How many days do you need for a gorilla trek safari in Rwanda

How many days do you need for a gorilla trek safari in Rwanda? Are you planning on trekking gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and would like to know how many days are needed? This is the right place for you because we will answer this question and discuss gorilla trekking in Rwanda. The number of days required for a gorilla trek in Rwanda depends on several factors like the tour package you choose although the most common is three days.

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The minimum three days for a gorilla safari in Rwanda typically involve arriving in Rwanda and then driving to Volcanoes National Park on the first day, trekking on the second day, and enjoying other safari activities as chosen by you, and the third day is the departure day.

How many days are needed for a gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda?

 You will need at least two days to do a gorilla trek in Rwanda, although the recommended time is three days.

Note that the Rwanda Tourism Board prints only 86 permits per day, so it is important if you book early for your trip. After purchasing your permit expect to track gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park including the Hirwa gorilla family with 13 members, the Sabinyo gorilla family has eight members, Umubano has 11 gorillas and Amahoro has 17 gorillas.

Three days of gorilla trekking in Rwanda

The three-day gorilla trekking safari starts and ends in Rwanda's capital city, Kigali. The safari includes a permit, which is at $1500 per person, and a brief itinerary of the safari includes:

Day 1: Arrival in Rwanda-a drive to Volcanoes National Park

Day 2: Gorilla trekking exercise

Day 3: Departure to Kigali

Day 1: Arrival in Rwanda-a drive to Volcanoes National Park

On arrival to Kigali, Your driver guide will first brief you about the details of your itinerary and what to expect on your three days before driving you to Volcanoes National Park (Parc des National), which is about 80 kilometers and a 2 hours drive from Kigali. In cases where you get to Kigali early, you get a brief tour around Kigali and visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial Center or the museum before proceeding to Volcanoes. 

Accommodation options on day 1 include Le bamboo Lodge a mid-range facility, Muhabura Hotel a budget facility, and Volcanoes Lodge a luxury facility among others.

Day 2: Gorilla trekking 

Day 2 is the D-day of gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park and starts with an early breakfast at your lodgings after that your driver guide will take you to the park headquarters where a briefing about the rules and what to expect is done by experienced guides. During the briefing, you will be assigned a gorilla family to trek, and after that, the trek and search for the gorillas starts.

The trek takes between 1 to 6 hours depending on the location of your allocated gorilla family but once you locate them, every group gets an hour with the gorillas watching them feed, take care of their young ones, and go on about their day. During the trek, you will also be able to spot other wildlife like forest elephants, buffalos, bird species, and primates like golden monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and olive baboons. You also get to visit the twin Lakes of Ruhondo and Burera and visit the local communities before heading back to the lodge. 

Our accommodation options on the second day include Volcanoes Lodge for a luxury stay, Le Bamboo for mid-range, and Muhabura Lodge for a budget-friendly stay.

Day 3: Departure to Kigali

Day 3 is the last day of the gorilla trek safari, and after an early breakfast at the lodge, it is time to check out and head back to Kigali if you do not have any other safari planned to other destinations in Rwanda. 

The three-day safari usually includes gorilla permits, accommodation (full board), safari activities mentioned, an English-speaking experienced guide, drinking water, and transportation. The trip does not include international flights, tips, premium beverages, extra activities, laundry services, and extra days spent.

Besides gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, there are other activities that you can engage in, and these include bird watching, guided primate walks, cultural visits, joining the Kwita Izina ceremony, and other activities of your choice.

Cost of a Gorilla Trek in Rwanda

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is expensive as compared to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and this is because the cost of the permit is higher. Rwanda as a country is also considered to be a luxury safari destination. There are several factors that affect the cost of the safari, and these are the cost of the permit, the number of days, the season of travel, the number of people traveling in a group, and the accommodation type.

The cost of the gorilla permit is $1500 for foreign non-residents, $300 for Rwanda and East African citizens, and residents of other African countries pay $500 per person. The cost of the permit is higher as compared to Uganda, where the permit is $8000 for foreign non-residents and $400 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda offers a discount on the permit (30% discount) to $1050 during the low season. However, this only works if you have booked a safari to either Akagera National Park or Nyungwe after the gorilla trek. 

The number of days spent on a gorilla trek also affects the cost of the safari. The more days you spend on a gorilla safari, the higher the cost, and the fewer days spent on a safari, the lower the cost.

Traveling in groups reduces the cost of the safari, and this is because costs like transport are shared among the tourists traveling together and a private gorilla safari, on the other hand, is expensive. 

The accommodation type chosen plays a big part in the cost of the safari. If you are traveling on a budget, we advise that you book for either budget-friendly or mid-range facilities that fit within your budget, and if you are looking for a luxury safari, get the luxurious accommodation facilities.

The season of travel: traveling during the dry season is a good time; however, due to the large crowds, many of the service providers hike their prices, making the safari an expensive one, and during the wet season, the safari is cheaper.

Gorilla Trek rules and regulations

Mountain gorillas are an endangered species that were almost extinct due to constant poaching from the locals, but with the coming and conservation ideas of Dian Fossey, gorillas survived. With the help of the government of Rwanda, some rules have been set up to continue conserving the natural habitat of the Mountain gorillas. The rules are to be followed by all who intend to go for a gorilla trek for your safety and the safety of the gorillas, and these include:

• Rwanda's gorilla trekking age limit is 15 years, and no one below that age will be allowed to trek the gorillas.
• Feeding of the Mountain gorillas is prohibited.
• After locating the gorillas, the trekkers are allowed a maximum of an hour with the gorillas studying their behavioral patterns and taking photos and videos.
• You need to keep a distance of about 7 to 10 meters away from the gorillas.
• Gorillas are not used to flash photography, so make sure that you turn your camera flash off before taking photos.
• A maximum of 8 people is allowed to trek the assigned gorilla families.
• Holes 30 cm deep are to be dug and covered for hikers planning on using the toilet because there are no toilets within the national park.
• Avoid littering the national park with rubbish by leaving it the way you found it.
• Do not in any way get close to the gorillas to avoid passing on infections in case you are sick.
• No one can eat, smoke, or drink with the gorillas.
• Avoid staring at the gorillas in the eye, don't put on sunglasses, and in cases where the gorillas approach you, follow the instructions given to you by the guides.

What to pack for a gorilla trek safari in Rwanda

Below is a packing list for gorilla trekking in Rwanda and as you pack, one of the most important things to remember is that you need to pack efficiently but lightly. 

• Pack some warm clothes like sweaters for when the weather drastically changes. 
• A raincoat is necessary whether you are traveling in the dry or wet season.
• Long-sleeved shirts and trousers protect your skin from insect bites, keep you warm, and protect your skin from tree scratches. The clothes packed should be neutral or in brown, khaki, and green colors. Avoid blue, any other brightly colored clothes, and black. Also, make sure to avoid jeans.
• First aid kit fully packed with all the medicines prescribed by your doctor, bandages, spirit, iodine, cotton, tummy ache medicines, pain killers, and other things needed to treat scratches during the trek.
• Gaiters, socks, and garden gloves are needed. The socks are used to keep you warm, and during the trek, trousers are tucked into the socks to prevent insects from crawling up your pants. The garden gloves and non-surgical gloves protect your hands from tree scratches during the trek, and the adjustable gaiters are mainly used during the wet season.
• Strong ankle-length boots are necessary to keep your feet steady on the trek, especially during the wet season. They should be well-fitting to avoid blisters and waterproof if you can get them.
• Other items that you need to pack include a refillable water bottle, flashlight, extra batteries, camera and extra lenses, binoculars, wet wipes, biodegradable toilet paper, scarf, sandals, sunscreen, insect repellent, a sun hat, and toiletries, among others.

Gorilla trekking is also carried out in two more countries besides Rwanda, and these are Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda has two gorilla destinations and these are Mgahinga National Park, with one habituated gorilla family and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which has half the world's gorilla population. Gorilla trekking in the Democratic Republic of Congo is carried out in the Virunga National Park however at the moment it is not safe to trek in Congo because of the unrests faced in the country.

Best time for gorilla trekking in Rwanda

The best time to go for gorilla trekking in Rwanda is during the dry season in June, July, August, September, December, January, and February. The dry months are considered to be the best time because it is easy to trek through the forest due to the thinning of the vegetation, the trek routes are also easy to use. Note that this is a tropical rainforest, and rains are very possible even during the dry season. The wet season on the other hand is also a good time for a gorilla trek if you do not mind the rain showers and muddy and slippery terrain. The best thing about gorilla trekking in the wet months of March, April, May, October, and November is that there are fewer crowds compared to the dry season.

You need to book for the gorilla safari in advance, and the main reason is because of the high demand for the gorilla permits and easy planning. Contact us to help you book the permit and organize your entire safari to Rwanda, depending on your budget. We also have our online staff waiting to answer any questions that you might have about the safari and other Rwanda safari destinations. We also organize gorilla safari treks to Uganda, and all you have to do is contact us. And if you are not sure, check out our reviews on TripAdvisor to make the right decision. Contact us for more details about the days needed for a gorilla safari to Rwanda.