How To Book Rwanda Gorilla Trekking For the Peak Season

To book the Rwanda gorilla trekking safari for the peak season, you must secure the gorilla permit at least 6 months to a year in advance. The peak Rwanda tourism season starts June, July, August, September, December and January. The influx of visitor for a Rwanda safari is high during these months. Whether travelling luxury, mid-range and budget you need to first book your gorilla permit from Rwanda Development Board. No gorilla permit is ever booked without payment yet first come first served basis is used to issue permits.

Volcanoes national park is the only home of gorilla trekking in Rwanda. Currently, 12 gorilla families are living in Volcanoes National Park that is Karisimbi, Sabyinyo, Hirwa, Amahoro, Umubano, Agashya and others. Rwanda Development Board has the mandate to sell and regulate the gorilla permits.

Booking accommodation for your days on gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda is vital as the options run out especially during the high season when demand is over the top. During the peak season that is June, July, August, September, December and January the demand for the gorilla permits is over the top creating scarcity at the last minute.

You need to select the Rwanda safari activities you hope to engage in while on your Rwanda visit. Other than the gorilla trekking, you can engage in other Rwanda safari activities like chimpanzee trekking, game drives, Rwandese cultural experience, birding in Rwanda, canopy walking golden monkey trekking and others.

The popular Rwanda gorilla safaris you can engage in include:

5 day Rwanda gorilla and wildlife tour

3 day gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda

6 day gorilla and chimpanzee tour in Rwanda

4 day gorilla tour in Rwanda

When Is The Best Time To Book Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safari?

Booking the Rwanda gorilla safari is open all year however the dry season attracts more bookings because the mountain gorillas are full of life. Even other forest dwellers are easier to spot because they walk freely through the forest.

The dry season is normally June, July, August, September, December, January and is too the peak tourism season in Rwanda. You need to secure your Rwanda gorilla trekking permit in advance because they are limited to maximum 8 per gorilla family.

Because of the overwhelming demand for the gorilla permits in this season its best to secure yours in advance that is about 6 months to a year upfront. Finding gorilla permit availability at the last minute is challenging too.

The low season for Rwanda gorilla safaris is normally March, April, May, November but it is normally the wet season too. Chances of getting last minute gorilla safari permits are more open in the low season since fewer gorilla safaris are booked.

In case you have a limited but for Rwanda safari, you may use the low season because Rwanda offer discounted gorilla permits in the low season as long as you have atleast two nights in Akagera National Park and Nyungwe National Park.

How much is the cost of Rwanda gorilla permit for the peak season?

At the moment, the cost of Rwanda gorilla permit is $1500 for foreign nonresidents, $500 for foreign residents and $200 for East Africans. To purchase a Rwanda gorilla permit, you need to check availability per the dates of your choice first and when you get positive response, we urge tourists to purchase the permit as soon as possible.

Rwanda gorilla permits are sold on first come first served basis yet there supply is limited to maximum 8 per gorilla family. Since Rwanda Development Board opens a limited number of gorilla permits per day, yet worldwide demand for them is high creates scarcity especially during the peak season.

What is included in the cost of Rwanda gorilla permit?

The Rwanda gorilla permit includes park entrance fees on the day of the trek, security, ranger guide fees, mountain gorilla conservation, one hour of gorilla trekking, government tax, local community support, certificate after the gorilla safari and others.

Exclusions of the Rwanda gorilla permits cost are porter hire, snacks, accommodation for the gorilla safari, tips and other personalized expenses.

Is the cost of Rwanda mountain gorilla permit worth the money?

The cost of the Rwanda gorilla permit is currently $1500 per person a cost worth your money and time. Gorilla trekking is a once in a life time Africa safari adventure that gets you just meters from the only leftover mountain gorillas and some of the suspected survivors of the ice age period that saw the disappearance of dinosaurs.

A portion of the money collected from the sell of gorilla permits is used to support the mountain gorilla conservation campaign. The plight of the mountain gorillas was brought to the world endangered species acknowledgement in 1980s after the census carries out by American primatologist Dian Fossey. The mountain gorilla census carried out then indicated that about 250 mountain gorillas were living in the world.

In order to conserve the mountain gorillas, some funds needed to be collected from different sources including the sell of gorilla permits. Whenever you purchase a gorilla permit, you get to give the mountain gorillas another day to live.

When you hire a porter to carry your belonging during the Rwanda gorilla safari, you contribute to the campaign of the sensitizing the local community about the relevancy of having the mountain gorillas in there midst. You cannot conserve the mountain gorillas and there habitats without including the local community as humans are some of the dangers to the existence of these primates.

A portion of the annual proceed acquired from the sell of the gorilla permits is given to the local community to compensate for the times the mountain gorillas stray into there gardens.

What accommodation to book for Rwanda gorilla safari in the peak season?

Booking Rwanda accommodation for your gorilla safari is very important especially is you are destined to travel in the high season. Advance booking is required for the accommodations to use during the gorilla safari. Most of the accommodation options from all categories run out that is Luxury, Mid-range and budget. It is best to overnight within or closer to Volcanoes National Park so as to easily catch up with early morning briefing at the ORTPN.

Some of the accommodations you can book for your Rwanda gorilla safari include: Sabyinyo Silverback lodge, Mountain Gorilla view Lodge, Hotel Muhabura, Gorilla Resort, Virunga Volcanoes Lodge, Kinigi guest house.

How sure can I Be To see the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda?

Seeing Rwanda mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park is a sure deal. Although mountain gorillas live freely in the vast and forested wilderness, they can be traced during gorilla safari. During the game drives, it is a probability to spot wild animals but the mountain gorillas there are 99% chances.

Before the wild mountain gorilla family is opened to the public, it is first habituated to be in front of humans for some unknown time until proven ready for human visits. The gorilla habituation process is used to help a wild gorilla family get used to human presence without altering there nature.

Every morning a team of ranger guides patrols Volcanoes National Park to establish where the mountain gorillas may have nested and there possible day hangout spot. These clues are some of what ranger leading a tourist group use to trace the mountain gorillas. The ranger guides also follow the trail where the mountain gorilla were last seen the previous day.

The huge size of the mountain gorillas makes it challenging for them to move fast at the average weight of a fully grown mountain gorilla is about 200 kilograms while the female fully grown mountain gorilla may weigh about half this weight. This weight doesn’t allow the fast movement of the mountain gorillas. this makes it easier to trace the mountain gorillas.

Tourist are asked to also participate in locating the mountain gorillas by being observant while searching that is look out for fresh dung, traces of footprints, freshly chewed foliage and other traces. listen carefully to the sound of the mountain gorillas but put in mind that the mountain gorillas get to know about your presence before you locate them.

How long is gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda?

The gorilla trekking adventure in Volcanoes National Park may take about 2 hours to more depending on the factors prevailing in the wilderness. From the starting point of the gorilla safari, time of finding the mountain gorillas is hard to determine as sometimes it is dependent on factors like location of the mountain gorilla feeding area, in case of a fight with another mountain gorilla family, death of a family member, adventurous nature of the mountain gorillas. The pace of fellow tourists and weather conditions of the day.

Open your mind to other interest forest inhabitants like other primates like blue monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkeys, various highlands in order not to focus on finding the mountain gorillas only.

Have some patience before finding the mountain gorillas so as not to get fade up with searching for these primates.

The moment you finally find the mountain gorillas is exceptional and heart melting. You cannot stop falling in love with the mountain gorillas and there vulnerable nature. It is actually an electrifying adventure as you feel a deeper connection with the mountain gorillas.

How difficult is gorilla trekking in Rwanda?

Know that gorilla safaris happen in an area with ragged terrain resulting from volcanic action. Expect to hike while on gorilla safari because at time the mountain gorillas spend there day on the slopes  within Volcanoes National park. The topography of Volcanoes National Park is affected by five volcanoes that is mountain Gahinga, Mountain Muhavura, Mountain Bisoke, Mountain Karisimbi and Mountain Muhabura.

 When the mountain gorillas decide to move on the slopes or deep in the valley, you have to follow them. You need to bear some level of fitness to hike some of the highlands. For the protruding undergrowth, the ranger guide with a machete trims them to create way.

The ground is normally soggy and slippery especially during the wet season so carry the right safari boots and wear the right safari clothes so as to protect your body from rough surfaces in the jungle. Carry some insect repellants and first aid kits.

How safe is Rwanda for a gorilla safari?

Your safety during Rwanda safaris is guaranteed although you have to walk in the jungle in order to find the mountain gorillas. The Rwanda Development Board well trained ranger guides are in place to protect the mountain gorillas, there habitats and visitors. The work together with other Rwanda security agencies to maintain law and order in and out of Volcanoes National Park.

Before tourists are allowed to do the gorilla tour, they undergo briefing where they are given advise about the dos and donts of gorilla safari adventure in Volcanoes National Park.

Individual security during the gorilla safari in Rwanda is required so do not go into Volcanoes National park without an escorting ranger guide. Stay closer to the people you are gorilla trekking with so that you are not forgotten in the forest although the ranger guide follows the pace of the slowest trekker.

What Are The Guidelines For Gorilla Trekking In Rwanda Volcanoes National Park?

Mountain gorillas are highly susceptible to human infections so volunteer to stay behind in case you acquire some of these infections before the gorilla tour. Expect compensation when you report the matter to the Rwanda Developments Board. Some of the communicable infections like flu, cough, covid-19.

Keep your voices low during the search for the mountain gorillas because they are scared of unfamiliar voices in there vicinity.

Never dump garbage while in the jungle searching for mountain gorillas because this alters the nature environment where mountain gorillas live.

Maximum 8 people are allowed to do a gorilla trek per day per gorilla family.

When you locate the mountain gorillas, keep a distance of about 8 meters from them to prevent chances of spreading any infection to the mountain gorillas.

No using a flash camera as you may scare the mountain gorillas.

In case you wish to have a long calls as the ranger guide to dig a whole for you and cover well beyond recognition.

Only people aged 15 and over are allowed to visit the mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

Feeding the mountain gorillas is forbidden as these are wild animals that must look for there own food. Ehen you wish to eat or smoke do it in 200 meters away from the mountain gorillas.

When you locate the mountain gorillas, you have one hour with them.

Provoking or mimicking the mountain gorillas is forbidden as you may not know what you are communicating.

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