6-Day Double Gorilla Trekking (Rushaga, Bwindi) & Golden Monkey Safari

Kigali – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – Volcanoes National Park – Kigali

Overview

This six-day safari combines two of East Africa’s most sought-after primate experiences: two separate mountain gorilla treks in the Rushaga sector of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and a golden monkey trek in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. Rushaga is the most habituated sector in Bwindi, home to more gorilla families than any other trailhead, and it is also the only sector offering the Gorilla Habituation Experience for travelers who want extended time with a family still being acclimatized to human presence. The trip begins and ends in Kigali, crossing into Uganda via the Cyanika border post, which keeps road transfers short and lets travelers experience two countries, two national parks, and two different primates in under a week.

Day 1: Arrival in Kigali – Road Transfer to Rushaga, Bwindi

Your guide will meet you at Kigali International Airport or your Kigali hotel early in the morning for the drive to the Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The route runs through Rwanda’s Northern Province, past terraced hillsides and tea plantations, before crossing into Uganda at the Cyanika border post — a straightforward crossing that typically takes 30–45 minutes with visas and permits already arranged in advance. From the border, it is a further scenic drive through Kisoro town and the foothills of the Virunga volcanoes to reach Rushaga, on the southern edge of Bwindi. The drive takes approximately 5–6 hours in total, with a stop for lunch en route.

You will arrive at your lodge in the late afternoon, with time to settle in, enjoy the forest views, and receive a briefing from your guide on the following day’s trek. Rushaga sits at higher altitude than some other Bwindi sectors, and evenings can be cool, so warm layers are worth having ready.

• Meals: Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Lodge in Rushaga (Gorilla Safari Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, or similar, depending on budget category)

Day 2: First Gorilla Trek – Rushaga Sector

After an early breakfast, transfer to the Rushaga park headquarters for briefing at 7:30 am, where rangers organize trekkers into groups of a maximum of eight people per gorilla family. Rushaga is unique in offering up to eight habituated families for standard trekking — including Nshongi, Mishaya, Kahungye, Busingye, Bikingi, and Rwigi — giving guides flexibility to match trekkers with a group suited to their fitness level.

The trek itself can last anywhere from one to six hours each way, depending on where the family has moved since the previous day’s monitoring, and the terrain includes steep, sometimes muddy forest slopes. Once your group locates the gorillas, you are permitted one hour in their presence — an extraordinary window in which you may watch silverbacks, mothers with infants, and juveniles interact within a few meters of you. Photography is permitted (without flash), and rangers and trackers will help interpret gorilla behavior throughout.

After the trek, return to the lodge for a well-earned rest, lunch, and time to reflect on the encounter. Guests wishing for an even more immersive experience can enquire in advance about swapping this standard trek for the Gorilla Habituation Experience, which allows up to four hours with a family still being habituated, alongside researchers and trackers, though this must be booked as a specific permit type ahead of the trip.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Activity: Gorilla trekking permit, Rushaga sector
• Accommodation: Same lodge, Rushaga

Day 3: Second Gorilla Trek – Rushaga Sector

This is the heart of the “double gorilla trekking” experience: a second, separate trek to visit a different habituated family in Rushaga. Because Rushaga hosts more distinct gorilla groups than any other Bwindi sector, a second day of trekking here brings genuinely new encounters rather than a repeat of the first — different family dynamics, different terrain, and often a different overall trek length and difficulty.

The day follows the same structure: an early park briefing, a trek into the forest tracking the previous day’s nesting site as a starting point, and an hour with the gorillas once located. Trekking twice on consecutive days also gives photographers and wildlife enthusiasts two independent chances to capture strong images, since sightings, lighting, and gorilla behavior vary considerably day to day. It is common for second-day trekkers to report calmer nerves and sharper appreciation of small details — the texture of a silverback’s knuckles on the ground, the interplay between siblings, the particular quiet of the forest interior — having already experienced the adrenaline of the first encounter.

In the afternoon, relax at the lodge, enjoy the birdlife around Rushaga (the area borders forest edge habitat good for turacos and sunbirds), and prepare for the transfer back toward Rwanda the next morning.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Activity: Second gorilla trekking permit, Rushaga sector (different family group)
• Accommodation: Same lodge, Rushaga

Day 4: Transfer from Rushaga to Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

After breakfast, depart Rushaga and re-cross the border at Cyanika back into Rwanda. The drive to Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi is considerably shorter than the outbound journey — around 2–3 hours — since Rushaga sits close to the border and Kinigi is just on the other side of the Virunga range.

Arriving in Kinigi by early-to-mid afternoon leaves time to check into your lodge and, depending on arrival time, take an optional short guided walk or visit the Kinigi cultural village, where local Batwa performers, drummers, and craftspeople showcase traditions connected to the surrounding forest. This is also a good opportunity to visit the Gorilla Guardians Village or learn more about Rwanda’s conservation model, including the Dian Fossey legacy that shaped modern mountain gorilla protection across the Virungas.

In the evening, your guide will brief you on the following day’s golden monkey trek, a markedly different experience from gorilla trekking — golden monkeys live in large, fast-moving troops of 30 to over 100 individuals, spend much of their time in bamboo canopy rather than on the ground, and the trek tends to be shorter and less strenuous.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Lodge in Kinigi/Volcanoes National Park

Day 5: Golden Monkey Trekking, Volcanoes National Park

After an early breakfast, head to the park headquarters for briefing before setting out to track one of the habituated golden monkey troops living on the lower slopes of the Virunga volcanoes, primarily within the bamboo zone. Unlike the more sedate, ground-dwelling gorillas, golden monkeys are energetic and constantly on the move, leaping between bamboo stems and foraging at speed, which makes for a livelier, more visually dynamic encounter — and a real challenge for photographers trying to freeze the action.

Treks are typically shorter than gorilla treks, often just one to two hours round trip, with an hour allotted with the troop once found. Because troops are large, sightings tend to involve many individuals at once — juveniles play-fighting, adults foraging, and the golden-orange coats that give the species its name catching the light through the bamboo canopy.

With the trek usually finished by midday, the afternoon is free. Optional add-ons include a guided walk to the Dian Fossey tombs and former research camp (a half-day hike), a visit to the twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo, or simply relaxing at the lodge with views of the Virunga volcanoes. In the late afternoon or evening, transfer back to Kigali (roughly 2.5–3 hours by road), arriving in time for dinner and a final night in the city.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Activity: Golden monkey trekking permit, Volcanoes National Park
• Accommodation: Kigali hotel

Day 6: Kigali City Tour and Departure

Depending on your flight time, the morning can include a Kigali city tour: the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the bustling Kimironko Market, and the Inema Arts Center, offering a meaningful and reflective close to the trip before your onward flight. Your guide will transfer you to Kigali International Airport in good time for departure.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Activity: Optional Kigali city tour
• Departure: Transfer to Kigali International Airport

What’s Typically Included

• Airport/hotel transfers in Kigali
• Ground transportation throughout, including cross-border transfers
• Cyanika border crossing assistance
• Two Bwindi gorilla trekking permits (Rushaga sector)
• One Volcanoes National Park golden monkey trekking permit
• Accommodation as listed (lodge category can be adjusted: budget, midrange, or luxury)
• All meals as specified
• English-speaking driver-guide
• Bottled water during transfers and treks

Not Typically Included

• International flights
• Rwanda and Uganda visas (unless pre-arranged)
• Gorilla Habituation Experience permit (if substituted, priced separately)
• Tips for guides, porters, and lodge staff
• Porter fees at trekking (optional but recommended, especially for Rushaga’s steeper trails)
• Travel insurance
• Personal expenses and alcoholic beverages

Practical Notes

• Gorilla and golden monkey permits should be booked several months in advance, as availability is limited and controlled by the respective wildlife authorities.
• Porters are available to hire at both Rushaga and Kinigi park headquarters; hiring one supports the local community and is strongly recommended for the Bwindi treks.
• Pack sturdy waterproof hiking boots, gardening-style gloves for gripping vegetation, a rain jacket, and clothing in neutral colours.
• Both parks enforce a minimum age of 15 for gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking permits.