Rwanda Gorilla Tour Adventures features Discovery Journeys and primate safari experiences in Volcanoes National Park. Rwanda is among the only three countries on the planet with mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are rare primate species of the apes family living in the forested mountains of East and Central Africa. They are limited to the Virunga Massif ecosystem and that of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and adjacent Sarambwe Reserve.
The mountain gorilla population is currently estimated at only 1100 individuals in the wild. With this, they are among the threatened wildlife species per the IUCN guidelines since they are nearly extinct. This population has only increased over the years thanks to the great conservation efforts of different stakeholders. At the moment, mountain gorillas remain among the most rare and sought-after primates. Because of this, many adventure travelers visit Rwanda for gorilla trekking tour adventures.
Below is some information you might need to know about Rwanda Gorilla Tour Adventures and guidelines.
Rwanda Gorilla Families
Mountain gorillas in Rwanda live in Volcanoes National Park which lies in the Virunga massif. The park has over 200 mountain gorillas which is the highest of all the gorilla parks in the Virunga Massif and conservation area. Volcanoes National Park currently has 24 habituated gorilla families 12 of which are open to tourism. The others are still under habituation and some are set aside for research purposes.
Mountain gorilla habituation is the process in which gorillas are accustomed to human beings’ presence. It takes a long process of monitoring and closely interacting with the gorillas for them to be fully habituated. This work is done by a team of well-knowledgeable rangers who have studied the gorillas for years.
Some of the gorilla families you can encounter on Rwanda Gorilla Tour Adventures include Sabyinyo, Hirwa, Amahoro, Titus, Susa, Kwitonda, Umubano, and Karisimbi among others. These have up to 10 or 20 individuals comprising of females, infants, juveniles, Blackbacks, and silverbacks. Each mountain gorilla family is led by a dominant male gorilla called Silverback that fights any contenders to retain its top position. You can learn about these and many more gorilla attributes on Rwanda Gorilla Tour Adventures and Discovery Journeys.
Gorilla Trekking Permits & Fees
Only 8 tourists are allowed to track a mountain gorilla family a day. This means that Rwanda has 96 gorilla permits available per day since only 12 gorilla families are fully habituated and open to tourism. The number might seem high but Rwanda gorilla permits get fully booked a couple of months in advance.
Each gorilla permit costs $1500 for International visitors, $500 for African Citizens, and $200 for East African citizens Rwandans included. Part of the money collected is reinvested in gorilla conservation. The rest is used to develop local communities around the park as well as overall government programs. When you track gorillas you therefore directly contribute to all the above and make a life-changing impact.
There is provision for gorilla filming for those who would prefer to document the rare primates. You are however required to book all gorilla permits of the family you intend to visit and pay filming fees as an add-on. This gives you exclusive access to that gorilla family and time to get the content you desire. You however do so following set guidelines.
Gorilla Trekking Guidelines
Rwanda Gorilla Tour Adventures are done following set trekking rules and regulations. This was done to protect the gorillas given their status and to also ensure the safety of the people visiting. One is required to keep a 7-meter distance away from the gorillas while in their presence. This is because gorillas charge and can easily attack you when you encroach on their territory. The restriction of only 8 people trekking to a gorilla family a day is strictly followed. It is aimed at reducing the exposure of gorillas to human behavior as they can easily adapt.
Mountain gorillas have over 95% DNA similar to humans which makes them susceptible to change with exposure. One is also not allowed to make noise while in the presence of gorillas. Flash photography is prohibited as it can irritate the gorillas. Other general regulations include avoiding dumping in the forest and straying away from the ranger guides as you can easily get lost.
All these guidelines are communicated at the briefing point ahead of the Rwanda Gorilla Tour Adventures. On the day of the gorilla trek, you are expected at the park headquarters by 7:00 am for this briefing and allocation of the gorilla family.
The Gorilla Naming Ceremony
Rwanda has a prominent gorilla naming ceremony known as Kwita Izina. It is done every year in September to name baby gorillas that would have been born within a year. Kwiti Izina is one way of monitoring the gorilla population and newborns to ensure their survival. Important to note is that Mountain gorillas are still threatened by poaching and habitat encroachment which leaves babies prone to danger.
In every Kwita Izina, an update is given about the baby gorillas that would have been named the previous year, and then new ones a named. This enables the rangers and conservation teams involved to keep fast track of all the gorillas in the park.
The dates of this year’s Kwita Izina have not yet been communicated but we are looking forward to them.
Rwanda Gorilla Discovery Journeys
We have curated several itineraries that feature Rwanda Gorilla Tour Adventures. These range from a one-day tour that starts with a 4:30 am pick-up from Kigali. This is so because one is expected at the park headquarters by 7:00 am to catch up with the briefing before going for the gorilla trek. Our 2-day gorilla tour is a bit relaxed with a provision of an overnight near the park. On this 2-day tour, you can visit the Ellen Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and have a cultural visit as well.
The 3-day gorilla tour has a 2-night stay near the park and features mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. Golden monkeys are endemic to the Virunga Massif and Volcanoes National Park is among the best places to see them. Those who desire more time with the gorillas can opt for double gorilla trekking tours. This is done following two different gorilla families and can be included in the 3 or 4-day tours.
Our 5-day Rwanda Tour features chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest. Nyungwe is home to 12 primates which is the highest of any one forested protected area. While at Nyungwe you can engage in chimpanzee trekking, a canopy walk, nature walks, and other primate treks. From there you transfer to Volcanoes National Park for your anticipated gorilla trek ending with the golden monkey adventure. The 10-day Rwanda Discovery Journeys is more extensive including a visit to Nyungwe, Akagera, and Volcanoes National Parks. Akagera is Rwanda’s only savanna park and is home to all the big five mammals and other safari animals.
You can combine Rwanda Gorilla Tour Adventures with other East African Discovery Journeys including Kenya Tours in Masai Mara. Tanzania adventures are equally rewarding. Contact Us now to get started.
English
Afrikaans
Albanian
Amharic
Arabic
Armenian
Azerbaijani
Basque
Belarusian
Bengali
Bosnian
Bulgarian
Catalan
Cebuano
Chichewa
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Corsican
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Esperanto
Estonian
Filipino
Finnish
French
Frisian
Galician
Georgian
German
Greek
Gujarati
Haitian Creole
Hausa
Hawaiian
Hebrew
Hindi
Hmong
Hungarian
Icelandic
Igbo
Indonesian
Irish
Italian
Japanese
Javanese
Kannada
Kazakh
Khmer
Korean
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Kyrgyz
Lao
Latin
Latvian
Lithuanian
Luxembourgish
Macedonian
Malagasy
Malay
Malayalam
Maltese
Maori
Marathi
Mongolian
Myanmar (Burmese)
Nepali
Norwegian
Pashto
Persian
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Romanian
Russian
Samoan
Scottish Gaelic
Serbian
Sesotho
Shona
Sindhi
Sinhala
Slovak
Slovenian
Somali
Spanish
Sudanese
Swahili
Swedish
Tajik
Tamil
Telugu
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Urdu
Uzbek
Vietnamese
Welsh
Xhosa
Yiddish
Yoruba
Zulu