Get up-close with Rwanda’s endangered gorillas

A land of a thousand hills endowed with nature to awe you with a lifetime Gorilla trekking tour in Rwanda. Scenic views, lush green vegetation floral and fauna not forgetting the volcano Virunga mountains home for the remain mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Your night stay at recommended lodge in the wild.

Gorilla Trekking overview

Rwanda is the best place to do mountain gorilla trekking in high altitudes of Virunga Mountains – Volcanoes National Park. Set out in search of magical encounters with your assigned family of mountain gorillas that live in the unique thick forest in volcanoes national park.

On your trek, you will explore this scenic landscape with different volcanoes’ views so much connected to Dian Fossey’s ground-breaking gorilla research. Traversing slopes covered with rainforest and bamboo.

You will dig deep into the park’s dense, misty forests, in the company of an expert head ranger guide. A Gorilla trekking tour normally takes between one and seven hours in search of your allocated gorilla family and you will then have the opportunity to spend strictly one quiet hours’ time in their presence observing these charismatic creatures, taking as many non-flash photographs and video clips as possible.

Is Rwanda safe?

For anyone planning to visit Africa, Rwanda is one the safest and most secure African countries to visit. Kigali the Capital of Rwanda also known as the Singapore of Africa, is one of East Africa’s cities where tourists will feel very safe due to the fact that there is a sense of order and modernity.
The presence of police almost everywhere including traffic and tourism police means the government realized that it is mandated to ensure safety tourists and its citizens. Rwanda is home to one of Africa’s friendliest people and travelers may probably feel safer than they would in some cities in the United States of America.

In a bid to protect the country’s image because tourism is the country’s most significant foreign income earner, they have put quite a number of behind the scene security measures to protect tourist by frequent border surveillance and constant patrols in and around the National parks

Rwanda has been listed among the top safe destinations to travel to in Africa by the EU.

Mountain Gorilla Encounter

Once you find the magnificent mountain gorillas and looking into eye to eye with the giant silverback is an exceptional feeling which is like no other, you will instantly forget all the previous hassles you have endured during the search period. Spend every second of the allocated hour as you watch them as they carry on their day to day activities, foraging on bamboo shootouts, teasing each other, mothers keeping a close eye on their young ones, slumbering like humans; watch the young juveniles play in tree branches.

At times the trek to view them may be arduous, with steep rises covered in dense vegetation but it’s worth it. Rwanda Gorilla Trekking not for the faint-hearted.

Children who are 15 years and below are not allowed to participate in Gorilla trekking for various reasons as they call them Ugly Gorillas and scarily to look at, Inhabiting areas that are not easily reachable as well.

Gorillas tend to reside where there is plenty of food plants close the ground and on Rwanda side of the Virunga (Volcanoes National Park) expect nothing like climbing extremely haughty hills to get to them. This arduous trek will richly reward you when you set your first glance on these amazing creatures. Your time with them is expected to be phenomenal on the part of Rwanda as this unique park is a very special place.

Best time to go gorilla trekking tours Rwanda

If you’re looking to when to go to Rwanda then the chances are high that it’s for a gorilla trekking tour. Much as the activity is regarded as a year-round thing, there are about two best periods in a year to go gorilla trekking tour Rwanda and that’s during the short dry season from mid-December to February or over the long dry season months of June to mid-October. These periods offer pretty the easiest hiking conditions and lower disease risks like malaria.

Much as one can visit and go gorilla trekking tour Rwanda outside these recommended times of year on the other hand bear in mind that during this time the trek can be pretty tougher in the rain as paths may be steep and muddy at times. You will need a certain level of fitness and be more adventurous before you commence your trek.

However, the best time to go chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda’s Nyungwe forest is during the two rainy seasons – March to early June and Mid-October to mid December – as these closest human cousins are easier to locate. It’s harder for them to find during the dry seasons and chimp families often range far inside the forest interior.

Rwanda Gorilla trekking Permits

The Mountain Gorillas are Rwanda’s major attractions that travelers who seek to see in Rwanda. Mountain Gorilla Trekking permits are a highly sought after item and with just a limited number of visitors permitted to track every day, it requires a lot of prior planning to guarantee a chance to participate in Africa’s highlight the Mountain Gorilla trekking tour Rwanda.

Gorilla trekking permits in Rwanda cost $1,500 and almost all tourists who participate in this thrilling activity see them, this is attributed to the highly knowledgeable ranger guides about where habituated gorilla family can be located and after successful trek tourists are rewarded a completion certificate.

How to book your Gorilla trekking Permit

It is recommended that you use a recognized tour operator in Rwanda. These tour companies do provide other services other than just booking permits, they do reserve your hotel/lodge room; provide transportation as well as showing you other tourist destinations within Rwanda.
You can as well book your gorilla trekking permit through Rwanda Development Board (RDB) if you are not interested in booking with tour companies.

Enjoy the Discounts

If you are planning to visit other tourist destinations like Akagera and Nyungwe National Parks on top of Volcanoes National park, once you reserve your gorilla trekking permit, Rwanda Development Board will give you discounts to spend more days visiting those other destinations in Rwanda.

Gorilla trekking rules in Rwanda

Gorilla trekking tours in Volcanoes National park has clear rules and regulations that must protect visitors and gorillas at large; Due to the fact that gorillas share 98% of human genes, Infectious diseases including diarrhea, a cold, and flu are a problem to them therefore a visitor with such diseases will not be permitted in the park. It’s always recommended to view Mountain gorillas at distant and in groups rather than surrounding where their family is located.

Once you find them always maintain a distance of about 7m, this is just to leave some space between you and the gorillas. In case they are moving towards you, tend to extend backward as you listen to instructions from the ranger guide. A digital camera is most suitable but photography must be done without a flashlight.

Avoid eating or smoking while around or with the gorillas. In case you feel like coughing or sneezing, move away from the gorillas and cover your mouth. Making sudden movements are not allowed while you are with the gorillas, get rid of making funny noises or sounds more still Do not litter or spit on the green vegetation or soil once you are in the park.

On visiting the gorillas, you will be strictly allowed to spend one hour with them Age is very important; therefore children below the age of 15 are not legitimate to go for a gorilla trekking tour Rwanda.