How To Book Gorilla Permits And Safaris To See Gorillas In Volcanoes National Park Rwanda in 2024-25.

How to book gorilla permits and safaris to see gorillas in Volcanoes NP Rwanda in 2024-25. Booking the Rwanda gorilla permits and safaris to Volcanoes National Park starts with selecting a date when you hope to engage in this activity. A Rwanda gorilla permit is a document issued by the Rwanda Development Board allowing you to engage in gorilla trekking on a particular date. The Rwanda Development Board opens about 96 gorilla permits daily to the public.

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Identify the number of gorilla permits you wish to book to quicken the availability checking process. Consider the age of the people traveling with them for the gorilla safari in Rwanda because the age limit for the gorilla trekking tour is 15 years and over. Children below this age may not withstand the long time of searching for mountain gorillas and the rough conditions in the wilderness.

Rwanda currently has 15 gorilla trekking families living in Volcanoes National Park, but only eight gorilla permits are opened to the public to book daily. Some Rwanda gorilla families include Karisimbi, Sabyinyo, Umubano, Hirwa, Susa, Amahoro, Agashya, and others. Gorilla permits are secured with payment, yet a first come, first served basis is used to reserve these permits.

At Encounter Africa Safaris, we can assist you in booking your Rwanda gorilla permit when you inquire and present us with the above details. Our tour consultants will check for the availability of the gorilla permit as soon as we receive your inquiry. Upon finding the gorilla permits, the consultant gets back to you, but we advise clients to purchase their permits as quickly as possible because they can be sold off in a flash of time.

Depending on your budget, we can also help book the logistics that support your Rwanda gorilla safari accommodations, vehicle hire, driver guide, and others. If you decide on the gorilla safari by yourself, you must ensure you book the gorilla permit and other amenities in advance.

What Are The Details Of How To Book Gorilla Permits And Safari In Rwanda

Select when to do the Rwanda gorilla tour

When you choose the days you wish to be on the Rwanda gorilla tour and enquire from us at Encounter Africa safaris, we would like to know the number of permits you want to book. Our tour consultant checks availability from the gorilla permits list of the Rwanda Development Board.

Upon finding the gorilla permits, they will get back to you as soon as possible because the status of the gorilla permits can change in a short while spec, especially if you are booking the high season permits. The peak tourism season in Rwanda is June, July, August, September, December, and January. It is challenging to search and find gorilla permits available at the last minute of this season. 

You can pay for your gorilla permit in full or installments of 30 % and 70%, respectively. Terms and conditions apply.

Later, please provide us with your details to add to your gorilla permit and for identification purposes: your full name as presented on the passport, nationality, date of birth, and passport expiry date.

What is the cost of a Rwanda gorilla permit?

The current Rwanda gorilla permit cost is $1500 for foreign nonresidents, $500 for foreign residents, and $300 for East Africans. Only the Rwanda Development Board is mandated to sell its gorilla permits, but you can go through a tour operator to help you book the gorilla permits and accompanying logistics.

The Rwanda gorilla permit cost includes the following:

• Park entrance fees.
• Ranger guide fees.
• Security.
• Mountain gorilla conservation.
• Local community support.
• One hour with the mountain gorillas.
• Government tax.

Exclusions in the cost of a Rwanda gorilla permit are treats, porter hire, accommodation cost, transport, and several others.

Choose the accommodation category for your Rwanda gorilla tour.

Upon confirmation and purchase of the gorilla permit, accommodation booking must be next on the Rwanda gorilla safari to-do list. During the peak season, accommodations in the safari destinations sell out due to high demand, yet options run out as the season draws in. To be on the safe side, you need to secure the accommodations you hope to use during the gorilla safari in Volcanoes National Park in time. 

Although you can also overnight in Kigali city, about 3 hours from Volcanoes National Park, you have to rise up very early to drive and get to the briefing area ORTPN before 0800hrs. This may be pretty tiring, but you have to go gorilla trekking, which is also tiresome. It is best to overnight within or closer to Volcanoes National Park. 

 Accommodations in Volcanoes National Park are categorized into Luxury, mid-range, and basic facilities.

Volcanoes National Park accommodations: Gorilla Nest Lodge, Kinigi Guest House, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Hotel Muhavura, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Virunga Volcanoes Lodge, La Palme Hotel, and others.

 Note the inclusions in the facility package before traveling for Rwanda gorilla trekking to plan accordingly. Some accommodations offer services like an entire board, Half Board, Bed and Breakfast, or Bed only.

 Most basic accommodations offer shared facilities, so you need to know their cost inclusions to plan accordingly.

Book Transport to Volcanoes National Park

Road transport is the major means to get to Volcanoes National Park. You need to hire a 4x4 wheel vehicle in good condition and a professional and experienced safari guide. A knowledgeable and entertaining but respectful driver guide makes the Rwanda trip successful and memorable.

The transport cost must include gas, and having a full tank before moving into the countryside is advisable because Gas stations become rarer as you go deeper into the wilderness.

The drive from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park is about 3 hours on winding roads, as Rwanda is a land of a thousand hills.

Charter flight services are available in Rwanda from Kigali International Airport to Volcanoes National Park. Booking is required so that all necessary air clearances can be made.

Select additional Rwanda safaris to combine with the gorilla tour.

Other than gorilla trekking, Rwanda also offers a wide range of activities to add to this tour to spice up your experience in Rwanda. A few safari activities in Rwanda include chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park, canopy walking in Nyungwe National Park, golden monkey trekking in Nyungwe National Park, game drives in Akagera National Park, and others.

How do you leave Rwanda without getting the feel of its heartbeat on a Kigali city tour? You may visit Kandt's house, enjoy the tasty Rwandese coffee in the different coffee shops, and visit the genocide memorials of the Gisozi genocide memorial, St. Familie Church, and others.

You need extra days on your Rwanda gorilla safari to participate in some safari activities, but it's worth the time.

When Is the best time To book Rwanda Gorilla Permits and Safari?

The best approach is to book the Rwanda gorilla permits, especially during the peak season. The peak Rwanda tourism season is usually June, July, August, September, December, and January. To be on the safe side, booking the gorilla permit for this season 6 months to a year upfront is a great choice.

Finding last-minute availability of gorilla permits, accommodations, and other logistics that support gorilla safaris in Rwanda is challenging.

Although low-season gorilla permits may be available even at the last minute, you need to secure them in advance. Sometimes, the low season is discounted, attracting more people to book the gorilla safaris in Rwanda.

Accommodations and other safari logistics availability also get slimmer as the season draws in, so booking is required so as not to panic at the last minute.

Can I Purchase the Rwanda Gorilla Permits In installments?

Yes, the Rwanda Development Board accepts installment gorilla permit purchases as long as you secure the permit 90 days before the trekking date and remember to top up 90 days after the gorilla trekking day. You can pay for the Rwanda gorilla permit in installments of 30% and 70%, respectively. When you fail to top up your gorilla permit, it is re-opened to the public, and the deposit is not refunded.

Remember that to top up the gorilla permit, you need to purchase the permit in full.

Can I Reschedule the Rwanda Gorilla Permits?

You can reschedule the Rwanda gorilla permit if you follow the procedure below.

Write to the Rwanda Development Board reservation office requesting a new date to reschedule the gorilla permits. If you have a genuine reason for not attending gorilla trekking on the booked date, state it to back up your request.

When your request is approved, the gorilla permit is moved to the new date according to prevailing availability. 

When you request to reschedule, a surcharge is added to your Rwanda gorilla permit.

How Long Is The Gorilla Safari In Rwanda?

The time taken on the gorilla safari in Rwanda depends on factors prevailing in the wilderness. The pace of the tourists, location of their feeding area, weather conditions prevailing in the day, in case of a fight with another gorilla family and others.

While searching for mountain gorillas, you must be patient before finding them. Look out for other primates in the wilderness, like black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, blue monkeys, olive baboons, etc.

When you locate the mountain gorillas, you have one hour with them. They are habituated to be in human presence for one hour because human presence antagonizes the running of the day-to-day life of the mountain gorillas. The mountain gorillas groom infants, feed, and lounge during the day, which may come to a standstill when humans are present.

Before traveling to the gorilla trek, you need to exercise to keep your muscles fit. Sometimes, the mountain gorillas spend their day on the slopes, so you have to hike to locate them. Following the gorilla trekking rules, you do not push the mountain gorillas into the deeper forest end, so accessing them may be quicker.

What are the Rules of the Gorilla Safari in Rwanda?

• Wear a clean facemask when you find the mountain gorillas, and sanitize your safari boots before entering the Volcanoes National Park. This was adopted after the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent any chances of spreading these germs to the mountain gorillas.
• Never surround the mountain gorillas when you locate them. Remain in a tight group so that they do not feel ambushed by your presence.
• Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas when you locate them. This is another preventive measure to avoid spreading any infection to these primates.
• Using flash photography is forbidden as it may scare the mountain gorillas. 
• Never smoke or eat 300 meters from the mountain gorillas because they may grab it, and yet they are wild animals that must search for their own food and not depend on human provision.
• Burry all human fecal materials in a hole of about 30 centimeters. Burry beyond recognition because the forest dwellers may exhume it.
• Spitting on vegetation contaminates it, so keep the food safe for the mountain gorillas by not spitting on it.
• Only people aged 15 and above are allowed to gorilla trekking because of the huddles surrounding it at times; for example, the time of locating the mountain gorillas is not known.
• Try not to make a loud noise with the mountain gorillas so they do not feel unsafe in your presence.
• Littering in the forest is not a great idea because it alters the nature where the mountain gorillas live. Mountain gorillas feed entirely on foliage like soft stems, bamboo, and fruits.
• Only an hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas when you locate them. They have been habituated to this. Ensure you exhaust everything, like watching the gorillas, photographing, etc.

Contact us for more information.