Gorilla trekking in Rwanda can only be carried out in Volcanoes National Park. The Volcanoes National Park is home to the golden monkeys among many other primates. Rwanda gorilla trekking tours are a unique and thrilling experience that allows visitors to encounter endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
The chances of seeing mountain gorillas are very high as compared to Congo. These tours typically begin from Kigali and head to the Virunga Mountains where trekkers can explore the forests of Volcanoes National Park to see these giants.
Gorilla trekking at the Volcanoes National Park involves hiking through dense bamboo forests and steep mountain slopes in search of one of the gorilla families allocated to you during a briefing at the park headquarters.
Trekking gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park can be challenging but the final meeting with the gorillas is considered by many to be the ultimate wildlife experience.
Someone to engage in gorilla trekking activity in Rwanda, must book a Rwanda gorilla permit in advance so as to be sure of getting a spot for gorilla trekking on a given date. Gorilla permits can be very difficult to secure during peak seasons like June to September and December to March. Gorilla permits in Rwanda costs $1500 per person. The money paid for these permits is used to support gorilla conservation efforts and community programs.
Booking permits can be done through a tour operator or directly through the Rwanda Development Board. In order to book the permit, passport details must be presented to the Rwanda Development Board. There are about 10 gorilla families available for trekking and only 8 people can visit a particular group in a day.
The gorilla trekking in Rwanda starts with a briefing from the park authorities and rangers in the morning at the park headquarters. During the briefing, participants are divided into groups of 8 members and assigned to a particular gorilla family.
The less fit hikers are assigned groups which are closer to the park offices. After the assigning, the park rangers lead the group to start searching for the gorillas. Out of about 10 habituated families, any gorilla family you meet will give you the best experience. Once you find a gorilla family, you will about 1 hour just watching the little ones roll around and play. Mountain gorillas are always playful and quite curious. Some may walk right up to you but with not the intention of harming you and you are advised not to run once they come close to you.
While with the gorillas, try to listen to instructions from the guides and to always stay calm and do not make movements anyhow. Gorilla trekking in Rwanda can take about 1-6 hours depending on the gorilla group you are assigned and their specific location on the day of the trek.
To engage in gorilla trekking, you must be 15 years and above to go near the primates and this is because persons under that age tend to carry transmittable diseases like flue, measles and cough which can be transmitted to the primates and that’s the reason why tourists are required to share their passport details before booking a trip.
Prepare yourself with suitable hiking boots, thick cotton gloves and a raincoat when you are going for gorilla trekking.
Apart from gorilla trekking in Rwanda, there are other activities that one can take part in while at the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and in other parts of the country. Throughout your travel, you will notice that the country has beautiful landscape consisting of hills and mountains.
You can combine your gorilla trekking tour with one of these activities; Golden Monkey trekking, visiting the grave of Dian Fossey, visiting the Musanze Caves, hiking one of the Volcanoes (Bisoke and Karisimbi), birding, visiting the IbyI’wacu Cultural Village, visiting the Genocide Memorial center, visiting Lake Kivu among others.
You should not worry on where to stay during your gorilla trekking tours. Some of the best accommodation facilities includes: Wilderness Bisate Lodge, Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, One & Only Gorilla Nest Lodge, Wilderness Sabyinyo Lodge, Virunga Volcanoes Lodge, Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Lebambou Gorilla Lodge, Virunga Hotel, Gorilla Solution Lodge, Villa Gorilla, Hotel Muhabura, La Palme Hotel among others. We eagerly waiting to travel with you.
