Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda: An Upclose encounter with the Gentle Giants.

Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda: The experience of venturing deep into the jungles of Volcanoes National Park to look for gorillas is unmatched. Volcanoes lies in the Northern Province of Rwanda. Visitors trek along with an expert Ranger guide. These help them to locate the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. The adventure of meeting face to face with the Giant Apes in the wild begins before the first rays of the golden sun even strikes the earth, as birds begin singing sweet melodies.

Trekkers have to arise early to meet at the Park Headquarters for a mandatory briefing. It is in this briefing that they will be told about the dos and donts while on the trek. It is important to remember that only a maximum of eight people is allowed to visit each gorilla family per day. This actually calls for a sense of urgency and plan if gorilla trekking is an adventure you would go for. 

Send enquiry for this experience

Gorillas, being the largest living primates in the world and are distributed across the African Continent.

They are mostly found in the Equatorial African rainforests in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, and the Central African forests. Generally, there are two species of gorillas that is the Western and Eastern gorillas.

These are sub-divided into four sub-species that is; Cross River Gorillas, the western lowland gorillas, Mountain gorillas, and Eastern lowland gorillas.

The Mountain gorillas are the ones you will be trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.

Mountain Gorilla Families in Rwanda

From the recent count, there are about 1063 mountain gorillas remaining in the world today. Of those, about 604 are found in the Virunga Conservation Area.  The Virunga Conservation Area engulfs Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park). 

The rest of the mountain gorillas are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This population has however increased, thanks to the combined efforts of Governments (UWA, RDB, and ICCN), Conservation organizations, and surrounding local communities.

Currently, there are about 20 gorilla families in Rwanda. However, only 12 of those are fully habituated for tracking while the rest are habituated for research studies. This implies only 96 gorilla permits can be issued each day for trekking in Volcanoes National Park (8 gorilla permits/visitors for each habituated gorilla family). Each of the gorilla families has at least one silverback alongside adult females and several offspring. These mountain gorillas are monitored from time to time. They are protected by armed Rangers.

The 12 habituated gorilla families available for tracking in Volcanoes National Park include Muhoza, Karisimbi (or Susa B), Bwenge, Sabyinyo, Kwitonda, Agashya, Hirwa, Ugenda, Susa A, Amahoro, Igisha, and Umubano.

Send enquiry for this experience

Gorilla Permits Cost for Rwanda

Rwanda Gorilla trekking permits go for only $1500 per person per trek. However, you are entitled to a 30% discount on gorilla permits if you also visit Nyungwe or Akagera National Park and spend 3 days. This means you will be buying gorilla trekking permits at $1050 per person per trek.

How mountain gorilla trekking adventures are done in Rwanda

Mountain gorilla tracking in Rwanda begins with a gathering at Kinigi Park Headquarters at 7:00 am for a briefing. After there, visitors are allocated a gorilla family to trek. This is based on a number of factors that include age, level of physical fitness, and personal interests. This is followed by the 20-minute transfer to the different trailheads.

Guided treks to the different gorilla locations take anywhere between 30 minutes and 4 hours or more. You will get to altitudes of 2500 to 4000 meters above sea level. For this reason, it is always advisable to hire porters who offer assistance in carrying your backpacks and a helping hand as you hike. When encountered, you will spend an hour viewing and photographing the Giant Apes as they go about their daily routines.

Send enquiry for this experience

Guidelines to be followed by trekking mountain gorillas in Rwanda

The guidelines to be followed while tracking mountain gorillas are usually issued during a briefing at the Park Headquarters and they include;

• Maintaining a distance of 8 meters from the Giant Apes while viewing or photographing them.
• Spend a maximum of one hour with these Great Apes.
• Don’t visit the mountain gorillas when sick, especially with colds because these Giant Apes are susceptible to these diseases.
• Avoid touching the mountain gorillas and even when they get closer, move back slowly without drawing attention.
• Eating, smoking, and drinking in the presence of mountain gorillas are strictly prohibited.
• Avoid imitating mountain gorilla calls or faces as it might annoy them hence charging.
• A maximum of 8 visitors are allowed to visit a mountain gorilla family each day.
• Don’t make noise while tracking because you will scare away other creatures in the Park especially primates and birds. These would otherwise spice up your gorilla trekking experience.

The best time for mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda.

Volcanoes National Park is open throughout the year therefore mountain gorillas are seen any time of the year. However, experiences vary according to season. For visitors that trek in the dry season (June to September and December to February), chances of rains are lower (but not inevitable) hence be prepared for anything. Because the chances of rain are lower, trails are drier and less challenging.

The wet season (March to May and October to November) comes with lots of rains (although not all day, instead in the mornings and nights), thus making trails muddier and slippery hence more challenging.

What to carry for mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda

The golden rule about packing is being prepared for anything and therefore, make sure that you carry a rain jacket regardless of season, a warm sweater, hiking boots, gardening gloves, a camera, and waterproof covering, binoculars, a backpack, reusable water bottle, insect repellant, breathtaking safari pants, long-sleeved shirt, first aid kit, sunglasses, and others.

How to get to Volcanoes National Park for your mountain gorilla tracking adventure

Volcanoes National park in the Northern Province of Rwanda is easily accessible by air and road. It is only two and a half hour’s drive from Kigali International Airport via a smooth 116-kilometer distance with breathtaking views of rolling hills and lush countryside. This Park is also reachable by a 30-minute scenic helicopter flight from Kigali International Airport.

Send enquiry for this experience