Exclusive Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda
Exclusive gorilla trekking experiences in Rwanda provide tourists with a luxury private encounter with the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is carried out in Volcanoes national park which is located in hr north western part of Rwanda. There are different habituated gorilla families found at the destination which tourists can interact with during safaris at the destination.
The habituated gorilla families found in Volcanoes national park which can be encountered during the exclusive gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda include Susa, Karisimbi, Umubano, Amahoro, Hirwa, Ugyenda, Bwenge, Sabyinyo gorilla family among others.
Exclusive gorilla trekking experiences in Rwanda are tailor made tours which are planned to suit the tastes and preferences of the tourists.
During gorilla trekking experiences in Volcanoes national park, tourists start the activity with briefing at the park headquarters at Kinigi before proceeding to search for the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
Tourists move with ranger guides who accompany them during the search of the mountain gorillas following different trails in the forests of Volcanoes national park. Due to the high altitude where the mountain gorillas live, the activity maybe a little strenuous and tourists can move with walking sticks.
After finding the gorillas, tourists get to spend 1 hour in their presence and watch their behavior closely and also enjoy taking photos of the gorillas and recording videos. It is important to keep a safe distance of about 7 meters from the gorillas during the gorilla trekking experience.
How to plan exclusive gorilla trekking in Rwanda
There are different steps which are to be followed when booking an exclusive gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda and they include the following;
- Contacting tour operator
Gorilla trekking experiences in Rwanda which are exclusive can be booked through different tour operators who offer safari packages across the different destinations in the country including Volcanoes national park.
Luxury tour operators in Rwanda design and plan the gorilla trekking tours and book accommodation, gorilla permits and also plan for the transport to be used by the tourists. This experience can be for group tours and also for private tours.
Gorilla permits for visiting Volcanoes national park are only booked through licensed tour operators to individuals above the age of 15 years who are allowed to engage in gorilla trekking experiences in Rwanda.
- Scheduling date for gorilla trekking
Because the exclusive gorilla trekking tours in Rwanda are meant to provide a more intimate encounter with the gorillas in their natural habitat, it is important to choose the right dates for the activity.
Tour operators can confirm the available dates for the gorilla trek before communicating with the individuals interested in the exclusive trekking experience in Rwanda.
- Booking gorilla trekking permits and private tour
After confirming the available dates for the gorilla trek, tour operators can book the gorilla permits for trekking in Rwanda.
When booking the gorilla permits, tour operators can also make other arrangements for the private gorilla trek including reserving the lodges. It is important for the gorilla permits to be booked in advance due to the limited number issued daily for gorilla trekking experiences in Volcanoes national park.
Apart from gorilla trekking, tour operators can also advise the luxury tourists to choose other activities to do around Volcanoes national park which include golden monkey trekking, hiking, bird watching, engaging in the Dian Fossey hike, cultural tours among others.
The golden monkeys found in Volcanoes national park can be seen during tours around the bamboo forest at the destination. During golden monkey trekking experiences, tourists get to spend time with the golden monkeys and observe them closely. The permit for golden monkey trekking is 100 USD per person.
Hiking is another activity which tourists can do as part of their exclusive gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda. The different Virunga mountains include Mount Karisimbi which is the highest mountain at the destination at an altitude of 4507 meters. Other mountains include Mount Bisoke among others.
Cultural tours around Volcanoes national park can be done around the Iby’iwacu village where tourists can interact with the locals and get to know more about their way of life and engage in activities like traditional dance performances among others.
- Booking luxury lodges
The choice of accommodation for tourists interested in private gorilla trekking experiences in Rwanda is luxury accommodation. However, there are also budget and midrange lodges found around Volcanoes national park.
Some of the luxury lodges to stay at during the private gorilla treks in Volcanoes national park include Bisate lodge, Gorillas nest lodge, Kwitonda lodge, Sabyinyo Silverback lodge, Bishops house, Five Volcanoes lodge among others.
Cost of gorilla trekking in Rwanda
The permit cost for gorilla trekking in Rwanda is 1500 USD per person and these permits are issued by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).
Other costs associated with gorilla trekking in Rwanda include transport costs and accommodation costs. For exclusive safaris, tourists use private transport means which cost about 200 to 300 USD per day.
Accommodation costs for gorilla trekking tours in Rwanda range from 750 USD per night to over 3000 USD per night for the luxury lodges around Volcanoes national park which provide comfort and am excusive stay and also 5 star services.
Best time for exclusive gorilla trekking in Rwanda
Exclusive gorilla trekking tours in Rwanda can be done throughout the year with the best time to visit being the dry season around June, July, August and September and also around December, January and February.
To avoid crowds, exclusive gorilla trekking tours in Volcanoes national park can be done during the low season in the months of March, April and May and also in November. It is also part of the low season with a lot of rains received around Rwanda and it is a time of the year when prices are discounted.
How to get to Volcanoes national park
Tourists can access Volcanoes National Park by flying to Kigali International Airport (KGL) and then drive to for about 2 to 3 hours to Volcanoes national park.
