Is it possible to block all gorilla permits in Volcanoes NP for a whole day?
Is it possible to block all gorilla permits in Volcanoes NP for a whole day?
Yes, it is possible to block all gorilla permits in Volcanoes NP for a whole day. A gorilla permit is a document or card issued by the Rwanda Development board that allows you one hour with a given habituated mountain gorilla family in Volcanoes National Park. All visitors coming for gorilla trekking holidays in Volcanoes National Park must hold or have secured a valid gorilla permit for the day. A gorilla permit includes one hour with habituated mountain gorillas, services of an armed ranger guide provided by the Rwanda government, park fees, and a certificate of recognition that you trekked gorillas in Rwanda and contributed to their wellbeing since money from your trek is used to conserve these great apes. In today’s article, we look at how and why to block all gorilla trekking permits in Volcanoes National Park for an entire day.
Most requested Rwanda gorilla safari tours
2 Day gorilla tour to Volcanoes NP
3 Day Volcanoes National Park gorilla tour
5 Day gorillas and chimps in Rwanda
5 Day gorillas and culture in Rwanda
15 Day gorillas, chimps, game safari
Volcanoes National Park is found in Rwanda and is rated as the best National Park to visit habituated mountain gorillas in Africa and the entire world. Volcanoes National Park shares borders with two other Africa Mountain gorilla parks of Mgahinga in Uganda and Virunga National Park in the DRC. Volcanoes National Park is home to mountain gorillas and other primate species including golden monkeys, it is also home to volcanoes great for those interested in hiking adventures. Volcanoes National Park has 12 Gorilla families hence 96 Gorilla permits are available each day for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park. Getting gorilla permits in Rwanda can be done directly by booking them through Rwanda Development Board or through a trusted tour operator in Rwanda Encounter Africa Safaris.
Are you are planning to block all gorilla permits in Volcanoes NP for a whole day to trek exclusively alone and you are wondering if it is possible, yes this is very possible with Encounter Africa Safaris. For you to block all permits and trek in Volcanoes National Park exclusively alone you can either pay 100%, 70% or 30% in advance of the total of each permit.
Each Gorilla permit in Volcanoes NP Costs $1500 Per person per trek for the Foreign nonresidents, $500 Per person for foreign residents and $200 for East African Citizens (Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi and South Sudan), this gives you an opportunity to spend one hour encounter with the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. If you are planning to travel and trek alone you will need to block and pay for all the gorilla permits trekking that specific day in Volcanoes NP. For a foreign nonresident each gorilla permit costs $1500 and the park has 96 permits available everyday this means you will pay for the entire gorilla permits which is ($144000 for foreign non-residents) to block them and this will give you an opportunity to trek in Volcanoes NP exclusively and privately alone i.e. with no other tourists only with ranger guides.
Important things to consider when planning to block all gorilla permits in Volcanoes NP
Booking and securing all the gorilla permits for a whole day in advance
Volcanoes National Park has 96 gorilla permits available for sell every day. For you to block all gorilla permits in Volcanoes NP for a whole day so that no other tourists books in to trek in this park for that given day, you can either pay 100%, 70% or 30% in advance the total of each permit. We recommend you block the gorilla permits at least 8 to 12 months prior your gorilla safari date especially during high season. This is because during high season permits sell out in advance on first come first serve basis. When you contact Encounter Africa safaris, we will check all dates where gorilla permits have not been reserved by anyone and notify you. Its at this point that you need to secure your date by payment. Encounter Africa safaris accepts payment by wire transfer and Credit Card. We will definitely invoice you and once money hits our Bank Account, we will go pay for them and send you scanned copies for your records and perusal. If something happens and you want to cancel or reschedule, Encounter Africa staff will follow terms and conditions set by Rwanda Development board and assist you accordingly. With Covid 19 Pandemic hitting the world, terms and conditions for gorilla permit cancellation and refund have been relaxed so chances of loosing out are minimal. For more information about block all Volcanoes National Park gorilla permits for an entire day, place contact us on mail or phone.
How to block all gorilla permits in Volcanoes NP for a whole day.
Once you have your planned dates of travel to Rwanda and specifically Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking confirmed, we will need you to send us an email here so that we check for availability of trekking permits online with the Rwanda Development board. Once we confirm permits are available for your planned dates, we will let you know so that we can send you an invoice for you to make payment for the permits so that we block all gorilla permits in Volcanoes NP for a whole day. Once the payment is done and we have received it on our account we will go ahead and purchase your permits immediately and send you a scanned copy of the permits for your records and perusal, this will confirm you are booked for exclusive gorilla trekking for a given whole day in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
Who is able to block all gorilla trekking permits in Rwanda?
The world has got rich people of all categories who can afford to block the entire park for themselves. Most rich people come with large entourage and sometimes prefer total privacy when they visit such places in Africa. Rich people will afford to pay all permits for the sake of privacy and security. Such rich people can also afford to block all rooms in a given lodge so that all services and rooms are entirely made exclusively available for them only. To such people, privacy and security comes first and cost of their gorilla trek comes second.
Further note that much as you have the capacity to block all permits for a day, each gorilla family will be visited by a maximum number of 8 people. Make sure that you separate your people into small groups of 8 or less in order to respect rules of the game. For more information about this, kindly contact Encounter Africa safaris.
How much does it cost to buy and block gorilla permits for an entire day in Rwanda?
You will be required to pay $144,000 for all 96 gorilla permits available daily for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park. As earlier noted, Rwanda gorilla permit to see mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park cost $1500 per person per day for one hour. This gorilla permit valid for one day includes see habituated gorillas in a given family for one hour, a ranger guide employed by Rwanda development board, park entrance fees for a day and a certificate after completion of your trek. This cost does not include accommodation and transport to and from Volcanoes National Park. Blocking all permits means paying for all permits for the 12 habituated mountain gorilla families open for gorilla trekking. The fact that each gorilla family is allowed to be visited by 8 people, it means that you will have to pay 96×1500 which is $14400 for all permits on a given day.
Why trek Mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park
There so many reasons why one should consider booking a gorilla trekking holiday to see habituated mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park amidst being very expensive compared to Uganda and Democratic republic of Congo. It is believed and strongly true that habituated mountain gorillas in Rwanda are well habituated and perfect for photography and video shoots. This is made easy by the type of vegetation in Volcanoes National Park that allows easy visibility of these great creatures.
Of all the four National Parks with mountain gorillas in Africa, Volcanoes National Park is the most and easily accessed from their respective Airports and cities. Volcanoes National Park is just 2 hours drive from Kigali City/International airport compared to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park/Mgahinga which are 9-10 hours from Entebbe international Airport. It is because of this that it is only in Volcanoes where one can organize a 1 day or 2-day gorilla tour. So, for those who want to avoid long distances from the Airport to the mountain gorilla National parks, Volcanoes National Park is perfect for you.
Rwanda’s gorilla tourism is highly organized and developed compared to Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Lodges around volcanoes National Park are all up graded or Luxury in nature much as they are more expensive. The gorilla trekking experience itself is more rewarding and unique. It starts with cultural performances, a cup of tea and briefing.
Comfortable travel to Volcanoes National Park
You should consider travelling in 4×4 Land cruisers this will give you comfort on the road to Volcanoes National Park. There is also an option of flying with a helicopter to the park from Kigali. A family or company that can afford to block all permits for a day in Volcanoes National Park can surely be able to afford to fly to and from Volcanoes National Park and do transfers in 4×4 Luxury Land cruisers at all time. Encounter Africa safaris has the capacity to arrange all your transport needs when contacted.
What to wear during trekking gorillas in Volcanoes NP for a whole day
You might be probably wondering what to wear for your trek exclusively alone in Volcanoes NP, below is a compiled list on what to wear;
- A long armed sweater since the park gets cold
- 2 pairs of long trousers
- Water proof hiking boots
- A hat and sun glasses depending on the weather though this is optional
- Cameras and long lasting batteries since photography are very important to keep your memories alive. Always remember to keep our flash off.
- A pair of Binoculars. This will help you to see the vast birds Bwindi impenetrable forest has among other primates
- Gardening Gloves; these will help you when you a holding onto trees are branches through the trek.
- A rain coat, the rain in Volcanoes National Park is unpredictable so to be on a safer side, you will be required to carry along a coat.
- A mosquito Repellent; since it is a forest, it has different dangerous insects so it’s advisable to carry it along or wear it
- A sun screen; Well this is optional but depending on the season, it might get too hot and you end up getting sun burns on your skin so to avoid that, you will need a sun screen.
- You should not wear very bright colors since this will charge or scare away the gorillas.
- Black and Blue colors are also not recommended since they attract Tsetse flies so I would recommend neutral colors.
How to get to volcanoes national park?
The park can be accessed by road and its only 2 hours’ drive from Kigali city and about an hour drive from Cyanika boarder of Uganda and Rwanda. We use 4×4 vehicles for our all-inclusive packages that are very comfortable for your road trip to Volcanoes national park, they come with drinking water onboard, AC and driven by professional driver guides. For entry into the park, you will need to have secured permit for any of the activity of your choice or paid park entrance fees.
Where to stay in Volcanoes national Park?
There are many lodges and hotels in volcanoes national park ranging from budget to luxury, namely; Bisate lodge, Gorilla Nest and Virunga lodge are luxury options, Sabinyo silverback lodge, five volcanoes lodge, Le bamboo Mountain gorilla lodge are Midrange options to consider, Kinigi guesthouse, Hotel Muhavura and gorilla volcanoes lodge are some of the budget hotels. The hotel rooms can sell out quickly especially during the high season, your accommodation choice needs to booked in advance. You will also be able to get a discount on accommodation when you stay more nights and be treated to a great service while you stay. If need arises and you want to block all rooms in a given Lodge, kindly inform us in advance so that we do this for you. To be able to get a day where all permits and rooms are available, a year or two in advance is needed.
What is the best time to trek gorillas in Volcanoes NP?
The best time to trek gorillas in Volcanoes NP is during the drier months of January, February, June to early September, this is makes it easier to travel to the park and gives a clear view of mountain gorillas given the vegetation cover is not too much high grown. During the other months of April, May and November which is normally a wet season this makes the vegetations grow high making the sightings unclear however during this time the treks tend to be shorter given the fact primates don’t move further distances looking for food, food is readily available in the forest compared to the dry seasons. Seeing gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is possible throughout the year given the fact it is a very well-organized activity and you have 99% chances of seeing them in their natural habitat.
Rwanda gorilla trekking price estimates
When planning a Rwanda gorilla trekking holiday to Volcanoes National Park, there three things that you need to consider. Price of a gorilla permit which is $1500 per person per trek, Accommodation in either budget, Standard, or Luxury Lodges. The range for accommodation is from$80-100 for the budget while Luxury Lodges can go up to $2000 per person per night. On top of gorilla permits and accommodation, you will need transport to and from Volcanoes National Park which costs from $200-500 for a luxury Land cruiser. For more information about organizing a Rwanda gorilla trek with associated costs, kindly contact Encounter Africa Safaris.
Why block all gorilla permits in Volcanoes NP for a whole day with Encounter Africa Safaris.
Founded in 2003, Encounter Africa safaris takes pride in customizing tailor-made gorilla trekking safaris to Rwanda Volcanoes National Park. It has a very diligent and trustworthy team. Our team of professional tour consultants answers within 20minutes your queries. These consultants will make a travel plan for you, answer all your questions, and make sure we booked all your services in advance for you to avoid inconveniences. We also have very knowledgeable safari guides depending on your language preferences. Contact us to help you block all gorilla permits in Volcanoes NP for a complete day.
