How long do you stay with the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda.

This article brings you information on how long you stay with the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda, this is the question that is mostly asked by different tourists before going for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda and this is the best answer to your question;

When visiting Volcanoes National Park Rwanda for the mountain gorilla trekking, the time spent with the gorillas is limited to 1 hour. This is a regulation put in place by the park authorities to ensure the gorillas’ safety and well-being.

About Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park known as Parc National des Volcans in French and Pariki y’lgihugu y’Ibirunga in native Kinyarwanda is an attractive safari destination in Rwanda located in the northwestern part of the country. It’s a captivating and awe-inspiring safari destination that showcases the country’s breathtaking natural beauty. The park was established in 1925 that is the park is the oldest national park in Africa. It is situated in the Virunga Mountains bordering Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Volcanoes National Park is a habitat and it encompasses of lush rainforests, bamboo forests and afro-alpine habitats and others. Volcanoes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 and a home to the endangered mountain gorillas, in addition to the mountain gorillas the park is home to the golden monkeys and other primates as well as animal species like buffaloes, elephants, various bird species and among others. Volcanoes National Park is also known for the work of Dian Fossey, the American zoologist who studied and advocated for mountain gorilla conservation.

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Volcanoes National Park has various volcanoes that is where the name of the park is derived from the five volcanoes like Karisimbi (4,507 meters), Bisoke (3,711 meters), Muhabura (4,127meters), Gahinga (3,474 meters) and Sabyinyo (3,669 meters). Volcanoes National Park is perhaps the most famous for being a habitat for the endangered mountain gorillas in the several habituated groups accessible for trekking. Visitors can explore the park’s stunning scenery, engage in various safari activities like gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking, volcano hiking, cultural tours and support the conservation efforts.

Here is a breakdown of what to expect during the gorilla trekking.

1. Briefing and debriefing. Before and after the trek, the visitors first receive briefings and debriefings from the park guides, while covering topics like gorilla behaviors, habitats and conservation.

2. Trekking. The trek that is to find the gorillas can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the group’s location and movement.

3. 1- hour visitation. Once the gorillas are located, visitors spend 1 hour observing and taking photos, maintaining a safe distance (7-10 meters).

During the 1-hour limit that you stay with the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda helps in this way during your gorilla trekking safari;

1. Minimize disturbance to the gorillas’ natural behavior. This is through reducing stress, as prolonged exposure to humans can cause stress, leading to changes in behavior, increased heart rate, and potential aggression. The 1-hour limit helps keep stress levels low.

Maintains natural routine, the gorillas have a daily routine, including foraging, resting and socializing. The brief visitation allows them to continue their natural activities without significant disruption.

Limits habituation, habituation occurs when gorillas become too comfortable around humans, leading to loss of fear and potential aggression. The 1-hour limit prevents over-familiarization.

Minimizes impact on social dynamics. Gorilla groups have a complex social structure. The brief visitation reduces the potential for disrupting these dynamics, such as dominant individuals feeling threatened or subordinate ones becoming stressed.

Prevents over-exposure to human scent, gorillas have a keen sense of smell and can become desensitized to human scent with prolonged exposure. The 1-hour limit minimizes the risk.

Reduces the risk of disease transmission, the shorter visitation time decreases the likelihood of disease transmission between humans and gorillas.

Allows for observation without interference, the 1-hour limit enables visitors to observe gorillas without interfering with their natural behavior, providing a more authentic experience. So limiting the visitation time to 1 hour, the park authorities ensure that the gorillas’ natural behavior is still respected and protected while still allowing visitors a unique and unforgettable safari experience.

2. The 1-hour limit during gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park reduces the risk of disease transmission between humans and gorillas in different ways;

Less exposure time, the shorter visitation time minimizes the opportunity for disease transmission through close contact or airborne pathogens.

Reduced respiratory droplet transmission, gorillas are susceptible to respiratory diseases like influenza and tuberculosis. The 1-hour limit reduces the chance of transmission through respiratory droplets.

Lower rich fecal-oral transmission, gorillas may touch or ingest contaminated substances. The brief visitation time decreases the likelihood of fecal-oral transmission.

Minimized skin-to-skin contact, the 1-hour limit reduces the opportunity for skin-in-skin contact, which can transmit diseases like scabies or herpes.

Less chance of vector-borne disease transmission, Mosquitoes, ticks or other vectors may transmit diseases between humans and gorillas. The one hour of being in the presence of the gorillas reduces exposure to these vectors.

Reduced stress-related disease susceptibility, prolonged exposure to humans can stress gorillas, making them more susceptible to disease, so the one hour limit helps keep stress levels low.

Easier enforcement of hygiene practices, the brief one hour makes it easier for the guides and the visitors to enforce hygiene practices, like wearing masks and maintaining distance. By limiting the visitation time to 1 hour the risk of disease transmission between humans and gorillas is significantly reduced, protecting both the visitors and the gorillas.

3. Prevent habituation, ensuring the gorillas remain wild and wary of humans and this can be done in different ways,

Limit exposure, brief visits prevent gorillas from becoming too familiar with humans, reducing the risk of habituation.

Maintains fear response, the short visitation time ensures gorillas retain their natural fear response to humans, keeping them cautious and wary.

Prevents association with food, gorillas may associate humans with food if visits are too long or frequent. The 1-hour limit prevents this association.

Reduces impact on natural behavior, brief visits minimize disruption to gorillas’ natural behavior, reducing the likelihood of habituation.

No prolonged observation of human behavior, gorillas may learn human behavior if observed for too long. The 1-hour limit prevents this.

No dependence on humans, brief visits ensure gorillas do not become dependent on humans for entertainment comfort or protection.

Maintains group dynamics, the short visitation time prevents disruption to gorilla group dynamics, reducing the risk of habituation.

No desensitization to human presence, the 1-hour limit prevents gorillas from becoming desensitized to human presence, maintaining their natural wariness. By limiting the visitation time to 1 hour, the risk of habituation is significantly reduced, ensuring the gorillas remain wild and wary of humans, and their natural is preserved.

Gorilla rules and regulations to take during the gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park.

Just like any other activity, gorilla trekking has got a number of rules and regulations that should be undertaken by the gorilla trekkers for their safety and conservation of the mountain gorillas.

• Tourists are encouraged to be healthy, and people with infections and illnesses are advised to kindly volunteer not to track as these mountain gorillas can catch them too and they can affect them much.
• Maintain a 7 to 10 meter distance away from the mountain gorillas at all times.
• Tourists who are supposed to do gorilla trekking should be above 15 years.
• Avoid direct eye contact with the mountain gorillas, as this discomforts the gorillas.
• Do not touch the gorillas during the gorilla trekking.
• You are advised to keep calm when a mountain gorilla charges at you and follow the ranger’s instructions at every time during gorilla trekking.
• Loud noise is not allowed, so you are encouraged to whisper to your neighbor if you really need to, and do not litter in the park.

What is gorilla trekking experience in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda.

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park starts early in the morning with a briefing by the park rangers at 7 am at Kinigi the park headquarters. During the briefing you will be given the rules and regulations to follow during the gorilla trekking. And then after the briefing you will be divided into groups of 8 members and allocated to a particular family to track, that is the gorilla families are allocated depending on the fitness level of the trackers and then the gorilla trekking can start immediately. During the trekking the visitors witness the various biodiversity in the park where they can spot the animal species like the forest elephants, bush pigs and watching various beautiful bird species, during gorilla trekking the park rangers share with you the information of the park and many others.

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park can take a period between 30 minutes to 6 hours regarding to the location of the gorillas, and once the you encounter these creatures, you will be given one hour to be in the presence of the gorillas while watching them feed, play, breastfeed, mothers grooming their babies and among others. Visitors are advised to stick to the given rules and regulations to stay calm at all times and never make sudden movements. After the one hour in the presence of the gorillas you will go back to the starting point at the headquarters to get the gorilla trekking certificates for taking part in the gorilla trekking.

Cost of gorilla trekking permit in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda.

When you think of gorilla trekking on a Rwanda safari, in Volcanoes National Park, a gorilla permit is a very essential item to have before the actual gorilla trekking. Gorilla permits are the first essential items because the permit at hand is what allows you to have the wonderful experience of the 12 habituated gorilla groups in Volcanoes national park.  The gorilla permit can be obtained in two different ways that is;

The first option is the through Rwanda Development Board (RDB). Rwanda Development Board is a Rwandan tourism body in charge that you get in touch with the reservation team to have your permit through emailing them or using office contacts available on their website.

The second option, is actually the favorable way to have your Rwanda gorilla tracking permit booked that is dealing with a reputable local operator. This option saves you from all the process to have your Rwanda gorilla permit, and you may not have time to go through all the steps that’s why the reputable operator is the best option to go with.

You are reminded that the gorilla permit to Volcanoes national park is 1500 USD per person per trekker for all the tourists on the gorilla safaris in the park. But you advised to book your gorilla permit at least 2 to 4 months earlier because these permits can be on a high demand and to avoid the disappointments it’s always better for you to book early before the actual gorilla trekking safari.

Best time to do gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park.

The best time to do gorilla trekking safari in Volcanoes National Park is not specific as the mountain gorillas are trekked throughout the year, though knowing the best time for the gorilla trekking is very crucial since each season has got its demerits and merits. Gorilla trekking can be done during both in the dry/high season or wet/rain season.

Dry/high season.

Dry/high season is the best time to do gorilla trekking during the months of January, February, June, July, August, September and December. During these months the park can have less rains or no rain at all hence offering perfect gorilla trekking since the forests are less slippery.

And trekking in high season is expensive towards the accommodation compared to low season when the lodges are cheaper.

Low/ Wet season.

Low season is also the best time to do gorilla trekking especially for the budget trekkers in the months of March, April, May and November. This season is good because the accommodations are always affordable. As the low rates are set to attract the budget travelers, also this is rewarding because the few travelers during the gorilla trekking are separated into various gorilla families providing the different experiences. Travellers are advised to put on the waterproof jackets, strong hiking boots/shoes during gorilla trekking as it can be slippery.

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park can be done throughout the year not minding whether wet or dry season, no day has ever been rejected because of the weather.

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