Travel expert advice on gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda

Travel expert advice on gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda. Gorilla trekking in Rwanda requires one to be adequately prepared and follow all the rules and guidelines set by the governing bodies for the safety of the gorillas and the visitors. The key things that you need to take into consideration include booking the gorilla permits in advance, choosing the right tour operator, packing right and being physically ready for the trek. In this article, we are going to look at the key advice in detail and help you understand the dynamics of planning a gorilla tracking safari to Volcanoes National Park.

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Before you go for the trek/safari:

The moment you start thinking about gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, you need to consider several things and these include the following:

Choosing the right tour operator: This is the first step in planning a gorilla trekking safari in Volcanoes National Park. We recommend that you use registered tour operators that have enough experience in planning a gorilla trek safari. Read reviews and research more about the different tour companies and make your pick. The operator that you choose to go with will not only help you with the booking and purchasing the gorilla trekking permits but will also help with booking other logistics like transport and accommodation among others for a small fee.

Booking gorilla permits in advance: When you finally choose a tour operator to go with, the next step is to book and purchase gorilla trekking permits. Few gorilla permits are printed per day and they are always in high demand that is why they need to be booked in advance. Get in touch with the tour operator with the dates that you wish to trek gorillas in Volcanoes so that they can check for the availability of the permits on the given dates. After confirming the availability of the gorilla permits on the dates provided, you will be informed and requested to make the necessary payments. After confirmation that the payments have been made, the permit will be purchased and a copy sent to you for record purposes.

The cost of the trekking permits in Volcanoes NP is $1500 for foreign nationals per person, $500 for African citizens per person, $200 for East African citizens per person and $500 for foreign residents per person. Note that no bookings and purchases will be made if you don’t fully pay for the gorilla trekking safari.

Plan on when to trek gorillas: This is important since gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park can be carried out all year round. There are many factors that you can put into consideration when choosing the best time to go for gorilla tracking and these include

• Other safari activities that you plan on participating in while on the safari. Some activities are best carried out during the dry season whereas others are best carried out during the rainy season.
• Your budget also determines when to visit. The dry/peak season is one that is characterized with high costs of many safari activities whereas the rainy/wet season is characterized with discounts.
• Tourists who don’t mind the large crowds, the dry/peak season is the best time whereas those that prefer few people, the rainy season is the best time.

NB: The best time for gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park is the dry season (December to February and June to September) because of the dry and easy trek routes. It easier to trek gorillas during the dry season as compared to the rainy season which is characterized with rains, muddy and slippery routes.

Physical fitness: Volcanoes National Park is made up of different terrain and since the gorilla families are always on the move, you need to be physically fit to be able to keep up with the trekking group. You will be trekking through thick forests, hills, steep slopes and valleys and have to be ready for a change in the terrain. For tourists who cant trek because of health issues and physical disabilities, there is an option of hiring sedan chairs which are carried around the park by porters at a cost. For more information about the sedan chairs, feel free to get in touch with us or check out our website.

Plan for transport: Getting to Volcanoes National Park is easy because it is about 2 to 3 hours away from Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. The best and most used mode of transport to get to Volcanoes National Park is road where 4x4 safari vehicles are used. Experienced driver guides who are familiar with the route. Transport has to be planned for in advance before you get to the country and this can easily be booked through trusted tour operators like Encounter Africa Safaris.

Accommodation: There are three accommodation categories that include budget, mid-range and luxury accommodation facilities. The budget and your preference will determine the type of facility you choose. You will be provided with a list of accommodation facilities but make sure that you get one that is close to the national park to ease access to the national park. Some of the facilities that can be used during a gorilla trekking safari in Volcanoes National Park include Bisate Lodge, One&Only Gorilla’s Nest Lodge, Sabinyo Silverback Lodge, Singita Kwitonda Lodge, Virunga  Lodge, Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Faraja Hotel, Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge, Best View Hotel, Garden Place Hotel, Hotel Muhabura, Gorilla Solution Lodge, Garr Hotel, Le Bambou Gorilla Village, La Palme Hotel,  Kinigi Guest House, and Villa Gorilla among others.

Acclimatize: Acclimatization refers to the process of climbing high and sleeping low especially when it comes to mountain climbing so that you get used to the high altitudes. Volcanoes National Park is located at a high altitude and it is beneficial that you spend a day or two acclimatizing before the trek. This will ease your trek with in the forest as you search for the mountain gorillas.

During the trek:

When you start your trek through Volcanoes National Park, there are some rules that need to be followed by all trekkers. These rules not only protect and conserve the mountain gorillas, they also protect the trekkers at the same time. The rules that are to be followed during the trek include the following:

• Always maintain a safe distance of 7 meters from the mountain gorillas to avoid agitating them and spread of diseases from humans to the gorillas.
• Speak softly and calmly during the trek and when with the mountain gorillas. Avoid sudden movements as well because this can disrupt the day to day lives of the mountain gorillas.
• Flash photography is strictly prohibited.
• Eating and drinking when with the gorillas is strictly prohibited to prevent disease transmission to the gorillas.
• Always pay close attention to the guide instructions especially when with the gorillas. Avoid eye contact with the mountain gorillas and crouch low when they approach to show submissiveness.
• Limit contact with the mountain gorillas by not touching them because although they are habituated, they are still wild animals and you are in their space.
• You will have an hour with the mountain gorillas after locating them.
• Eight people are assigned a gorilla family per day. This is the maximum number to protect the gorillas from large crowds.
• Smoking is strictly prohibited when with the gorillas.
• Spitting on the vegetation is not allowed. This is to avoid disease transmission because this is food to the gorillas.
• All litter must be carried out of the national park
• Persons under the age of 15 will not be allowed to track the mountain gorillas.
• Human waste is to be buried in a hole of at least 30cm deep, it has to be covered up well so that the mountain gorillas do not dig it up.

The gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park has over 600 mountain gorillas with 12 habituated gorilla families open for trekking throughout the year. Since there are 12 habituated gorilla families, only 96 gorilla permits are available for tourists per day. The different gorilla families in Volanoes NP include the Titus, Ugenda, Karisimbi, Kwitonda, Hirwa, Susa A, Susa B, Amahoro, Umubano, Bwenge, Agashya and Sabinyo gorilla family. Note that all these gorilla families are open for trekking but the maximum number of visitors per day is 8 per gorilla family and the allocation is done on the day of the trek after the briefing.

The gorilla trekking experience in Volcanoes National Park

The gorilla trekking experience in Volcanoes National Park starts as early as 6:00 am at the park headquarters where you will be met with lead guides. During the briefing, you will be briefed on the safety guidelines and behaviors of the gorillas when you meet them. You will also be assigned to a particular trek group (maximum of 8) and then the trek will officially begin. Note that mountain gorillas are tracked manually and although sometimes the trackers lose sight of them, they will still locate them and there is a 99% chance of seeing the gorillas.

After finding the gorillas, each group has an hour with the gorillas where you get to take photos, record videos and get to know the different behaviors of the different gorilla characteristics.

When the 60 minutes are up, you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will get a certificate for participating in the trek and contributing to the conservation of the mountain gorillas.

The packing list for gorilla trekking in Rwanda

If you are wondering what to pack for your gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda, and how you are going to pack everything? In this situation, there are porters that are available at a fee who will help you carry your luggage as you enjoy your trek without fear. Porters are very valuable for your safari and you will need one.

With all this in mind, you need to prepare well when it comes to packing. The following are what we suggest you pack for the gorilla trekking safari.

• Warm clothes including a warm sweater, socks, scarves and ponchos among others.
• Plenty of bottled drinking water. We suggest that you carry a refillable water bottle.
• A sunhat, sunscreen and sunglasses to protect yourself from the sun
• Long-sleeved shirts to protect yourself from the heat, insect bites and scratches from trees.
• Light-weight trousers and all the clothes you carry should at least be in neutral colors to easily blend in with the environment.
• Gardening gloves or heavy duty gloves. These are important when it comes to thorny branches.
• Snacks/packed lunch
• Insect repellent
• Cash that will be used for tipping
• First aid kit
• A camera, extra batteries, extra lenses and memory cards.
• A pair of binoculars.

When to go for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes NP, Rwanda

Gorilla safaris in Rwanda are possible throughout the year but for one to avoid the heavy rains, muddy and slippery routes that are experienced in the rainy season (March to May), the best time to travel is during the dry season (June to September or December to February).  You should however be ready for the rains at any time of the year and this is because of the changing weather due to the closeness of the country to the equator. The rainy season is also from October to November and therefore you should plan accordingly.

NB: The rainy season is also the low season which makes it easy for tourists to travel and gorilla trek mountain gorillas on a budget as some service providers offer discounts during this season.

The dry season on other hand is an expensive time to travel with service providers (accommodation and transport) are hiked due to the large crowds of tourists that are visiting the country during this season.

Getting to Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes National Park is almost 100 kilometers from Kigali International Airport and it takes about 2 to 3 hours to get there by road. Unlike Bwindi and Mgahinga, there are no scheduled flights to the national park but we use 4x4 safari vehicles to get to Volcanoes National Park using well-maintained 4x4 safari vehicles to transfer tourists from the airport to the national park and then back.

Plan your gorilla trekking safari with us at Encounter Africa Safaris. We have years of experience and are a company that you can trust. Get in touch with us through our website or send an email at info@gorilla-tracking-uganda.com.