Rwanda gorilla and chimp trekking safaris from The United States of America (USA)

 Do you plan to travel to Africa for Rwandan gorillas and chimpanzees from the United States? Do you stay in any of the 50 states or in the City of Los Angeles, Washington DC, New York, North Carolina or South Carolina, Las Vegas, or anywhere in the USA? An adventure to Africa is one of the ways to reconnect with the natural African environment. Gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safaris from the USA will be the highlight of your safari. You will visit two different parks in Rwanda namely volcanoes national Park and Nyungwe Forest National Park.

Rwanda gorilla safari trips from USA (The United States of America)

Volcanoes National Park is home to the only mountain gorillas in Rwanda commonly referred to as Parc Des Vulcan’s in French and Pariki Yigihugu yibirungu in Kinyarwanda(Local language) which is found in North-Eastern in a small town called Musanze, Rwanda in East Africa. Volcanoes National park is the only place where you go for gorilla trekking in Rwanda after purchasing a gorilla permit and it is one of the oldest and unique parks in Africa, it is home to the endangered great apes and primates such as Mountain Gorillas and Golden Monkeys, there also many species of birds, Monkeys, trees, forest hogs, bushbucks among others in the forest as well as the unique culture. Volcanoes national park is found in the Virunga Conservation Area including five extinct volcanoes such as; Mountain Muhabura, Mountain Sabyinyo, Mountain Gahinga, Mountain shared between Uganda and Rwanda as well as Karisimbi and Mountain Bisoke in Rwanda. Gorilla trekking is a lifetime experience of seeing the endangered gorillas in their natural environment and half of the population of the remaining gorillas are found in East Africa on your trip from the USA. Volcanoes National Park just like any National Park in Rwanda is managed by Rwanda development board a government body is governing all tourism activities in Rwanda as well as gorilla trekking in the volcanoes national park. The park was gazetted to protect the Mountain gorillas which were facing the threat of extinction as a result of poaching, primates, and other wildlife that inhabit the forest. The tropical forest borders Uganda’s Mgahinga national park and DR Congo’s Virunga National park and these primates have always crossed either side, this has enhanced conservation efforts from these three countries to protect the endangered Mountain gorillas and golden monkeys.

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda from the United States of America (USA)

 The mountain gorillas are the famous attraction in volcanoes national park in Rwanda with gorilla trekking happening every day throughout the year. Gorilla trekking is an activity where tourists are allowed to hike and look for habituated mountain gorillas in the wild. Volcanoes National Park is home to 10 habituated mountain gorilla families for trekking by 8 visitors per gorilla family every day. The chances of seeing the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park are 99% since the entire experience and activity of gorilla trekking is well organized, guided by trackers and ranger guides. The activity of Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park starts every day in Kinigi as early as 7:00 am with a briefing on guidelines to follow while on your gorilla trek, even though the gorillas have 99% similar DNA as human beings, they remain wild and we advise you to follow regulations and guidelines from the guides. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park can take 30 minutes to more hours depending on the movement and location of the gorillas in the forest. For one to be allowed to visit mountain gorillas in Volcanoes national park in Rwanda, one must hold a valid Rwanda gorilla permit for a particular date issued by the Rwanda development board. The gorilla permit to see mountain gorillas in Rwanda costs USD1500 for foreign nonresidents and this allows you one hour of viewing the gorillas and taking photography. Booking a gorilla trek to volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is a lifetime experience to complete your bucket list, Encounter Africa safaris will help you book and tailor a gorilla trek tour from the United States of America that is affordable and memorable.

How many gorilla permits are available daily?

The gorilla permits are very essential for a successful gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda on a gorilla safari from the United States of America (USA). There are 80 gorilla permits available every day to allow you to see the gorillas, encounter Africa safaris will help you in the process of booking and securing the permits. Once you contact us about your planned trek and desired dates, we shall check the availability of permits with the Rwanda Development board online and if permits are available, we shall send you an invoice to make payment for the permits as they are key to any gorilla trek and if they are not available, you will advise you to choose other dates that have availability of gorilla permits. Once you pay and we receive payment, we shall reserve, book, and secure your gorilla permits and send you a scanned copy of the receipt with booking ID to confirm your space. Rwanda Gorilla permits are one of the things to consider when booking the Rwanda gorilla trek from the USA.

How much is a Rwanda gorilla trekking permit?

The Rwanda gorilla permit costs USD1500 per person for all Nationals to trek the gorillas. There is also a special discount offered to one visiting all the national parks in the months of May to November, visiting Nyungwe National Park and Volcanoes National park earns YOU 30% discount on the gorilla permit which is USD1050 per person and USD1300 per person for Delegates in the country. The Rwanda gorilla permit is paid for to the Rwanda development board and we shall send you copies of the permits. There is also another attractive offer of USD5000 per person if you book three consecutive days’ treks of gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park. Gorilla permits can be booked and purchased through travel companies such as Encounter Africa safaris on email at info@gorilla-tracking-uganda.com to get your permit in the shortest time possible.

Rwanda chimpanzee safaris from the United States of America (USA)

Are you considering Rwanda for the Chimp/primate adventure from the USA? Nyungwe Forest National Park is the only park in Rwanda where you can trek habituated Chimpanzees, approximately 500 chimpanzees are residents at the Park. Chimp trek in Nyungwe Forest National Park is an amazing experience while visiting Rwanda. Nyungwe Forest National Park is in southwestern Rwanda, on the border with Burundi, where it is contiguous with the Kibira National Park to the south, Lake Kivu, and the DDRC to the west. The Nyungwe rainforest is one of the best-preserved montane rainforests in Central Africa. Nyungwe Forest National Park has a biodiversity of over 1050 plant species, 300 endemic Albertine rifts and 300 orchids, at least 150 butterfly species, 85 mammal species, 38 reptiles, and many more. From October 2020, the management of Nyungwe forest National Park was taken over by Rwanda Development Board for an initial 20 years, all tourism activities are now under the management of the Rwanda development board.

What is chimpanzee trekking?

Chimpanzee trekking refers to visiting the chimps in their natural environment in the forest, chimps that are already used to people or habituated. Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest National Park begins early in the morning and the activity is conducted in groups of a maximum of eight (8). The Nyungwe forest national park receives many visitors from different countries annually who come to meet face to face and spend time with the chimpanzees–man’s closest living relative observing them as they play, feed, and move. Nyungwe forest National Park provides an opportunity to add a chimpanzee trekking excursion to your gorilla trek within volcanoes national park without driving long distances. Chimpanzee trekking is a lifetime experience that you will enjoy in Africa’s oldest forest in Nyungwe National Park Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe forest starts from Uwinka, Kitabi, and or Gisakura where the tourists and visitors meet the park rangers and the tourists are also expected to be at the reception early morning, you drive to the starting point of the trek into the forest. Since the chimps make their nest every night, there are the trackers who go ahead of the trekking group of finding them and communicate with the ranger guides. The tourists are allowed to spend only 1 hour with the chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest National Park, and get to observe them so closely going about their own daily activities and observe the human-like features and behavior that makes them our closest relatives with 98.7% DNA. . You will have a good time with the most amazing primates in Rwanda.

Chimpanzee communities in Nyungwe forest National Park

Nyungwe National Park has the highest number of chimpanzees in Rwanda, it has about 400 individuals while other chimps are found in Gishwati Mukura National Park. Two chimpanzee communities have been habituated in Nyungwe National Park for chimpanzee trekking. Most of them live in Nyungwe forest which are about 60 individuals while the rest are found in Cyamudongo Forest which is about 30 individuals. Chimpanzee are known as the closest cousins to human beings are very interesting to look at. The greatness of the forest and terrain gives few chances of seeing them in their natural environment.

How much is a chimpanzee permit for Nyungwe Forest?

There are 64 trekking permits available per day in Nyungwe forest, the Chimpanzee trekking permit costs USD100 per person per trek, the chimpanzee permit fee includes park entrance, ranger, and guide assigned to move with you and your group. The permits are issued by Rwanda development board and Nyungwe park management and you must book the permits in advance. You will be required to show your chimpanzee tracking permit at the park headquarters just before proceeding to the beginning point on the date of trekking. Bookings are made directly to Nyungwe National Park management by email and you can only book in advance, chimp permits get sold out so quickly and you can always contact us to check availability for your desired dates and book your permits for chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest National Park in advance.

How to get to Rwanda from the United States of America (USA)

To visit Rwanda for a gorilla and chimp trekking safari, you are required to secure a Rwanda visa at USD50 online, at Kigali International Airport, or any of the border points into Rwanda. You will have to fly into Rwanda’s Kigali International Airport from the USA by Rwanda Air, Ethiopian Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates Air, or any other flights available. You will then spend a night in Kigali or drive directly to any of the parks as per the itinerary booked, depending on availability. For Volcanoes National Park, the park can be accessed by road, and it's only 2 hours’ drive from Kigali city or Airport and, about an hour's drive from Cyanika border of Uganda and Rwanda. We use 4x4 vehicles for our all-inclusive packages that are very comfortable for your road trip to Volcanoes national park. For entry into Nyungwe National Park, you will need to have a permit for any of the activities of your choice or paid park entrance fees. For Nyungwe National Park, By Air, you can fly into Kamembe international Airstrip from Kigali by RwandAir. Rwanda Air offers domestic flights and one of its domestic routes is Kigali-Kamembe. RwandAir offers about 9 flights a week from Kigali to Kamembe International Airport. The Airport is close to Nyungwe forest and some of the Hotels/Camps. You can as well access Nyungwe forest by road transport. We do offer road trips for chimpanzee safaris. It is approximately 5-6 hours’ drive to Nyungwe from Kigali city, our safaris start at 8:00 am, you will have stops on the way for scenic views and photography as there is a lot to see on the way, you will also stop at the Kings Palace museum.

Places to stay while in Rwanda for gorilla and chimpanzee trekking

 In volcanoes national park, there are many lodges and hotels in volcanoes national park ranging from budget to luxury, or Mid-range. Hotel rooms can sell out quickly, especially during the peak season, your accommodation choice needs to be reserved in advance for your gorilla trek visit to volcanoes national park. The Nyungwe forest national park is surrounded by different accommodation facilities offering services at different costs, which implies that there will always be space to stay for every tourist or visitor to Nyungwe irrespective of one’s budget. Some of the highly recommended lodges include the luxury One & Only Nyungwe House, Nyungwe Top View Hill Hotel, and the Nyungwe Forest Lodge.

Why book your gorilla and chimpanzee trekking holiday through us

 Encounter Africa safaris offer amazing primate experiences to Rwanda from the USA for the past years. Contact us for our discounted packages and also tailor-made gorilla trips, birding, cultural experiences, and Canopy walk, and chimpanzee trekking safaris. Our strength in organizing authentic experience stems from the fact that we have over time assembled a team mixed with young and energetic staff guided by a well-experienced team and passionate about what they do. Encounter Africa Safaris is highly recommended and reviewed on trip Advisor and safari bookings to help you learn about the experiences of the other travelers who have traveled with us to Rwanda for gorilla and chimp trekking safari from the USA.