Chimpanzee Trekking in Rwanda: Worth It?

Rwanda is home to 13 primate species, most of which exist in the shadow of the mountain gorillas — the headline act, the reason everyone’s here, the Taylor Swift of the jungle. But there’s much more: golden monkeys, colobus monkeys, and then, the one you could probably name: chimpanzees.  Our closest relatives.  Which becomes increasingly obvious the longer you watch them sniff their fingers after sticking it in unmentionable places.

At the time of writing, if you want to hang around with chimpanzees in Rwanda, you’re heading to Nyungwe National Park.  And if you’re tricking yourself into thinking you need luxury, you’re heading to One&Only Nyungwe House, which is nearby…relatively speaking.

Getting there

Here were the options presented to me: start the day at the headache-pounding 5am, or the more humane 7am, depending on whether I took a private or shared trek.  I appreciate those extra two hours, it’s what gives me my glorious, fresh skin glow that only makes me look a mere 30 years older than I am, rather than the scrotum of an 80 year-old who was left out in the sun.

The private trek comes in at a comparatively reasonable $2,000, which feels charitable next to the $15,000 gorilla permits. But as I’ll get into, that pricing gap isn’t an accident.

So, why do you get an extra lay in?  Well, it’s cos you get given the group that’s easiest to find on the day, so you don’t need to, I dunno, piss around looking for them yourself?  It was never properly explained, but I didn’t have to hang around other people, so I was completely satisfied.

Logistically, though, it’s a slog.  At least to the group I went to see.  The road to get there is, generously, terrible.  Imagine a jackhammer being drilled into your face – that’s the last 30 minutes of the 90 minute car journey.  When compared to golden monkey trekking, which was a 20 minute walk from the lodge, this feels like effort.  I dunno if I would have been keen to do this twice.

The Experience

I’ll start with the moment that set the tone: 8:30am, standing under a tree, looking up at a group of chimpanzees urinating near my face, with a look of pleasure that showed this was not their first time ruining someone’s morning.  I narrowly avoided it.  Or at least that’s what I’m writing.  

The trek itself is easy enough at first.  It’s a lovely, well maintained trail, with steps and all, far more developed than the gorilla trekking.  It took about 30 minutes of walking to find the chimps, where they were hanging around in the trees.  Then they descended and disappeared.  I spent 45 minutes, following them through dense forest, attempting to keep up with something that has no interest in you whatsoever.  It was like trying to speak to my kids.

They finally settled somewhere that didn’t require squirrel like reflexes and agility to see them.

Skittish, Unbothered, and Constantly Moving

Chimpanzees, as it turns out, are deeply uninterested in your presence.  Or maybe they just hated me.  Racists.  Even with one of the most habituated groups, they’re skittish.  Get too close and they move.  Not aggressively, just with a “absolutely not” energy.  Flashbacks from my dating era.

It surprised me, just how skittish they are.  But the movement is part of the appeal.  There’s something far more engaging and fun about constantly tracking them, adjusting, listening, following, trying desperately to get close.  I much prefer this to the static approach of the golden monkeys, who are the equivalent of people watching, when said people are sat on the sofas eating crisps.  At least I was getting some steps in.

The best moment came when I managed to get within about two metres of a chimp.  He was just totally chilled, as we sat there watching each other for a few minutes.  Without that, the whole experience probably lands as “fine”.  With it, it tips into something memorable.

They’re also noisy.  The vocalisations, the communication, the general sense that something is about to go down.  It’s epic.  It feels alive in a pant-shitting-warm-fuzzy-kinda-way.  Although, not a single chimp said “apes together strong”.  Frankly misleading.  And disappointing.  I’ll be filing a complaint.

Camera Gear

If you’re bringing a camera, bring something serious. A 400mm lens feels like the minimum. And because you’re in the forest, it’s dark. Properly dark.  So ideally you want something in the f/2.8 to f/4 range, otherwise you’re just documenting blur and disappointment.

I started with a 70–200mm f/2.8, and spent most of the time feeling like I’d brought a knife to a gunfight.  I switched to a 100–500mm f/4.5–7.1, which solved the reach problem, but then immediately introduced a new one — light. Even at ISO 12,800, it was still a struggle to get anything usable.  I know software is amazing these days, but sometimes you just gotta spend on that lens.

Conclusion

The treks in Rwanda are priced reflective of the quality of the experience. Gorillas is so much better than chimps and chimps are better than golden monkeys.  Capitalism in action.  Huzzah, the system works.

If you’re already in Rwanda, have the time, and like the idea of something a bit more active, then yes.  It’s a good addition.  It fills a morning.  You may have a better experience than me; you may have a worse one.  You might even get a moment that makes the whole thing.

But would I go out of my way for it?  No.  Not unless you’re absolutely desperate to see chimpanzees.  Or have a fetish for primates urinating right near your face, or a very specific interest in standing under trees whilst primates test your reaction speed. But knowing the Internet there’s probably already a sub Reddit for that.