Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Tour Adventures to Volcanoes National Park are the best Rwanda Tour experiences. These feature trekking the Misty Virunga Mountains to meet the rare and endangered mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas live in the forested mountains in East and Central Africa and can only be found in three countries on the entire planet. These are Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mountain gorillas are currently among the most sought-after wildlife species. They were listed as critically endangered by the IUCN in the 1980s when their population had drastically reduced. This was due to civil wars, high levels of poaching and habitat encroachment. All these threats still stand but the mountain gorilla population has steadily increased over the years.
Rwanda currently has a gorilla naming ceremony (Kwita Izina) which is a gorilla conservation drive. Kwita Izina’s primary aim is to monitor the growth and survival of all the newly born mountain gorillas. With this naming, it is easy to know what is happening in the lives of these primates as you can easily identify them by name. This and many more experiences make Rwanda Mountain gorilla tour adventures exceptional.
The beauty of Mountain Gorilla Tour Adventures
It is on Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Tour adventures that you get to meet one of man’s closest primate species. Gorillas have over 95% DNA similar to humans and share a lot of similarities with us.
They live in families of up to 15 individuals or more. These families have a typical family setting comprising males, females, juveniles, and infant gorillas. Each Gorilla family is led by a dominant male called Silverback who oversees its family safety and mostly determines the day’s routine. For a male gorilla to assume this responsibility it must have defeated any other male gorilla contenders in its group. These can choose to stay and be subordinates or leave to start their own families.
Female mountain Gorillas are caretakers and ensure the wellbeing of the youngness. These just like female humans have monthly menstruation cycles and their gestation period is also 9 months. They breastfeed their young ones and these can stay up to 2 or 3 years under their mothers’ care. On the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Trekking Tour adventures, you will observe and learn about some of these gorilla facts.
It is humbling to look into the eyes of mountain gorillas. This experience is often described as a once in a lifetime and often feels like looking at someone you know. When visiting Rwanda, ensure to visit the Virunga mountains and experience this on your own.
Where to go for gorilla trekking safaris
Gorilla trekking safaris are exclusive to the Virunga Mountains, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and the adjacent Sarambwe Reserve. Virunga Mountains comprise a Volcanic Mountain range along the Rwanda, Uganda, and DRC border. There are 10 of these Volcanoes with two active ones; Mount Nyiragongo and Mount Nyamuragira.
The Virunga Mountains area is gazetted into national parks on all sides of the borders. Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park is the most prominent one and has the highest Mountain gorilla population in the Virunga Mountains. It has 20 habituated gorilla families but only 10 are currently open to tourism.
Virunga National Park is located in DRC and is home to the second-highest gorilla population in the Virunga massif. The Park is however currently closed because of civil wars in the area. Virunga National Park has had a challenge of rebel attacks that have led to the death of many rangers trying to protect the gorillas and their habitats. We can only that peace is restored in this park because it is only that which can guarantee the mountain gorilla survival.
Mgahinga Gorilla Park is the last gorilla park in the Virunga Mountains. It is located in southwestern Uganda and covers Mount Gahinga, Mount Muhabura, and Mount Sabyinyo. The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the other Uganda Gorilla Trekking destination. This has a different ecosystem from the Virunga mountains and is currently one with the highest gorilla population of all the gorilla parks.
Planning your gorilla trekking safari
Planning your gorilla trekking safari is important. This is primarily because there are limited gorilla trekking permits a day. Only 8 tourists are allowed to trek to a mountain gorilla family in all the trekking destinations. This is aimed at protecting the mountain gorillas and their ecosystem.
With the high demand for Rwanda Mountain Gorilla trekking tour adventures, you are highly recommended to book your Safari months in advance. The peak tourist season months in Rwanda are very competitive as gorilla permits get fully booked a couple of months before. This peak season starts from June to September and from mid-December to February. If you plan to visit Rwanda in any of these months ensure to double check gorilla permit availability.
What to expect during a gorilla trekking safari
The Mountain gorilla trekking activity starts early morning. You are expected to be at the park headquarters by 7:00 am for a briefing about the trekking regulations. It is here where you are also allocated to a gorilla family you are to trek to and your head ranger guide.
After the briefing, you are then led to the forested mountains amidst sightings of other wildlife species. The trek takes 1 to 4 hours depending on the movement of the mountain gorillas. It is you to trek to the gorillas and keep up with their pace of the day. Some gorilla families can be got after longer hours of hiking but it is still adventurous and remarkable.
On getting to the gorillas, you can only stay in their presence for an hour keeping a distance of 7 to 10 meters. During this time you get to observe and learn more about these apes. Photography is possible but flash photography is strictly not allowed. This is to avoid irritating the gorillas as they can easily charge at you in defense.
Other wildlife encounters on gorilla trekking safaris
Rwanda offers many other wildlife encounters. These include chimpanzees in Nyungwe Forest in southwestern Rwanda. The park is home to many other primates including L’hoest monkeys, blue monkeys, Vervet monkeys, grey-checked Mangabeys, and red-tailed monkeys among others. Nyungwe is also Rwanda’s most important birding area because of its bird diversity and the number of endemics. It is therefore best for primates and birding encounters.
For savanna wildlife and journeys with the Big Five mammals, Akagera National Park got you covered. Akagera is the only savanna national park in Rwanda and thankfully has all that you would desire to see in an open savanna park. It is also diverse with various ecosystems including swamps where you can spot several bird species.
Visit Rwanda for not just gorilla trekking but also other incredible Discovery Journeys adventures. You can extend these to Kenya and Tanzania depending on the time you have and your preferences. Contact Us now for a customized safari itinerary or clarification in case you have any queries.
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