How Long Is The Gorilla Trekking Walk In Rwanda

The time to take on the gorilla trekking walk in Rwanda may vary from about 2 hours to over three quarters of the day depending on factors prevailing in the wilderness.  The gorilla trekking adventures of Rwanda is quite steep because of the several highlands that form part of the topography of Volcanoes National park.

Each day, gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda start at 0730 hours so you have wake up earlier to report to the ranger station for document verification. Every participating tourists is expected to attend briefing before gorilla trekking in Rwanda and this is compulsory no matter how many time you are to do this adventure. Enquire now

After briefing, the ranger guide with an armed tourism police officer accompany the tourists following the trail where the mountain gorillas were last seen the previous day. With the help of the clues provided by early trackers, together we search for the possible location of the mountain gorillas.

To avoid getting fed up with the search for the mountain gorillas and still maintain the excitement of choosing to do gorilla trekking in Rwanda, open your mid to the presence of other forest dwellers. Volcanoes National Park is home to black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, red tailed monkeys and others.

Finding the mountain gorillas in Rwanda may depend on food location, mood of the gorilla trekking family, prevailing weather conditions, pace of the group and others.

Gorilla Safari Packages For Rwanda

3 day Gorilla Trekking Rwanda

4 day gorilla trekking and Kigali city tour Rwanda

5 day gorilla trekking and chimpanzee Trekking Rwanda

6 day Gorilla trekking and Game safari in Rwanda

7 day Gorilla, chimpanzee trekking and Wildlife Rwanda Safari

3 day gorilla trekking safari in Uganda

12 day gorilla, chimpanzee and wildlife safari in Uganda

Which Is The Easiest Gorilla Trekking Family Of Rwanda

The easiest gorilla trekking family in Rwanda is quite hard to choose because these gorillas move freely in the dense jungle. Rwanda currently has about 12 gorilla trekking families open to the public some include Hirwa, Susa, Amahoro, Agashya, Karisimbi, Umubano and others. The Rwanda gorilla trekking family that was closest the previous day may be the furthest the next day. The mountain gorillas are untamed and free to explore the forest.

Open yourself to seeing other forest dwellers including the several primates inhabiting the forest, over 200 resident bird species, several naturally growing trees species and much more.

After briefing, each tourist is randomly allocated a gorilla trekking family but the criteria used is hard to determine. Sometimes gorilla permit allocation in Rwanda is done according to age brackets, physical capability and others.

At times the mountain gorillas spend time on the slopes or in the valleys of the highlands so you need to hike to get to them. For the protruding undergrowth or creepers along the trails, the ranger guide with a machete uses it to trim the way and open the path for you.

No matter which Rwanda gorilla trekking family you are allocated to, the fun and excitement varies as each has members that are unique to be in company with. Only one hour is allowed with the gorilla trekking family as a conservation measure. The presence of humans disrupts the daily routine of the mountain gorillas yet they have to search for enough foliage to take them through the day and night.

What Is Necessary For Gorilla Trekking Safari In Rwanda

In Rwanda, the requirements for gorilla trekking safari include

• Gorilla trekking permit for Rwanda
• Participants must be eligible for gorilla trekking in Rwanda which is 15 years and beyond.
• Have some level of fitness before gorilla trekking in Rwanda but alternatively use a sedan chair for those with physical impairment.
• Book necessary logistics to support your time on the Rwanda gorilla trekking safari  

              Transport logistics include vehicle hire, gas or fuel, driver guide, vehicle maintenance and others

              Accommodation logistics including room reservation, meals, room service and much more.

• Pack the right gorilla trekking gears.
• Good health before gorilla trekking safari as the mountain gorillas are highly susceptible to human communicable infections such as cough, covid-19, flu, dysentery and others.

How Much Is The Cost Of Gorilla Trekking Safaris In Rwanda

The cost of gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda vary depending on the category of safari package you choose, number of days to take on safari, people travelling with, additional Rwanda safari activities.

Our Rwanda safari packages are categorized into luxury, midrange and basic. The cost of the Rwanda gorilla trekking permit cuts across all categories that is $1500 for international nonresidents, $500 for international residents and other Africans.

The inclusions in the price of gorilla trekking permit for Rwanda are park entrance fees, ranger guide fees, conservation costs and much more.

The cost of other tour expenses necessary for Rwanda safari also vary according to budget that is cost of accommodation, transport, meals, personal expenses. When planning the gorilla safari, do not forget to include some hard cash to use for on ground expense.

At Arch safaris And Tours, we encourage our customers to tip generously as a token of appreciation for good service rendered to you while on Rwanda gorilla trekking safari. Although it is not compulsory.

 What Guarantees Seeing The Mountain Gorillas During Gorilla Trekking Safari In Rwanda.

To see the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, there are 99% chances after paying for the costly permit. Even though the mountain gorillas are free to move in the wilderness, seeing them is a sure deal.

Before opening the gorilla family to the public, it is first habituated a process that helps them to get accustomed to human presence without running away. Even when you come face to face with the gorilla family, they remain steady first as though not bothered by your presence.

The gorilla families launch there stay in a particular location for a time until food gets insufficient to satisfy the entire family.  Together, the gorilla family moves to a new location which may not be far from there previous spot.

At the start of the gorilla trek, the ranger guides lead the tourists following the trail head towards where the gorilla family was last seen the previous day. It is quite easy to find them within or closer to where the gorilla family fed the day before.

Each day a team of trackers wakes up earlier than others to establish the nesting point or possible hang out point for the mountain gorillas. Some of the clues provided by these trackers is what is used to trace the mountain gorillas during gorilla trekking in Rwanda.

Tourists are encouraged to participate in finding the mountain gorillas by using the clues they leave behind including freshly chewed foliage, foot prints, listen to them murmur and much more.

The bulky size of the mountain gorillas doesn’t allow them to move fast in the forest. A grown male gorilla weighs about 140 kilograms and the female about half the weight.

Safety Measures To Apply During Gorilla Trekking Adventure In Rwanda

Attend briefing before gorilla trekking in Rwanda where communication about the rules of gorilla trekking and the most resent updates about the mountain gorillas are communicated. No matter how many times you do the gorilla trekking safari, every time you must attend briefing.

Each gorilla trekking group of tourists must be escorted by a professional ranger guide and an armed tourism police office with weapons that can be used in case of an emergency.

When with the mountain gorillas, you need to abide by the rules of gorillas trekking in order not to cause the mountain gorillas to get agitated. Even though the mountain gorillas are serene and shy primates, they can charge when they loose there patience.

Never enter Volcanoes National park without an escorting ranger guide because you may get face to face with some harsh forest inhabitants.

Wear the right gorilla trekking gears including long sleeved shirt and trousers, insect repellant, safari hat, safari boots and other necessary gorilla trekking gears. Some of these gears will protect you from the hard conditions in the jungle.

 The ranger guide follows the pace of the slowest trekker so that none is forgotten in the wilderness so you need to stay up-close with the rest of those on gorilla trekking tour.

How Difficult Or Easy Is Gorilla Trekking Safari In Rwanda

The trek to see the mountain gorillas in Rwanda is quite steep because of the serried land forms that compose the topography of Volcanoes Forest. The major highlands around Volcanoes National Park include mountain Gahinga, Muhavura, Bisoke, Karisimbi and Sabyinyo.

A number of plateaus and ridges form part of Volcanoes forest and at time the mountain gorillas spend time on the slopes or deep in the valleys. Tourists have to follow up by hiking which may be quite challenging but the excitement of standing face to face with the mountain gorillas is unmatched. It is a moment to encounter your fears amidst excitement.

Along the trails of Volcanoes National park, the vines and creepers may protrude which may end in obstructing the way but the ranger guide with the machete trims them to create a clearer passage.

Expect the trails to be wet most of the day during gorilla trekking from the regular rains that fall and rivers or streams in the forest that at times overflow.

Because of the dense canopy and less sunlight let in through to the ground, lighting in photos or when filming may be challenging during the gorilla trekking adventure but you need to improvise. Remember no flashlight is allowed when with the mountain gorillas because this may scare them pushing them into hiding.

Is Gorilla Trekking Safari In Rwanda Worth The Money And Time

To do gorilla trekking in Rwanda, it is like winning a lottery based on the fact that the mountain gorillas are only residents of Uganda, Rwanda and D.R.Congo. Even the number of gorilla trekking permits open to the public is limited to maximum 8 per gorilla family. This is a small number to cover up for the high demand from world over.

Doing gorilla trekking is a dream come true for many adventure lovers that have it on their bucket list. It is a moment of truth when you stand a few meters from the only leftover mountain gorillas there is in the world. Even though the gorillas are portrayed as being aggressive because of there physical outlook but when you realize the factual reality about them, it’ s very easy to fall in love with them.

The conservation campaign for the mountain gorillas is still on going and from the funds collected from the sell of the gorilla permits, more is collected to support this noble cause, even a portion of the annual earning from the sale of gorilla permits is shared with the local communities close to the park. This is one way to contribute to community sensitization to promote sustainable existence of the endangered mountain gorillas.

What are the guidelines of gorilla trekking in Rwanda

Mountain gorillas a highly susceptible to human infections so volunteer to stay behind in case you acquire any of the communicable infections including covid-19, flu, cough and others,

Every gorilla trekking safari must be conducted by a professional ranger guide from Rwanda development Board.

Feeding the mountain gorillas is forbidden because they must depend on the forest and not human supplies.

Do not stare in the eyes of the mountain gorillas because they are shy primates and this may push the family into hiding.

On the way to find the mountain gorillas, do not dump garbage because it alters the nature of the environment where these primates feed.

Using flash photography when taking photos of the mountain gorillas is forbidden because they are highly sensitive to new occurrences in there vicinity.

Spitting on vegetation along the to find the mountain gorillas is forbidden because this is unhygienic and the mountain gorillas feed on foliage entirely.

No making noise or shouting while in the forest before and when with then mountain gorillas because the entire family may run into hiding yet one hour is allowed with them. Keep a distance of about 8 meters away from the mountain gorillas to avoid effects of getting into close contact with the mountain gorillas. Out of curiosity, the mountain gorillas may move closer and fill up the gap but stay steady and watch every moment as it unfolds.

Request For A Quotation