain. Mount Nyiragongo can be visited on one day, while Gorilla trekking can be enjoyed on the other.
Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Apart from Mountain Gorilla trekking in Congo, you can also trek to see the Grauer Eastern Gorillas in the famous Kahuzi Biega National Park in Bukavu. In Kahuzi Biega National Park there are over four gorilla families – the last groups of Grauer Eastern Gorillas (consisting of only some 250 individuals).
Kahuzi-Biega National Park is a vast area of primary tropical forest dominated by two spectacular extinct volcanoes, Kahuzi and Biega, the park has a diverse and abundant fauna. Straddling the Albertine Rift and the Congo Basin, Kahuzi-Biega National Park is an exceptional habitat for the protection of the rainforest and the Grauer Eastern Gorillas. Extending over 600,000 ha, are dense lowland rainforests as well as Afro-montane forests, with bamboo forests and some small areas of sub-alpine prairies and heather on Mounts Kahuzi (3,308 m) and Biega (2,790 m).
The Park contains flora and fauna of exceptional diversity, making it one of the most important sites in the Rift Albertine Valley. It is also one of the ecologically richest regions of Africa and worldwide. It is the second most important site of the region for both endemic species in terms of specific diversity. The Park protects 136 species of mammals, among which the star is the eastern lowland gorilla and thirteen other primates, including threatened species such as the chimpanzee, the colubus bai and cercopiuthic of Hoest and Hamlyn. Other extremely rare species of the eastern forests of the DRC are also found, such as the giant forest genet and the aquatic genet. Characteristic mammals of the central African forests also live in the Park, such as the bush elephant, bush buffalo, hylochere and bongo.
The property is an important endemism zone (Endemic Bird Area) with 349 species, including 42 endemic. Also, the Park was designated as a centre of diversity for plants by IUCN and WWF in 1994, with at least 1,178 inventoried species in the highland zone, although the lowland yet remains to be recorded. Other attractions include the and Tshibati falls.
Republic of Central Africa – “Where Few Explorers Venture”
The Republic of Central Africa (RCA) is a country with staggering rare natural beauty and some of the world’s most amazing wildlife. It’s one of the best places in Africa for encounters with forest elephant and Western Lowland Gorillas, and the best places in the world, some say, to see butterflies. It’s also one of the most impoverished and least developed countries on the continent.
Gorilla Watching in Dzanga-Sangha National Park
In the southwest, Dzanga-Sangha National Park is located in a rain forest area and has rare populations of Western Lowland Gorillas and forest elephants. The Ba’Aka people live in this area. Bayanga beside the Sangha River is the main village near to the national park. The country is also noted for its endangered pangolin.
Dzanga Bai is a Garden of Eden in the dense Central African Rainforests. It is a clearing in the middle of nowhere, with a tree platform where large herds of up to 200 Forest Elephant (especially bulls in musth ready to fight and looking for fertile females) and other species, such as Sitatunga, Bongo, leopard, Red Forest Buffalo and Western Lowland Gorilla, come to drink, feed, search for salt and socialize. It is quite an amazing spectacle for even the most seasoned African traveller.
Why Origins Safaris?
At Origins Safaris we are passionate about wildlife, cultural heritage, adventure and exploration. We customize each and every safari to your personal requirements and expectations, ensuring an exclusive, unique and authentic experience every time.
Origins Safaris is a family business, founded in 1963 by Don and Margaret Turner. It is managed today by two subsequent generations of the family, and predominantly by Don’s son, Steve. We are so much more than just a travel broker – our years of experience, professionalism and reliability means that we go the all important extra mile, to make sure your dream safari is safe, memorable, educational and most of all great fun. We are renowned for our meticulous safari planning from start to finish, the highest standards of natural history interpretation as well as our pioneering adventures.
For more information on primate safaris to any of the countries listed above or a combination of them all, please contact us on https://originsafaris.com/chimps-and-other-primates/
Origins Safaris – Authentic African Experiences since 1963
STEVE TURNER
SELEMPO EDWIN LESOINE
STANLEY KARITHI
ZACHARY METHU MBUTHIA
PETER LIECH ADEDE
FELIX WAMBUGU
JOSHUA SONKOYO
HENRY MIWANI
