Rwanda gorilla safari

Rwanda gorilla safari : Mountain gorillas are the most popular activities in Rwanda and they can be found in Volcanoes national park which is situated in northwestern Rwanda in Musanze village. visitors on a gorilla safari / rwanda gorilla trekking tour will participate in gorilla trekking which is an adventurous and exciting activity where visitors move into the tropical rainforests in search of the habituated gorilla families and once found spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. Gorillas are also found in other destinations in African apart from Volcanoes national park namely Bwindi impenetrable forest national park which harbors half of the world’s mountain gorillas and Mgahinga gorilla national park in Uganda, Virunga national park and Kahuzi Biega national park in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park

Volcanoes national park is the only destination in Rwanda that harbors the endangered mountain gorillas. The national park is a home of over 18 habituated gorilla families which are available for trekking daily. Gorilla trekking in the park starts early in the morning with a briefing at Kinigi park headquarters about the expectations, rules and regulations to be followed during trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped into 8 people to trek each habituated gorilla family and grouping is done depending on physical fitness and age so that visitors who are not physically fit trek Gorilla groups that are nearby. Once you have been grouped and allocated a gorilla family you will start trekking in the jungle with a park guide who will be sharing information about the mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park takes about 2 to 6 hours and once the gorilla family has been found you will be allowed to spend one hour with the gorillas in their natural habitat taking photos, recording the moments, learning about their lifestyle, habits, behaviors among others which give you incredible experiences on your gorilla safari in Rwanda.

How many people are allowed to trek the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes national park

Gorilla trekking in the park only allows a maximum number of 8 people to trek each habituated gorilla family. this is due to the fact that the mountain gorillas are fragile and allowing many people will stress them and also destruct them from their daily activities, they are also vulnerable in that they can easily be infected by human diseases therefore when the park allows many visitors it will increase the risk of trasmition of diseases, allowing limited number of individuals also gives visitors an opportunity to clearly view the gorillas as they take photos, learn about their lifestyle, behaviors among others.

Cost of a gorilla trekking permit in Volcanoes national park

A gorilla trekking permit is a document or card that is issued to a visitor above the age of fifteen years allowing him or her to visit a gorilla family in Volcanoes national park. A gorilla trekking permit in the park costs $1500 for all nationalities therefore visitors who want to engage in luxury gorilla trekking with incredible and unforgettable experiences should book a gorilla trekking permit in volcanoes national park in Rwanda.

How to book a gorilla trekking permit

Getting a gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda is very easy as long as you pass through the right procedure such as booking directly through Rwanda Development Board a government body in charge of tourism in Rwanda or booking through a trusted tour operator like Achieve Global Safaris. Booking through a tour operator is the best option in that it will save you all the hustle. When booking through Achieve Global Safaris, you will contact us with the dates, month and year when you want to trek the endangered mountain gorillas and we will check for availability of the permit depending on the dates provided. Once the permit is available you will be asked to make a deposit of the permit on our bank account, when the deposit has been made you will be asked to send your scanned passport copies which will be used to register for your permit and we will acquire the gorilla trekking permit for you and send scanned copies as confirmation.

A gorilla trekking permit in Volcanoes national park should however be acquired 3 to 6 months in advance before the trekking date because permits are competitive and usually get sold out especially during the peak season in the months of June to September and December to February.

What is included in a gorilla trekking permit in Volcanoes national park?

A gorilla trekking permits in Rwanda costs $1500 for all nationalities and this amount include the one hour given in the presence of the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, services of a trained park guide who will be sharing information about gorilla trekking, trackers who will move into the forest early in the morning to track or locate the gorillas, security of armed park rangers, park entrance fee to Volcanoes national park among others.

When to go on a gorilla safari in Rwanda

Visitors can go on a gorilla safari in Volcanoes national park Rwanda anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June to September and December to February. During the dry season there is less rainfall in the park therefore there will be short grass, shrubs in the jungle which enables clear viewing of the gorillas, access roads to the park will be passable and gorilla trekking trails will be dry and passable compared to the wet/rainy season when the gorilla trekking trails will be wet, muddy and slippery.

How to get to volcanoes national park

The national park is located in northwestern Rwanda and can be reached by both air and road transport means.

Air transport, when using air transport means you will fly to Kigali international airport and then connect by road to the park which takes about 2 hours’ drive.

Road transport, Volcanoes national park can be reached from Uganda Bwindi impenetrable national park or Mgahinga gorilla national park where you will drive via Cyanika border in Kisoro or Katuna border in Kabale to Volcanoes national park and the journey takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive.

The park can also be accessed by self-drive by private vehicles from Kigali airport to Kinigi park headquarters or public means on transport though not recommended by boarding a taxi from Kigali airport to Musanze town and then hire a private taxi to the park headquarters.

What to carry on your Rwanda gorilla safari

Visitors on a gorilla safari in Rwanda are advised to pack essential items for gorilla trekking such as

Gorilla trekking permit, this is the most important item to carry on your gorilla trekking safari because without a gorilla trekking safari you will not be allowed to trek the gorilla family in the park
Long sleeved shirt and trousers, these will protect your body from being hurt and keep you warm during morning hours when it’s very cold in the jungle
Garden gloves, these will protect your hands from germs and getting hurt by thorny trees
Insect repellent, this will protect your skin from insect bites such as mosquitos, tsetse flies among others.
Hiking shoes, the shoes should be comfortable so as to protect you when trekking in slippery terrains.
Long socks, the socks will be tucked into the long sleeved trousers so as to prevent the safari ants from entering your body.
Camera and extra batteries, a camera shouldn’t be missed on your gorilla safari in Rwanda because it will be used to take plenty of photos during the one hour with the gorillas in their natural habitat and also record the moments.
Energy snacks, due to the fact that gorilla trekking is unpredictable in that it can either take a short period of time or a long period of time visitors are advised to carry packed lunch and drinking water so as to get energy during trekking
Waterproof rain jacket, the rain jacket will protect you from rain in case it rains while trekking
Backpack, this will be used to carry all you gorilla trekking essentials including camera, energy snacks, insect repellent, rain jacket among others.
Hiring a porter, gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park is carried out in steep, slippery terrains therefore a porter will give you a push, pull and also help you to carry your backpack during trekking.

On your Rwanda gorilla safari you will have breathtaking and unforgettable experiences for a lifetime as you trek the endangered mountain gorillas and spend time with them in their natural habitat.

Common Rwanda gorilla trekking packages

2 Day rwanda gorilla trekking safari.

3 Day rwanda gorilla trekking safari

5 Day rwanda gorilla and golden monkey tracking.