Eendaagse Rwanda Golden Monkey Trek met Dian Fossey of Guardians

I did two tours with AfriSafari during my stay in Rwanda, and both were phenomenal. Elysee, my guide, was so knowledgeable about Rwanda, the golden monkeys, Akagera Park, and safaris — he helped make the trip so special. I also truly appreciated how responsive Alfa was before my trip, answering all my questions and reaching out to make sure I had everything I needed ahead of time. If you’re visiting Rwanda, I highly recommend the Golden Monkey Trek. These monkeys can only be found in this part of the world, in the mountains of Rwanda, Uganda, and the DRC, and I think they’re often overlooked. The trek I did was very short, since the monkeys had come down out of the mountains to raid the local village’s sweet potato farm — but this gave us the opportunity to interact with them on the ground. The park ranger did give us the option of hiking further into the volcano mountains if we wished, but we chose to stay where we were since we were having such a great experience. The monkeys were so cute, roaming around and walking right by us. It was a truly magical experience, and I highly recommend it. I also recommend visiting the Ellen DeGeneres campus of the Diane Fossey Foundation. It was so informative and interactive. She truly was an amazing woman. (Don’t miss out on the VR experience at the end )

It was perfect from the beginning to the end. Everything was well explained before the tours, therefore my expectations were definitely met, but Sammuel (with Afris Safaris) went over the too with his services. He was amazing, very pleasant, and always making sure that I was having a good time, and also having great pictures too. The tour itself is really special, therefore monkeys are ADORABLE and also super playful. On the site they let you walk and get close as much as you want which in incredible.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was truly an unforgettable experience! Sammy was an absolutely outstanding guide—professional, punctual, and attentive to every single detail. He picked me up right on time, made sure the journey was smooth, and went above and beyond to ensure all of my needs were met throughout the day. The Golden Monkeys Trekking was incredible—I was able to capture amazing photos up close of these rare and beautiful animals. The trek itself was well-paced and enjoyable, and Sammy made sure I didn’t miss a thing. The visit to the Iby’iwacu Cultural Village was just as memorable. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before—immersive, educational, and deeply inspiring. I learned so much history and culture that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. It truly made me feel connected to my roots and reminded me of my kingship. If you are in Kigali, this is an absolute MUST-DO tour! Between the breathtaking nature, the rich cultural experience, and having a guide like Sammy, it’s a perfect combination of adventure and heritage that you will never forget.

Wonderful experience. Every was unique but most of all trekking Golden Monkey. The driver was very kindly and helpful.

Golden monkeys were really nice! The driver Ben arrived on time to pick us up in the morning and then we drove straight to the national park for registration and briefing. After a short drive (I was surprised with how good the road conditions were) we arrived at the starting point and five minutes into the hike we spotted the first monkeys and we stayed with them for about an hour. We saw about 10-15 monkeys. The Gorrilla’s Guardians visit was a fun and informative activity although it was a bit weird that we were the only people there. We then finished with lunch at Musanze and by 4pm we were back in Kigali.

My colleague and I had an amazing day with Ben, who was knowledgeable about Rwanda and went an extra mile to make sure that we were taken care of. The car that we were in was comfortable. Ben was a great driver and has a great taste of music. We were able to see a troop of monkeys very close to us. After that, we spent a great hour in the local cultural village where we were warmly greeted. We tried on local costumes and saw dancing performed by locals. All in all it was a memorable day full of activities!

It was a very special day trip - such an incredible experience to walk through villages to the protected forest and spend time observing the golden monkeys up close. The cultural village was a lot of fun as well and we enjoyed picking up a couple of souvenirs made locally. The whole experience was organized down to every detail by Afri Safaris. Communication in advance from the front office was exceptional. Our driver Ben was caring and informative, taking extra steps to ensure our comfort along the way and share information with us. Highly recommend this trip with Afri Safaris!