How to plan a private luxury gorilla safari in Rwanda

When planning the private luxury gorilla safari in Rwanda ensure that the gorilla permit is booked in advance. The Rwanda gorilla permit is a document that permits a tourist to participate in spending time with the mountain gorillas. The Rwanda gorilla permits are only issued by Rwanda Development Board.

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For a luxury gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda, tourists look forward to exclusivity and upscale services in the middle of the jungle. Most of the luxury lodges booked for the gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda offer full board services and have a cozy environment conditioned by the cool breeze from the surrounding forest.

Organize the appropriate transport to Volcanoes National Park in advance. Road transport is the main means to get from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park but using a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle is recommended. Charter flight services are also available from Kigali International Airport to Volcanoes National Park.

Where to go For Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park in the northwestern part of Rwanda is the only home for the mountain gorillas. This pristine forest is home to so far 12 gorilla trekking families including Hirwa, Susa, Karisimbi, Agashya, Amahoro, Umubano and others.

The maximum number of gorilla permits open to the public is 8 per gorilla family per day. First come first served basis is used to book the gorilla permits in Rwanda and no gorilla permit is reserved without payment.

Other than the mountain gorillas, Volcanoes National Park is home to other primates including golden monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus and others. Over 200 bird species have been recorded as residents of Volcanoes forest including Albertine rift endemics. Some of the birds of Volcanoes forest include Shelley’s Crimsonwing, Handsome Francolin, Rwenzori Turaco and others.

Planning For a Private luxury Rwanda Gorilla Safari

Book The Rwanda Gorilla Permit in Advance

Because of the limited gorilla permit availability, it is safe to book it upfront. The gorilla permit is the entry ticket to the gorilla trekking adventure. It is best to book the gorilla permit at least 6 months to a year upfront and this may give you a chance to close off the gorilla family in case you want it exclusively private.

Before purchasing a gorilla permit, you need to select an appropriate date and the number of people hoping to share this experience with. Enquire about the gorilla safari in Rwanda and then our safari consultant will find availability of permits. As soon as availability is found, we recommend that tourists purchase the gorilla's permit as soon as possible because their status changes anytime without warning.

There is no gorilla permit that is reserved without payment yet first come first served basis is used to book them. For identification, some personal details are required before printing the gorilla permit including full names as presented on the passport, nationality, date of birth, passport expiry date and other details.

Reserve Accommodation To Use During Rwanda Gorilla Trekking

Book luxury accommodation to use during the Rwanda gorilla experience. Volcanoes National Park has limited choices of accommodation to use during the gorilla trekking safari. During the peak tourism season in Rwanda, the demand for these gorilla permits is over the top leaving no or fewer choices for those who book at the last minute.

When planning a private luxury gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda, and wish to have the lodge to yourself and the people in your company, we recommend advance reservation. This helps to clear off or not to allow other bookings at that facility for the time you hope to occupy it during the Rwanda visit.  

Luxury accommodation of Volcanoes National Park

Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Virunga Volcanoes lodge, Hotels Mille Collines, Mountain Gorilla View lodge

Book Transport To Volcanoes National Park

The most common means of transport to Volcanoes National Park is using road Transport. A 4x4 wheel drive vehicle in good shape is recommended. The roads to Volcanoes National Park sometimes get messy and so you need to use a terrain-resistant vehicle to push through. The way is quite bumpy and so carry some pills in case of road sickness.

Charter flight services are available from Kigali International Airport to Volcanoes National Park however, advance booking needs to be made to go through the necessary clearances.

Pack the right gorilla safari gears

With the assistance of the gorilla safari packing list, purchase the right gorilla trekking gear. To do gorilla trekking in Rwanda, you need to wear the appropriate attire. Gorilla trekking is an adventure that happens in the wilderness which is sometimes rough. Some of the items to include on the gorilla safari packing list include safari boots, poncho or rains coat, insect repellant, some warmers, long sleeved shirt and trouser and others.

Do not forget a waterproof backpack into which you can carry the gorilla safari gear.

Engage in Some Exercise Before the Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Having some level of fitness before the Rwanda gorilla safari makes it possible to explore the forest in search for the mountain gorillas more exciting. The nature of the terrain of Volcanoes National Park is composed of several ridges and plateaus including five of six the Virunga Volcanoes that is mountain Gahinga, Muhavura, Sabyinyo, Bisoke and Karisimbi.

At times the mountain gorillas spend time on the slopes of these highlands which requires hiking to find them. Bearing some level of fitness enables you to get to the location where the mountain gorillas may be.

Apply For the Rwanda Visa in Advance

In case you must posses a visa before entering Rwanda, it is better toapply for it upfront. It is possible to get a Rwanda visa at immigration on arrival but it is time consuming and tiresome especially if you have jet lag. The queue at the immigration my be too long for you to wait especially if the Rwanda safari is commencing on arrival.

Choose Other Activities To Combine With Gorilla Safari In Rwanda

Other than gorilla trekking, Rwanda has other activities to combine this safari with including game safaris, birding in Rwanda, Kigali city tour, chimpanzee trekking, and mountaineering to mention but a few.

To enjoy more of Rwanda, you need extra days on safari and a well organised itinerary to cover up the time you plan to be in the country.

Carry Some Hard Cash On The Gorilla Safari In Rwanda

Having some hard cash before traveling to Rwanda is very helpful especially if you have to do on ground purchases. The local currency of Rwanda is called Rwandese Franks but some other international currencies are also authorized to be used in the country.

Credit cards are not a common means to use in Rwanda because of the lengthy process of obtaining money from them.

It is better to used had cash for most of the transactions within Rwanda like hiring a porter to assist with carrying the gorilla safari gears, tipping and others.

When Is The Best Time To Plan A Private Luxury Gorilla Safari In Rwanda

The best time to book a Rwanda gorilla safari is at least 6 months to a year upfront. Note that during the peak season that is normally June to September and December to January, the demand for gorilla permits is high and so finding availability at the last minute is quite challenging.

Even the demand for logistics that support tourism safaris in Rwanda is high in the peak season yet there supply is limited too. To save yourself from the trouble of having to panic to find accommodation to use for the gorilla safari and beyond, it is better to reserve it in advance.

Transport services to the Volcanoes National Park are highly competed for in the peak season and yet class attract luxury so you need a good transport package to match your desired trip category.

The wet season which is normally March to May and November is not bad timing to book a super luxury gorilla safari in Rwanda. Be assured of finding the mountain gorillas no matter the season you choose. In case you wish to have exclusive time with the mountain gorillas the low season may provide the best chance when most likely no or less people are booked to these Rwanda gorilla families.

Chances of having the accommodation facility to yourself while on gorilla safari are more open in the wet or low tourism season. Most lodges do not have visitors booked to spend time at the facilities so you have the best attention to yourself and the people you travel with.

How safe Is Gorilla Trekking In Rwanda

Rwanda gorilla trekking safari is safe because on ground there are well trained and facilitated ranger guides to protect the forest, its inhabitants and visitors. Every gorilla safari in Volcanoes National Park is led by an armed ranger guide with a riffle to use in case of an emergency.

Before going on a gorilla trekking adventure, tourists must gather for a briefing at the ORTPN where more information and guidelines about the mountain gorillas is provided in detail. Every tourist is expected to abide by the rules of gorilla safaris as violating them may end in agitating the mountain gorillas pushing them into hiding.

For personal safety, try not to move far from the rest of the group as you may be lost in the wilderness even though the ranger guide follows the pace of the slowest trekker.

Do not move with your valuables that you may be afraid of losing because tracing them in the wilderness may be quite challenging.

When with the mountain gorillas, do not provoke them as this may rub wrongly with them ending in a stampede. In case you observe some odd behavior amongst the mountain gorillas, do not panic but wait for the ranger guide to establish the root cause of the matter. Follow the example of the ranger guide even when if necessitates trying to chew grass as a sign of showing no harm to the mountain gorillas.

Do not forget to carry a first aid box with prescribed emergency medication to use in case the need arises. Hire a porter to assist with carrying your belongings during gorilla trekking so that you can move freely with nothing letting you down.

What are the rules of Gorilla Tour in Rwanda

• Upon finding the mountain gorillas only one hour is allowed with them  as they are habituated to before humans for this time.
• Do not spit on vegetation or ground while in the park. You may pass an infection to the highly susceptible mountain gorillas to human infection like flu, covid-19. Cough and others
• In case you catch an infection like diarrhea, volunteer to stay behind as you may pass these germs to the mountain gorillas.
• When you wish to take a long call, ask the ranger guide to dig a hole atleast 30 centimeters deep and cover well beyond recognition.
• Never surround the mountain gorillas but remain in a tight group so that you do not look suspicious or make them feel you are about to ambush them.
• When taking photos, do it with no flash as new occurrences may cause the mountain gorillas to feel attacked.
• In case you wish to smoke or eat, do it at least 200 meters from the mountain gorillas. This is to reduce chances of them grabbing it from you yet they are wild animals that must look for their own food.
• Dumping garbage or rubbish in the forest is forbidden because you alter the nature of the forest where mountain gorillas live.
• If you wish to sneeze or cough, do it away from the mountain gorillas. This is to reduce the chances of passing an infection to the mountain gorillas.
• When in front of the mountain gorillas, keep a distance of about 8 meters from them. This is to prevent chances of spreading infections to the sensitive mountain gorillas.
• Keep a clean mask on when you locate the mountain gorillas as a measure adopted after the covid-19 pandemic.  Mountain gorillas have about 96% human DNA so they are highly susceptible to corona virus.
• Only persons aged 15 are allowed to do gorilla trekking because you are not sure of the time when to locate the mountain gorillas.

Contact us for more information.