Gorilla Trekking In Volcanoes National Park

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park provides an exceptional gorilla trekking experience, enabling tourists to engage with 1 habituated mountain gorilla trekking for an hour. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park necessitates a $1,500 gorilla permit, normally reserved prior to arrival. All Rwanda Gorilla trekking safaris in Volcanoes National Park start early, traversing through challenging, muddy landscapes with guides, and are best undertaken during the dry seasons of June to September or December to February.

Gorilla trekking is the main safari experience conducted in the breathtaking Volcanoes National Park situated in the Ruhengeri District of Musanze, Rwanda. The Park features ten Gorilla Trekking Groups, allowing people from around the world to trek through the dense forest flora and encounter them at various locations inside the forest.
You traverse several paths with a park ranger, who provides information on your chosen Gorilla Trekking Family in the jungle. Upon reaching them, you spend one hour in their presence, capturing numerous photographs for remembrance.

The Practical Guide to Gorilla Trekking at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda provides a distinctive and personal experience with endangered mountain gorillas. Permits for this experience are costly but support essential conservation and community initiatives, which have aided in the slow recovery of the mountain gorilla population.

Gorilla trekking at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda offers a unique and unforgettable experience to observe endangered mountain gorillas in their native habitat. The park is famous for its significant population of habituated gorilla groups, making it a popular destination for gorilla trekking.

Situated in northeastern Rwanda near the town of Musanze, Volcanoes National Park is referred to as Parc Des Vulcan’s in French and Pariki Yigihugu yibirungu in Kinyarwanda. Volcanoes National Park, one of Africa’s oldest parks, is home to numerous endangered apes and primates, including Mountain Gorillas and golden monkeys, with various types of birds, monkeys, trees, forest hogs, bushbucks, and other distinctive species.

Gorilla trekking adventures are the most distinguished safari experience in the park and Rwanda. The park contains 30% of the total global population of mountain gorillas. Volcanoes National Park contains 12 habituated gorilla groups and offers arguably the most dependable gorilla trekking options worldwide, ensuring visitors some of the most rewarding and fulfilling gorilla trekking experiences accessible. Due to the significant prevalence of habituated groups, one is likely to encounter at least one group not just during a one-hour trek but also at greater distances, allowing enthusiastic hikers to undertake expeditions lasting from 2 to 7 hours.

Apart from Volcanoes National Park, Mountain gorillas dwell in Mgahinga and Virunga national parks in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, respectively, while the second group occupies the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

The Virunga Conservation Area, which includes Volcanoes National Park, encompasses five dormant volcanoes: Muhabura, Sabyinyo, Gahinga, Karisimbi, and Bisoke. An increasing number of individuals travel to Rwanda annually, partly due to the gorillas at Volcanoes National Park. Encountering the remaining half of the world’s critically endangered mountain gorillas during a gorilla trek constitutes a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Cost of Gorilla trekking Safari  in Volcanoes National Park.

Numerous exceptional safari lodges are located in the vicinity of Volcanoes National Park, serving as starting points for gorilla treks. The list comprises Virunga Lodge, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Bisate Lodge, Five Volcanoes Lodge, Mountain Gorillas’ Nest Lodge, Kwitonda Lodge, and Bishope House.

Volcanoes National Park features remarkable biodiversity, with bamboo forests, montane forests, wetlands, and grasslands. This habitat is ideal for the uncommon Mountain Gorilla species, as they feed, rest, sleep, and thrive within their familial hierarchies, ranging from the dominating Silverback to the infants. The Park contains five mountain volcanoes: Mount Bisoke, Gahinga, Muhabura, Sabyinyo, and Karisimbi. In addition to the Mountain Gorillas, one may also encounter many wildlife in the park, including forest elephants, duikers, bushbucks, huge forest hogs, blue monkeys, golden monkeys, Angola colobus, and numerous bird species.

What is the cost of observing the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda?

Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park can be observed with a Gorilla Trekking Permit, priced at US $1500 per person, for anyone interested in trekking and viewing the Mountain Gorillas in their native forest environment.

The Gorilla trekking permit can be acquired by contacting a Aloyo Safaris to arrange it on your behalf prior to your arrival, or you may directly reach out to the Rwanda Development Board to secure your permit.

Gorilla Trekking Experience at Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda: (D-Day)

Get up rather early today, eat a delectable breakfast, and then take your drive to the Park headquarters. When you arrive, you meet other travelers and get a hot cup of coffee for yourself. Subsequently, you receive a briefing on the guidelines about the Mountain Gorillas from a park ranger guide.

He will introduce you to the Gorillas and provide instructions on appropriate behavior in their presence. Subsequently, you will be organized into groups of eight, accompanied by a park ranger guide who will bring you into the lush forest habitat to walk the Mountain Gorillas.

Commence your journey in the Green Forest, and after a duration of 3-5 hours walking around the designated routes as per the trackers’ instructions, you will subsequently encounter them and spend an hour capturing several photographs for remembrance.

During your trek, you may employ porters to assist with your luggage for a fee ranging from US $10 to US $15.

Regulations and Guidelines for Mountain Gorilla Trekking

  • Capture images using a camera devoid of a flash feature.
  • Refrain from touching the Mountain Gorillas, even if they approach you.
  • Maintain a distance of 7 meters from the gorillas.
  • Maintain composure and silence in close proximity of the Mountain Gorillas.
  • Only one hour is permitted in the presence of the gorillas.
  • You are organized into groups of eight to trek the gorillas.
  • Avoid sneezing in nearby areas of gorillas, as they are susceptible to human diseases such as cough and influenza.