Steps to take to book a gorilla tour in Rwanda

When booking the Rwanda gorilla trekking tour, the steps start with enquiring about gorilla permit availability. Rwanda gorilla trekking permits are sold daily and limited to a maximum of 8 per gorilla family. Currently, Rwanda has 15 gorilla families open to public booking. Some include Karisimbi, Agashya, Umubano, Amahoro, Kwitonda, Hirwa, and others.

Volcanoes National Park is the only home for gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda. This tropical rainforest also hosts other primates like golden monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons, and grey-cheeked mangabey.

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To book a gorilla permit for Rwanda, you need to know the number of people you are traveling with to avoid moving back and forth when checking gorilla permit availability. Note that the age limit for gorilla trekking tours in Rwanda is 15 years and over.

You must book accommodation for the Rwanda gorilla tour in advance as these sell out, too. If you plan a gorilla trekking tour in Rwanda during the June to September season, booking is necessary because of the high demand for Rwanda safaris.

Ensure you gain some level of fitness before the gorilla trekking tour in Rwanda because the terrain of this area is rugged, resulting from volcanic actions.

How to book the Rwanda gorilla tour

Step1: secure the Rwanda gorilla trekking permit

Booking the Rwanda gorilla trekking permit is the only guarantee to this Rwanda safari. Before planning this Rwanda safari, check for gorilla permit availability because they sell out fast, regardless of the season. 

When you enquire from us at Encounter Africa Safaris about your gorilla safari, our tour consultant checks availability from the list of the Rwanda Development Board. 

As soon as we find availability, our consultant will give you feedback shortly because the status of the gorilla trekking permits changes at any time without warning. The demand for gorilla permits is high since their supply is restricted to a maximum of 8 per gorilla family for conservation reasons.

It is best to purchase your gorilla permit as soon as you can, but note that no gorilla permit is secured without payment.

Later, you may provide us with some personal details for identification and record-keeping, like your full name as presented on the passport, date of birth, nationality, and others.

What is the cost of a Rwanda gorilla Trekking permit

A Rwanda gorilla trekking permit costs $1500 per person for International non-residents, $500 for international residents, and $250 for East Africans.

This gorilla permit cost for Rwanda covers park entrance fees, ranger guide fees, mountain gorilla conservation, one hour with the mountain gorillas, local community support, and others.

Step2: book accommodation for the Rwanda gorilla tour

Accommodation is essential to book immediately after you confirm the gorilla permit. During the peak seasons, options for accommodation to book for the gorilla safari in Rwanda run low, creating scarcity. Accommodations in and around Volcanoes National Park are categorized into luxury, mid-range, and budget facilities.

It is best to spend the night before your gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda within or closer to the park so that you can arrive in time for an early morning briefing. Although Volcanoes National Park is about a 3-hour drive from Kigali city, and you can spend the night in Kigali before the gorilla trek, it is not guaranteed that you will arrive there in time for the briefing. Getting to the briefing point at ORTPN earlier is best to register and do all the necessary clearances.

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

Step3: Book Transport to Volcanoes National Park

Booking a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle is an excellent idea for a gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda. The roads up country sometimes get messy, and the vehicle must be in good condition, too. Secure the driver guide in advance, too, especially when traveling in the peak season, when the best and most knowledgeable guides are in high demand. Plan for the gas expenses in advance, but remember to have a full tank as you drive to Volcanoes National Park because chances of refilling while in the countryside are slim.

For charter flight services from Kigali airport to Volcanoes National Park, you need to secure it in time so that all the necessary clearances can be made in advance. 

Step4: book other Rwanda safari activities to combine with A Gorilla Tour

• Enrich your Rwanda safari experience with a visit to other destinations within the country. While in Rwanda, you can do chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park. You must also secure the chimpanzee trekking permit in advance.
• Game drives in Akagera National Park are rewarding, so book a suitable vehicle in advance. While on a game drive on the Rwanda safari, you may encounter zebras, giraffes, waterbucks, bushbucks, cape buffaloes, herds of elephants, rhinos, and others.
• The canopy walk in Nyungwe National Park is exceptional as it is one of a kind in East Africa. This 160-meter-high suspension bridge is scenic, allowing you to enjoy the stunning Nyungwe forest canopy, features around it, and much more.
• Birding in Rwanda is never disappointing; you need a well-tailored itinerary to visit the country's best sights. Some Rwanda birding areas include the Volcanoes forest, Akagera National Park, and many others. Rwanda hosts about 700 bird species, including Albertine rift endemics.
• Golden monkey trekking in Rwanda is excellent, allowing you to spend time with exciting monkeys in the jungle. Golden monkeys are not ordinary because their body structure is more significant than other monkeys. These are an endangered monkey species worldwide and only live in the Virunga area.

Although golden monkeys are habituated to human presence, they still possess natural trails because they keep hopping from one tree to another.

Rwanda cultural experience 

Rwandese are proud of their unique culture, and while on a Rwanda visit, you may use the chance to interact with the local people and visit cultural sights. Rwanda has artistic hands, so you may find some doing pottery, wood curving basketry, engaging in cow dung painting, and much more. Nyakarimbi is home to these unique art facts as this is the country's local source of crafts.

In case you get a chance to attend the Intore dance, it is one of a kind. These dance moves are accompanied by rhythmic long drums and have a magnetic attraction to join them so that you may find yourself on the dance floor.

When is the best time to book the Rwanda gorilla tour?

The Rwanda gorilla tours are open anytime; however, the dry season is sought after. Although volcanic forests receive untimely rains, the dry season rains are less. More sunlight is let into the ground, reducing the precipitation in the forest. The trails are drier, and rivers flow in the normal course.

The mountain gorillas and other forest dwellers are more accessible to spot in the jungle because they usually feed closer to the ground in the dry season. Rwanda's dry season is usually June, July, August, September, December, and January.

Since the dry season is the peak tourism season in Rwanda, demand for gorilla permits is high, so last-minute gorilla permits are hard to find.

The wet season, which is March to May and November, may give you a chance for a solo gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda since fewer people are booking in. Even at the lodges, there are fewer people to rumble with for space. Hence, you have all the lodge staff's attention on you.

The Rwanda Developments Board may open promotional discounted gorilla trekking permits for the low season. An average Rwandan gorilla permit costs $1500 per person. Still, during the low season, they are discounted to $1050 per person as long as you have at least two nights in Akagera National Park and Nyungwe National Park.

Are Rwanda mountain gorillas dangerous?

Mountain gorillas are naturally intimidating on the outlook but very vulnerable inside. During gorilla trekking in Rwanda, do not expect the mountain gorillas to be violent because they are habituated to be in human presence. 

Naturally, mountain gorillas are serene primates, shy, and cowards because when agitated, they retreat into hiding in most cases. This doesn't guarantee you provoke the mountain gorillas because they can charge, too.

 When angry mountain gorillas hoot, thump their chests through foliage, and much more drama. This doesn't mean they will attack you when you see such behavior. Before you run through the forest into a rampage, wait for the ranger guide to establish the root cause of the matter.

Sometimes, the mountain gorillas may be teasing you, having family understanding, trying to attract your attention, having a power struggle, and much more. Follow the ranger guide's instructions so as not to escalate the situation.

Is Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda stressful?

Yes, gorilla trekking in Rwanda is quite stressful because of the steepness of the area where they live; the nature of the topography of the Volcanoes forest is rugged from the volcanic actions that affected this area.

Sometimes, mountain gorillas spend their time on the slopes or deep in the valleys of these highlands, so you have to join them by hiking. The way is tiring and stressful from the soggy and slippery ground resulting from the regular rains that fall without warning.

Having some fitness level saves you from getting muscle pulls while you trek to find the mountain gorillas. When you take breaks, you can munch on some energy bites to keep you going because breakfast is taken too early to last the entire trek.

How sure can I be to see the mountain gorillas in Rwanda?

There is about a 99% chance of seeing mountain gorillas in Rwanda, even though they live in the wilderness and are not restricted by boundaries. The bulk size of the mountain gorillas prevents them from moving so fast in the wilderness.

Each gorilla family is first habituated before being opened to public viewing, so regular monitoring from the ranger guides makes it easier to locate them.

No matter the dry or wet season, expect to see mountain gorillas in their habitat. 

Rules of Gorilla Trekking Tour 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 250 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 can gorilla trekking because of the huddles surrounding it at times; for example, the time of locating the mountain gorillas has yet to be discovered.
• 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 our team of safari consultants today to help you plan your gorilla trekking safari to Rwanda.