What To Expect On A 5 Day Double Gorilla Safari In Rwanda

What to expect during the 5 day double gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda is that you get to see the mountain gorillas twice. Even though all the mountain gorillas may look alike, they different with traits a character that they have that resembles that in humans, Mountain gorillas have about 98% human DNA and even though we don’t understand gorilla language, there actions are close to those of humans.

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To do the double gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda, you need a gorilla permit for each of the times. At the moment Rwanda has about 12 gorilla families and just 8 gorilla permits are open to the public per day. The only home of mountain gorillas in Rwanda is Volcanoes National Park in the Northwestern part of the country. Note that gorillas trekking in Rwanda is quite strenuous because of the several highlands around the park that compose its topography

The 5 day Double Gorilla Trekking Safari in Rwanda includes reserving accommodation and other related safari amenities that support safaris in the country. It is very important to know the season of Rwanda tourism that you plan to book this safari in because during the peak season all safaris in the country are on high demand.

Highlights Of 5 Day Double Gorilla Safari In Rwanda

Day 1 Drive To Volcanoes National Park

Day 2 First Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Day 3 Second Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park

Day 4 Drive To Akagera National Park

Day 5 Game drive in Akagera and Departure

Details of 5 Day Gorilla Trekking Safari in Rwanda

Day 1 Drive To Volcanoes National Park

Early morning, our drive guide will pick you from your overnight hotel and drive to Volcanoes National Park in North Western Rwanda. The drive time to Volcanoes National Park is about 3 hours and distance is about 109 kilometers. The road to Volcanoes National Park is windings because of the rugged nature of Rwanda one of the reasons why the country is referred to as the land of a thousand hills.

Volcanoes National Park lies in the Northwestern part of Rwanda which was highly affected by Volcanic actions that led to the formation of several highlands in this area. The landscape of Volcanoes National Park is composed of Mountain Gahinga, Muhavura, Sabyinyo, Bisoke and Karisimbi. Sometimes the mountain gorillas spend time on the slopes of these highlands and so tourists have to hike to find them.

At the moment, Volcanoes National Park is home to about 12 gorillas trekking families open to the public including Hirwa, Susa, Amahoro, Umubano, Agashya and others. Each day, only 8 gorilla permits per gorilla family are open to the public even amidst the overwhelming demand for the permits in the peak season.

Check into your accommodation

Volcanoes National Park Accommodations Sabyinyo Silverback lodge, Mountain Gorilla View lodge, Hotel Muhavura, Hotel Mille Collins, Gorilla Nest, Virunga Volcanoes lodge, Kinigi Guesthouse

Day 2 First Gorilla Trekking In Volcanoes National Park

After breakfast, report to the ranger station with your gorilla safari gear for document verification and briefing. The ranger guide leads the way following the trailhead where the mountain gorilla family allocated to you may have last been seen the previous day.

The way around Volcanoes National Park is quite steep because of the Nature of the terrain of this area. These is also a dense network of rivers that crisscross the forest and the untimely rains received in the forest any time of the day. This keeps environment around the forest moist most of the day and the ground soggy and slippery. It is best to wear safari boots that extend beyond the ankles.

Volcanoes National Park has other forest inhabitants that you may come across on the way including black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, blue monkeys and others. A wide range of birds species spends time in the environment around the Park

Finally, when you locate the mountain gorillas, they may pretend not notice your present but donot be deceived they operate a spy network under the Dominant silver back so donot do anything oblivious. Take in each minute with the mountain gorillas as a precious moment watch them play, feed, groom, comb each other’s hair and many other activities.

One hours is allowed with the mountain gorillas as this is the only time for which they are habituated. Finally get away from the gorilla family back to your lodge to relax.

Day 3 Second Gorilla Trekking In Volcanoes National Park

Another day for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park so wake up early for breakfast and carrying your packed lunch and gorilla trekking gear, head to the ranger station for briefing. Today, you may request for another gorilla family other than the one you visited the previous day but granting your request is up to the warden or ranger guide in command.

Even finding the easiest gorilla family to trek on this day may be quite hard to determine because the closets gorilla family the previous day may be the furthest the next day. The location of the gorilla families each day depends mainly on factors happening in the forest includes location of food sources, mood in the gorilla family, in case of an attack from a wild gorilla family and others.

To keep the excitement candle still burning as you want to find the mountain gorillas, open your mind to seeing other forest dwellers includes other primates, colorful birds, different natural trees and much more.

When you find the mountain, gorillas keep to the rules of gorilla trekking even though you may have done the same the previous day. Mountain gorillas have different characters and a similarity they share with humans. The next move of the mountain gorillas may be hard to predict

After one hour, stealthily get away from the gorillas family without being suspicious.

Day 4 Drive To Akagera National Park

Rise up early for breakfast and drive to Akagera National Park the home of game safaris in Rwanda. Akagera National Park was one of the game rich destinations in Africa hosting a huge population of wild dogs at one point but these were wiped out by nature causes.

Akagera National Park was also affected by human influx during the civil wars in Rwanda and during the 1994 Rwanda Genocide. Many returnees that has lost track of there land encroached on the land of Akagera National Park and killed even the few animals that were left in the park.

Rwanda Development Board collaborates with African parks a non government organizations to revamp the glory Akagera National Park. So far there has been great success and the population of wild animals in Akagera National Park is steadily growing although fewer predators are living in the park

Check into your accommodation

Akagera National Park Accommodation Akagera game lodge, Vintage cottage, Ruzizi Tented lodge, Magashi Safari Camp, Akagera Resort and Country club

Day 5 Game Drive and departure

Early morning enjoy a game drive in Akagera National Park where you may get the chance to find animals including lions, waterbucks, bushbucks, zebras, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, leopards, buffaloes and others. Depart for Kigali international airport to catch up with your home bound flight.

When Is The Best Time To Plan A 5 Day Double Gorilla Safari In Rwanda

The dry season, which is June to September and December to February, attracts more people seeking to do gorilla trekking in Rwanda. Gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda are open all year with no particular time that the mountain gorillas won’t show up. Even though the Volcanoes forest is characterized by wet conditions most of the time from the regular rains that fall, the dry season is fairly drier. The trails in the forest are not so wet and even stream in the forest flow within there normal course.

Do not forget to carry rainproof gear even in the dry season during gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park because it can rain any time and this may even last an entire day. Most of the forest dwellers may be quicker to identify in the dry season when more sunrays penetrate through the dense canopy to the ground.

The dry season being the peak tourism season of Rwanda attracts more tourists from world over so demand for the gorilla permits gets extremely high yet supply is restricted to maximum 8 per gorilla family. Competition for other safaris amenities also hits its peak in this season so for one to find availability from the best options, it is best with advance reservation.

The wet season should not be ignored when booking the 5 day gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda that is March to May and November. This is because the presence of the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes forest is all year. There are normally less or no people visiting the mountain gorillas on a regular basis during the low season which may open better chances to have all the attention on you as a trekker for the day.

How Much Is The Cost Of The 5 Day Double Gorilla Trekking Safari In Rwanda

The cost of the 5 day double gorilla trekking safari in Uganda is categorized into upscale, mid-range and basic. The cost of the gorilla permits per each day of gorilla trekking is current $1500 for foreign nonresidents, $500 for international residents, $500 for Other Africans and $200 for East Africans.

Within the quotation of the gorilla trekking safari is the cost of accommodations, transport including gas, vehicle hire, drive guide fees and others.

Carry some hard cash to use for on ground purchases and other personal expenses that you may incur. Credit card usage is not common in Africa because of the lengthy process of collection money from them. Even the credit machines cannot be operated by many in the countryside because of illiteracy. Power supply is also not steady with solar power being the mainly used up country.

Is The 5 Day Double Gorilla Trekking Safari In Rwanda Worth The Time And Money

The 5 day double gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda is worth the double experience it is an opportunity to spend time with some of the highly endangered primates in the world that are only known to live in three countries Uganda, Rwanda and D.R.Congo.

When you purchase the gorilla permit, you contribute to the conservation fund that supports the sustainability of these primates and their habitats. Getting closer to the mountain gorillas is very impactful and one of the reasons why you may get to join the campaign against those who try to destroy the environment.

What to Guidelines of the Gorilla Trekking Safari

• No flash photography is allowed when taking photos for the gorilla trekking adventure. This scares the mountain gorillas and others forest dwellers
• Never eat or smoke before the mountain gorillas or other inhabitants because it may be harmful to there health. They are wild animals that must look for there own food and not depend on human supply.
• Littering the forest is forbidden because it alters natural setting where mountain gorilla feed from. The mountain gorillas are vegetarian and this may slowly reduce on there food.
• When you locate the mountain gorillas, do not surround them. This makes them feel ambushed. Mountain gorillas are very sensitive with intruders in there vicinity and can charge in case provoked.
• Ask the ranger guide to dig a whole of about 30 cm deep in case you wish to do a long call. You need to ever everything beyond recognition.
• 15 years and over is the age limit for gorilla trekking in Rwanda. This is because time of locating the mountain gorillas is not known and  some patience is need to complete this trek.
• Volunteer to stay behind in case you catch any communicable infection like corona virus, flu, cough, cholera. This is because the mountain gorillas can catch human infections easily. They have a DNA of about 96% to that of humans.
• When you locate the mountain gorillas keep a distance of about 8 meters from them. To reduce on the chances of passing a communicable infection to them.
• Never spit on the vegetation because its food for the mountain gorillas. It is unhealthy and disgusting too.
• Wear a mask and hand sanitize as an after corona virus period precaution. You must change into a clean mask as you approach the mountain gorillas.
• When with the mountain gorillas, do not make noise and sudden movement because it may scare them. the gorillas are often scared of unfamiliar noise in there presence.

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