Organising a two-day gorilla tour to see gorillas in Volcanoes National Park

Organizing a two-day gorilla tour to see gorillas in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda. Gorilla trekking is a top tourist activity in Rwanda throughout the year. The two-day gorilla tour will be the best for tourists visiting the country on short notice or having limited time on their safari. This article guides you on what to do and plan for the gorilla safari in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

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Volcanoes National Park, located in north-western Kenya, is the only park in the country where gorilla trekking is done, making it one of the few places where Mountain gorillas can be seen (Mgahinga and Bwindi in Uganda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo). The two-day gorilla trip is a chance to spot the Mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, and a summary of the itinerary is written below to give you a glimpse of what to expect on your safari.

2-day gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park

Overview of the Itinerary

The short gorilla two-day safari in Rwanda takes you to the Volcanoes National Park, where you are going to enjoy a memorable experience tracking the Mountain gorillas, which can only be currently tracked in three countries: Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo.

The trip includes gorilla trek permits, park entry fees, accommodation, meals, an English-speaking professional guide, transport, and other activities mentioned in the itinerary. The package excludes tips, gratuity, visas, personal purchases, and international flights.

Day1: Drive to Volcanoes National Park

Day 2: Gorilla tracking and back to Kigali

The activity highlights

• Gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park
• Explore Kigali city by visiting the Kigali Memorial Center and other attractions, including the local markets, among others.

Day one: Kigali-Volcanoes National Park

The safari starts from Kigali International Airport or your hotel, where a company representative will drive you to the national park. First, you can enjoy a short trip around Kigali, visiting the different tourist attractions before transferring to Volcanoes National Park in Musanze. You then proceed to the lodge for check-in, dinner, and an overnight stay. Some accommodation options include Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Muhabura Hotel, and Le Bamboo Gorilla Lodge.

Day 2: Tracking at Volcanoes.

The 2nd day starts early morning with a briefing and transfer to the Volcanoes National Park headquarters for the briefing, which is led by a lead guide. The briefing is to be attended by all trekkers. This is where you will be assigned a gorilla family and reminded about the rules and regulations to follow when trekking gorillas in Volcanoes Park. After trekking the gorillas for 1 to 5 hours and locating the primates, you get an hour with them. After one hour, you head back to the headquarters for the certificate before driving back to the hotel, checking out, and driving back to Kigali, either to the hotel or the airport for your flight home.

This marks the end of the tour.

Send us a message for a detailed itinerary with a quote, and we will respond as soon as we get your message.

The gorilla permit in Volcanoes

The gorilla permit issued by the Rwanda Development Board is as important as your visa and passport and is needed for the gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park. Acquiring the permit can be a strenuous activity, especially during the dry/peak season, and that is why we recommend that you buy or purchase the permit months in advance to avoid inconveniences. The permit can easily be purchased through a local tour operator who will guide you on what to do to get the gorilla permit.

The permit comes at a hefty price of $1500 for foreign non-residents, $500 for African citizens, and $300 for East African citizens (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Burundi). The cost is high because part of the money obtained from the permit protects the national park and the mountain gorillas, especially porters, from danger and caters to the surrounding communities.

The permit is the only way to access the gorillas and can only be used by one person. They are valid for only one hour with the permits and cannot be exchanged for anything else. There are instances where the government of Rwanda offers discounts on the permits, and these are if you are in the country for a conference and purchase the permits in bulk and pre-book to also visit Akagera National Park and Nyungwe Forest National Park after gorilla trekking.

What to expect on a two-day Rwanda Gorilla safari 

Gorillas have a 98% DNA similar to humans, and although they are wild animals, a few have been habituated to ensure they are easily tracked by humans. Tracking gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park is an exciting experience where you will be bustling through the bamboo forests one second and the next having the best sight of not only gorillas but other primates, including golden monkeys, vervet monkeys, and blue monkeys, among others.

To be able to enjoy a gorilla trek safari in Rwanda, you need to be at least 15 years of age and be physically fit to be able to take on the trek through Volcanoes National Park. Gorillas are highly susceptible to diseases, and one of the ways that they have been protected is by setting rules and regulations to protect the gorillas and the trekkers. As you plan for the safari, some of the things that you need to know are the trek rules, which include the following:

• Trekkers of only 15 years and above will be allowed to trek the gorillas.
• Tourists who feel sick on the trek day will not be allowed to trek the gorillas and should volunteer to stay off the track.
• Gorilla families will only be trekked in groups of 8 to limit the number of people who trek gorillas daily.
• Only an hour is to be spent with the gorillas after tracking them. This one hour can, however, be cut short by the guide in case the gorillas start acting agitated.
• Cover your mouth and nose when you feel like sneezing or coughing in the presence of the Mountain gorillas.
• You cannot feed or touch the mountain gorillas to prevent infections.
• Keep a distance of 7 meters from the gorillas to ensure that they have space to go about their day and prevent infections.
• Never smoke when with the gorillas because this affects their health.
• The flash on your camera should always be turned off when taking photos of the gorillas. If possible, come with a camera that doesn't make much noise when taking pictures.
• Avoid noise and communicate using low tones to avoid disrupting the gorillas.

After getting to know the rules and regulations, the lead guide will lead you through the forest and, with the help of a tracker, start looking for the habituated gorilla family you have been assigned to. The trek exercise can take an hour or five, depending on the location of the gorillas, and once you get to the soft-eyed giants, the amount of time and money spent to see the gorillas will be worth it.  

You get to spend time with the gorillas, see how the adults care for the young ones, interact as they play and feed, and take photos as you watch the dominant male silverback protect his family from danger. After the one hour, you will be required to carry any personal items that you came with a few meters away before approaching the gorillas.

What to wear for the gorilla safari trek in Volcanoes National Park

The clothes guide is essential because you must be comfortable trekking the gorillas. The clothes must be warm enough with extra layers because the weather in Rwanda can change at any time; they should also be in neutral colors, avoiding the camouflage, blue and white.

Clothes needed for the gorilla trek include strong hiking boots that should at least be ankle length, waterproof and lightweight, light pants that are comfortable and be sure to avoid jeans because they tend to weigh you down when they are heavy and wet, Gardening gloves to protect your hands from blisters, thorns, and any other scratches, long-sleeved shirts, warm sweater for the mornings and evenings and damp season, undershirts, thick socks and these are used to keep you warm and tuck in pants during the trek, gaiters, waterproof rain jacket and nightwear.

What else to bring on a gorilla safari in Rwanda

Packing light is the first rule of safari packing. After getting the right clothes for the gorilla safari, some of the essential things that you need and can bring on your safari include cameras (including the necessary camera equipment like tripod, extra storage, extra batteries, lenses, waterproof camera bag, and lens cleaner), binoculars, snacks, energy bars, foldable and refillable water bottle, waterproof day backpack to carry your essentials, a sunhat, sunscreen, insect repellent, first aid kit, and cash to help with the tips.

What you need/requirements for the Gorilla trek in Rwanda

Gorilla trekking, like any other safari in Rwanda, requires specific requirements, which are needed to gain entrance to Rwanda for gorilla trekking. These include the following:

• A visa can be applied online or when you arrive at the airport. The government of Rwanda has, however, waived visas for all African citizens.
• Yellow fever vaccination card
• A gorilla trekking permit needs to be purchased in advance.
• Travel and health insurance arranged before you get to Rwanda
• Any other vaccinations are required as per the country's regulations.

What else can I do after gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park?

There are several things and tourist attractions that you can visit and explore after the two-day gorilla safari. These include a visit to the largest national park in Rwanda, Akagera National Park, for a game drive, chimpanzee trekking, taking on the canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest National Park, visiting the several genocide memorial centers in the country to learn about the rich and sad history of Rwanda or you might decide to cross the land borders of Cyanika and Gatuna into Uganda and gorilla trek in either Mgahinga or Bwindi and visit other national parks like Lake Mburo National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kibale among others.

Contact us to get you started on planning the two-day gorilla safari to Volcanoes National Park, and we shall provide a quote for you.

When to go to Volcanoes National Park for the safari

The two-day safari to Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking in Rwanda can be carried out all year round in the two seasons, that is, the dry and wet seasons. The best time to go for a gorilla safari is during the dry season, June to September, and December to February when the gorillas are easy to trek due to the dry and accessible routes to use. The wet season is also a good time, but you must be ready for the muddy trails and rain that sometimes hinder gorilla trekking.

The temperatures in the national park can be extremely cold, especially during the morning and evening hours, ranging from 7 to 20 degrees Celsius even during the dry season, and this is why you need to carry warm clothes for the safari. The short rains of October to November and long rains of March to May are good times to travel to Volcanoes, but most tourists prefer the dry season.

Getting to Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park is located in Musanze in the northwestern part of Rwanda and takes 3 to 4 hours from Kigali driving a 4x4 safari vehicle. When you arrive at the airport, a representative always waits to guide you to either the hotel for the night or directly to the Volcanoes National Park. The drive is comfortable, and you will receive bottled water throughout the safari.

Contact us to organize your safari to volcanoes National Park today.