2022 Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safaris

2022 Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safaris: Mountain gorillas are the most popular activity in Rwanda, and they may be seen at Volcanoes National Park, which is located near Musanze hamlet in north-eastern Rwanda. Guests on a gorilla safari will engage in gorilla trekking, an exciting and challenging activity in which visitors walk into the tropical woods in search of habituated gorilla families and spend one hour with them in their natural environment. Apart from Volcanoes National Park, gorillas can also be found in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, which is home to half of the world’s mountain gorillas, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Virunga National Park and Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

2022 Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safaris in Volcanoes National Park.

The only place in Rwanda where you may see endangered mountain gorillas is Volcanoes National Park. The park is home to approximately 18 habituated gorilla families, who are available for trekking on a regular basis. The park’s gorilla trekking begins early in the morning with a briefing at Kinigi park headquarters on the expectations, rules, and regulations to be observed throughout the trip. Following the briefing, you will be divided into groups of eight to trek each habituated gorilla family. Grouping is done based on physical condition and age, so that guests who are not physically active can travel adjacent gorilla families.

After being briefed and assigned to a gorilla family, you will begin walking in the jungle with a park guide who will share knowledge on the mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park takes approximately 2 to 6 hours, and once the gorilla family has been located, 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, and behaviors, among other things, providing you with incredible experiences on your Rwanda gorilla trekking safari.

Number of people allowed to track Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda.

Each habituated gorilla family can only be trekked by a maximum of 8 individuals in the park. This is due to the fact that mountain gorillas are fragile, and allowing many people will stress them and destruct them from their daily activities. They are also vulnerable in that they can easily be infected by human diseases, so allowing a limited number of visitors decreases the risk of disease transmission. Allowing a limited number of individuals also allows visitors to clearly view the gorillas as they take photos and learn about their habitat.

Cost of a Gorilla Trekking Permit in Rwanda.

A gorilla trekking permit is a paper or card that allows a tourist over the age of fifteen to visit a gorilla family in Volcanoes National Park. A gorilla trekking ticket in the park costs $1500 for all nations, therefore travelers interested in luxury gorilla trekking with spectacular and unique experiences should obtain a gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.

How to book a gorilla permit in Rwanda.

Obtaining a gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda is simple if you follow the proper procedures, such as booking directly with the Rwanda Development Board, a government organization in charge of tourism in Rwanda, or booking through a reputable tour operator such as Explore Tours Rwanda. Booking through a travel operator is the ideal option because it saves you time and effort. When you book with Rwanda Explore Tours, you will email us with the days, month, and year you wish to hike the endangered mountain gorillas, and we will check for permit availability based on the dates you give.

Once the permit is available, you will be asked to deposit it on our bank account. Once the deposit is made, you will be asked to send us 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 you scanned copies as confirmation.

A gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda, on the other hand, should be obtained 3 to 6 months before the trekking date since permits are competitive and generally sell out, especially during peak season, which runs from June to September and December to February.

What is included in a Rwanda gorilla permit?

A Rwanda gorilla trekking permit costs $1500 for all nationalities and includes a one-hour encounter with mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, the services of a trained park guide who will share information about gorilla trekking, trackers who will move into the forest early in the morning to track or locate the gorillas, the security of armed park rangers, and the park entrance fees, among other things.

Best Time to go on a gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda.

Visitors to Volcanoes National Park Rwanda may go on a gorilla safari at any time of year, but the optimum time is during the dry season, which runs from June to September and December to February. There is less rainfall in the park during the dry season, so there will be short grass and shrubs in the jungle, allowing for clear viewing of the gorillas, access roads to the park will be passable, and gorilla trekking trails will be dry and passable, as opposed to the wet/rainy season, when gorilla trekking trails will be wet, muddy, and slippery.

What to carry on your Rwanda gorilla safari

Visitors on a gorilla trekking 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 in Rwanda 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 trekking 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 Rwanda 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.