Will Rwanda ever reduce on gorilla permit price?

The cost of the gorilla permit in Rwanda is currently the highest of all the gorilla trekking destinations at $1500 per person. Rwanda previously increased the cost of the gorilla permit from $750 and at the moment, there is no hope of reducing or making a discount on the gorilla trekking permit because the money is needed to support the conservation of gorillas and their natural habitat. When it comes to conserving the natural habitat of the Mountain gorillas, all effort and funds are needed to make this possible by providing 24/7 security to the national park and the gorillas.

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Rwanda, however, offers discounts on their permits during the low season, and this is going to continue throughout 2025 in the months of March to May and November. The permit discount in Rwanda started in June 2020 after the COVID-19 lockdown, and this came about to attract more tourists to visit the country. The discounts at first were made for 2020 to 2022 but then this has continued through 2024 and will be available in 2025 as well. The other way that tourists can get discounts on their permits is by pre-booking to spend at least two nights at any of the other two national parks in the country which are Akagera National Park and Nyungwe Forest National Park. A 30% discount is offered to tourists planning to stay two nights at either Akagera or Nyungwe.

The cost of the Rwanda gorilla trekking permit is $1500 for foreign non-residents, $500 for foreign non-residents and Africans from other countries and $200 for EAC citizens. It is high because it covers numerous services some of which include the following:

The ranger guide fees

All groups of trekkers cannot access the National Park for gorilla trekking without a ranger guide who is experienced and familiar with the forests and wilderness. The ranger guides are trained for some time with seasonal seminars and retreats to improve their knowledge about the Mountain gorillas and their natural habitat. The national park is the workplace for the guides, and the cost of the gorilla permit covers the salaries of the ranger guides. This salary helps to take care of their households and improve their livelihoods.

Security: Volcanoes National Park is a densely forested area that requires security from the government of Rwanda. All trained ranger guides in Volcanoes National Park collaborate with other Rwanda security agencies to provide security to the trekkers and the Mountain gorillas ensuring that law and order is kept in the area. Safety is a big step when it comes to Rwanda, especially after the 1994 genocide, making it one of the safest countries in the world. Part of the cost of the gorilla permit cost is used to make sure that there is enough security at the national park.

Maintenance of the National Park: The cost of the gorilla permit covers maintenance of the permit to be able to maintain and improve all the services provided at the national parks, improve the trek trails within the national parks and road maintenance of the park. The forests are sometimes thick, and ranger guides have to use machetes to clear the path. Communication devices like radio calls are also needed.

Covers gorilla medical care: Just like other wildlife, gorillas fall sick and get accidents that might not be cured by the many herbs that are found in the national park. Gorilla doctors are often needed and called upon to provide extra attention to the primates to be able to prevent the loss of the gorillas. The treatment is administered to the Mountain gorillas and samples of feces and blood are collected to study the general health of the Mountain gorillas. The cost of the Gorilla medical care is covered under the cost of the gorilla permit.

Support of the local communities: There are local communities that live around the National Park and these are mainly home to former poachers and locals who were evicted from the National Park. 20% of the cost of the permit is used to help with improving the standards of living for the people around, like road maintenance, building schools, improving the medical facilities and putting in place empowering projects to improve the livelihood of the locals.

Although the research station is found in Karisoke Rwanda, part of the funds that are collected from the gorilla permit are used to carry out more research about the Mountain gorillas.

How and when to book for the gorilla safari in Rwanda

Rwanda has an organized system of booking and purchasing of gorilla permits and this can be done directly on the Rwanda Development Board site and through a trusted tour operator such as Encounter Africa Safaris. The first thing that needs to be done is to get in touch with the operator with your intended trek dates, a copy of the passport especially the biodata page, the number of permits being bought (and if you are purchasing more than one permit, you have to provide details of the people in the group and their passports). The operator will then check for the availability of the trek permits on the provided dates and once it has been confirmed that the permits are available, you will be requested to make the payments for the permit and note that purchases will only be made if you have made payments and because of their high demand, the earlier the payments are made, the better. After the permit has been purchased, the operator will send a scanned copy via email.

The gorilla trekking permits in Rwanda can be obtained at any time of the year, but booking in advance 3 to 6 months or a year in advance is the best time to book and purchase the permits. Rwanda has 12 habituated gorilla families and this means that there are 96 gorilla permits printed per day. During the peak season of June to September, the permits are in high demand, which makes it hard for one to get last-minute trek permits. During the low season of March to May, there are few tourists, which means that you can easily get the gorilla permit, but booking in advance ensures that your trekking slot is available and that you can properly plan for the safari. Contact us for more information.

The cost of gorilla trekking in Rwanda

Rwanda offers different gorilla trekking packages, and these are luxury, mid-range and budget packages. Your preference and budget determine the cost of the safari. There are several factors to put into consideration that determine the cost of the safari and these include the following.

The number of people in the trek group: The larger the group of people paying for the gorilla safari, the less the cost because there are services that are shared, and these include transport, fuel/gas, driver guide fees and accommodation, among others. When travelling solo, the entire expense of the gorilla safari is on you making it expensive.

The season of travel: When you decide to travel for the gorilla safari during the dry/peak season from December to February and June to September, the cost of the safari is high. This is because the demand for gorilla permits and service providers is high, especially with accommodation, transport, and driver guides increasing the cost of demand. The rainy/low season comes with discounts, especially on services like accommodation, making it the best time to travel on a budget.

The number of days spent on the safari: The number of days also affects the cost of the gorilla trek safari in Uganda. For example, the more days that you spend on your safari, the more money you are going to spend on your safari and vice versa. The gorilla trekking services are offered per day, and the more days spent, the more money spent. The recommended days are 3; you can, however, have more days depending on your schedule.

The gorilla trek package chosen: When choosing a safari package, make sure that you choose one that fits your budget. Choosing a luxury safari means that you are willing to spend more as compared to choosing mid-range and budget gorilla trek safaris.

The extra activities: Besides gorilla trekking, you can decide to include other safari activities in your itinerary (note that the activities have to be booked in advance). The more activities you add to your itinerary, the higher the cost of the gorilla safari and fewer activities equal a favourable cost of the safari in Rwanda.

Rules for trekking gorillas in Rwanda

• The maximum number of trekkers in a group of trekkers per day is 8. The number of people trekking Mountain gorilla families in a day was reduced to reduce the overwhelming of Mountain gorillas and limit the risk of spreading infections from humans to Mountain gorillas.
• Littering the National Park is prohibited because the vegetation is food to the Mountain gorillas, and when you dump rubbish on them, they will fail to thrive, affecting the nature of the natural habitat over time.
• The appropriate and only age allowed to trek gorillas in Rwanda is 15 years and above. This is checked and verified using the documents sent especially the passport.
• Spitting and urinating on the vegetation is prohibited. As earlier noted, the vegetation is food to the Mountain gorillas, and you do not wish to spit on their food as this causes infections in the gorillas.
• Smoking and eating are done 300 meters from the Mountain gorillas. It is forbidden to do so when near the primates because they might grab the food from your hands and you do not know the extent to which the smoke and food might affect the gorillas.
• In case you have communicable diseases like cholera, flu, and cough, you have to volunteer to stay behind and not participate in the exercise so that you avoid passing it down to the Mountain gorillas as they are highly susceptible to human infections.
• All faecal material is to be covered in a hole 30cm deep and covered well after use so that the Mountain gorillas do not dig it up.
• One hour is allowed with the Mountain gorillas after each group has located them. This is to allow the gorillas to go about their day-to-day activities like feeding, grooming their young ones and keeping each other safe without feeling overwhelmed.
• When you are around the Mountain gorillas, make sure that you keep your voice low when communicating and you have to avoid sudden movements. The Mountain gorillas are used to certain wild noises and any unfamiliar noise might cause them to change their behavior.
• You have to keep a distance of 8 meters after locating the Mountain gorillas. These are wild animals even though they are habituated and since you are in their territory, you have to respect it. The distance also reduces the transmission of infections.
• All participants have to attend the briefing which is carried out on the morning of the trek.
• Provoking and touching the Mountain gorillas is prohibited. They are shy creatures but can be aggressive when they feel like they are being threatened.
• Carry a mask with you, when you want to cough or sneeze, turn away from the gorillas and sneeze into your elbow to avoid infecting the gorillas.
• The use of flash photography (taking photos of the gorillas when the flash on your camera is on) is prohibited and should be avoided.
• Trekking groups have to follow all the rules and guidelines given by the ranger guides. They also have to keep close to the group and not wander off into the park since it is home to other wildlife species.

The above rules and regulations have to be observed along with the daily dos and don’ts that come with gorilla trekking and all these are communicated during the briefing on the day of the trek. Failure to follow all the rules and regulations leads to fines and being banned from trekking gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.

For more information about gorilla trekking and permits in Rwanda, get in touch with us.