Apart from being “The Land of a thousand Hills”, the country is a shelter of various endangered primates in several lush and dense rainforests surrounding in different regions of the country. Key places in the country include Rwanda’s gazzeted national parks; Volcanoes, Nyungwe and the newly restored Gishwati Mukula national parks which offer expert guided primate tracking to visitors in Rwanda. Key points/highlights include variety of primate species, rich in biodiversity, high-cost of permits, easy travel and luxury accommodations in the country.

Variety of primate species; The country is a home of several endangered primate species in different regions. These are hosted by Rwanda’s lush and dense rainforests located in the country’s gazzeted national parks. Primate species in Rwanda include; Mountain gorillas, Chimpanzees, Golden monkeys, Black and white colobus monkeys, Grey checked mangabeys among others.

• Mountain gorillas; They are ranked as number one tourism attractions which pulls large numbers of tourists in the Virunga mountains and Rwanda at large. Rwanda is approximately a home of 300 to 380 mountain gorillas nearly half of the entire Virunga population making 30% of the world’s population. These great primates are hosted by the Bamboo forests inside Volcanoes national park in northwestern region of the country. The park is a home of 12 fully habituated gorilla families open and ready for daily trekking. Gorilla families in the park include; Susa (A), Igisha, Agashya, Amahoro, Sabyinyo, Kwintonda, Umubano, Karisimbi (Susa B), Muhoza, Bwenge among others.
• Chimpanzees; The country is a home of two gazzeted national parks which are responsible for these great primates. These include Nyungwe and Gishwati Mukula national parks with an estimated population of 500 to 600 individuals. Nyungwe National Park: It lies in southwestern region of the country with a population of 400 to 500 chimpanzees. The park hosts two fully habituated communities ready for daily tracking. One is located in the main Nyungwe forest and another in the remote Cyamudongo Forest. Gishwati Mukura National Park: This is a newly restored conservation area established in 2015 located in northwestern Rwanda, this park hosts a smaller group of recovering chimpanzees with just 35 to 40 individuals. Only chimpanzee tracking experience is offered by the park to visitors in Rwanda.

• Golden monkeys: These are primarily located in three national parks (Volcanoes, Nyungwe and Gishwati Mukula). The country is a home of 2000 to 5000 golden monkeys, Volcanoes national park with the large numbers in the Bamboo forests plus other small groups in Nyungwe and Gishwati Mukula national parks.
• Colobus monkeys: Rwanda is one of the premier destinations to see these endangered primates. They are primarily found in Nyungwe forests with an estimated population of 300 to 600 individuals. The specific type commonly found in the country is the Ruwenzori colobus which are black and white in color.  

High-cost of permits; In all African countries which support gorilla trekking, Rwanda has high costs of permits compared to others. For example, the standard gorilla permit of Uganda cost $800 compared to that of Rwanda which is $1500. Apart from the standard permit of $1500, the country introduced new packages for luxury travelers and these include: US$ 15,000 for those book an entire gorilla family for a private group with a committed guide, US$ 30,000 for a minimum total of three visitors for 3 consecutive days.

Easy travel to the main national parks; Traveling to Rwandan national parks is easily supported by the small size of the country and high-quality paved highways moving from Kigali International airport wilderness areas in just few hours. Using 4×4 wheel drive vehicles ease the journey especially in remote areas when you are about to enter national parks. Getting to the parks by road is easier with short journeys starting directly from the capital city (Kigali). From Kigali to Volcanoes National Park, it is just 2 to 3 hours’ drive in northwestern region of the country for gorillas and golden monkeys. From Kigali to Nyungwe National Park, it is 5 to 6 hours’ drive in southwestern region of the country for Chimpanzees and colobus monkeys. From Kigali to Gishwati-Mukura National Park, it is just 3 to 4 hours’ drive in western region of the country for Chimpanzees.

Luxury accommodations; The country has both ultra and high-end luxury lodges for luxury primate trekkers ranging from $1500 to $4000 per person. For Ultra- luxury lodges of gorilla and golden monkey trekkers in Volcanoes national park include; Singita Kwitonda lodge, Wilderness Bisate, One & Only gorilla lodge. For Chimpanzee trackers in Nyungwe and Gishwati- Mukula national parks there is One & Only Nyungwe house and Gishwati lodge. High- end luxury lodges include; Virunga lodge, Amakoro Songa lodge, Sabyinyo silverback lodge, Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel which are mainly for gorilla trekkers in Volcanoes national park.