Trekking Gorillas in Rwanda

Trekking Gorillas in Rwanda is one of the lifetime experiences that leaves one with great memories. Trekking gorillas means visiting gorillas in their natural bedding and experiencing the way these primates, said to be sharing almost 98% of their DNA with human beings, are living in a family-like environment as human beings do. Mountain gorillas are only found in only 3 countries in the World namely Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Trekking gorillas in Rwanda will offer an opportunity to see these endangered species in the Volcanoes and spend time with them seeing how they behave in the presence of human beings. You will also be able to take as many pictures as you want to help you keep the memories of this lifetime experience.

There are things to take note before you plan a trip of trekking gorillas in Rwanda. To trek gorillas in Rwanda, you need to buy a gorilla permit to allow you to do the trekking. A trekking permit is 1500$ per person. To be sure of the availability of the gorilla trekking permits, you need to book and pay in advance as they are limited in number.

Trekking gorillas in Rwanda, will allow you to visit one of the families of gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park. There are 12 gorilla families habituated to be visited by human beings. Each group is visited by no more than 8 persons per day. That means that there are only 96 gorilla permits per day.

Trekking gorillas in Rwanda can also be combined with other activities. Rwanda has other tourist attractions and experiences to offer. Apart from the Volcanoes National Park that accommodates mountain gorillas, there are other Parks including Akagera National Park. A game drive in Akagera National Park can be a good combination with trekking gorillas in Rwanda whereby you will be able to see the big five animals namely lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and buffalos.

Nyungwe National Park also offers chances of seeing chimpanzee and colobus monkeys, another type of primates accommodated in this Natural forest situated in the south of the Country. The same Park also has a canopy walk experience on a 90 meter suspended bridge that allows you to view the forest and its surroundings from top of the forest. Combining gorilla trekking in Rwanda with a visit to Nyungwe National Park will offer you a complete experience worth remembering.

You can ask yourself a number of days you need to trek gorillas in Rwanda. Well, trekking gorillas takes only 1 day, starting with a briefing session on the does and don’ts while trekking gorillas at 7:00 AM at the Tourism headquarter in Musanze around the Volcanoes National Park. That means that you need to travel very early in the morning from 5:00 AM or have an overnight stay in an accommodation around the Volcanoes to better prepare yourself for the gorilla trekking on the following day.

Another question to consider is how to get a gorilla permit. The gorilla permits are managed by Rwanda Development Board and are bought through an online platform called Irembo accessible to everyone. However, buying a permit is not enough for trekking gorillas in Rwanda. There are some other logistics to consider like transport, accommodation and booking other activities. To be able to well prepare your trip, you will need to have a professional tour operator who will help in designing a suitable itinerary in consideration of your interests, time and budget.

We at Unique Rwanda Vacations Experts are ready to help you prepare a package that best fits with your plans. All you need to do is to send us your request and relax as we are putting every single together so that we make your gorilla trekking in Rwanda a life time experience.