Rwanda is a small country in the East Africa region. It is now famously known for the smartest Kigali city. The immediate neighbours of this country include Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda in the same hemispheres and it is much easier to combine trips in the 3 countries. When you read the Virunga massifs’ you may think this is one continent. The Virunga massifs’ is shared by the 3 countries that is Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Encounter the gorilla trekking tours that allow you to experience close encounters with gorillas in their natural environment, high up in the Volcanoes National Park’s Virunga Mountains. If you have ever watched the many episodes of David Attenborough engaging with wild gorillas and wondered what it must be like to see these magnificent creatures up close, you are not alone! Fortunately, you can experience it for yourself on Rwanda safari.
These gorilla tours take you through the beautiful Volcanoes National Park, where 12 habituated gorilla families live and thrive. One thing is certain: once you hear the distinct vocalizations of a gorilla and experience their sheer size in comparison to yours, you will find a whole new respect for nature and hold on to that memory for a lifetime!
Seeing mountain gorillas in Rwanda’s untamed mountain jungles is an exciting adventure item finding growing popularity with travelers eying Africa for summer getaways. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, via Rwanda’s capital Kigali, bushwhacking through a seemingly boundless expanse of the thick misty jungle on the slopes of the imposing Virunga Mountains, is an experience like no other.
Here, our gorilla safari specialists give you all the necessary information you need to plan your lifetime dream journey to Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas and beyond.
Volcanoes National Park is the best place to visit during your luxury gorilla journeys to have an encounter with mountain gorillas. It is located in Musanze province and is approximately 2 hours’ drive from Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city.
The luxury Rwanda gorilla journey is due to the new development of luxury safari lodges and exclusive camps set at the slopes of the park and among them include the Singita Kwitonda Lodge and Kataza House, One & Only Gorilla’s Nest Lodge, Bisate Lodge, Wilderness Sabyinyo Lodge and the Virunga Lodge and the minimum stay at any of these luxury lodges are 2 nights and it is just a minute sending an email to us and our travel expert within few minutes will be sharing you the price cost of your request.
Though, Rwanda rebranded as a luxury gorilla safari destination in Africa, but still, we can offer mid-range gorilla trekking experience in Volcanoes National Park staying in mid-range lodges and camps and don’t hesitate to contact us for your affordable gorilla journey in Rwanda. Among the suitable lodges and camps to stay while on your affordable Rwanda safari includes the Five Volcanoes Boutique Lodge, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Gorilla Solutions Lodge, Tiloreza Eco Lodge among others.
The journey up the mountain is quite an adventure. Before hiking, you are divided into groups of 08 people with rangers and then some of the porters if you may be in need of any and allocated to a gorilla family. Volcanoes National Park has well-trained and experienced rangers who guide the trek, making navigating through the rain forest and locating the gorillas easy. The park rangers and guides will often clear the walking trails engulfed with undergrowth, making it impossible to walk.
The trek up the mountain takes about 2-4 hours and can be pretty overwhelming for a physically unfit person. Besides that, the walking trails are muddy and slippery during the dry and rainy seasons. In addition, you can opt to hire a local porter to assist in carrying your bag; the cost range is 10$-20$. Hiring a porter allows you to navigate the rugged terrain easily.
After the long walk, you will have the opportunity to see the gorilla families. You are allowed to watch the gorilla for 01-hour from a distance but there is no one-on-one interaction with the gorillas as they can unexpectedly go wild. Watching the gorillas go about their activities such as feeding, fighting and playing is spectacular.
Visitors are advised to avoid being noisy and being tolerant when watching the gorillas as it may disrupt their activities. The one-hour duration spent watching the mountain gorilla family passes by so fast that some visitors opt to take gorilla safaris – 02 treks.
No place is better suited for a jungle adventure mix of superb gorilla trekking and conservation tourism than Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. And with an insane price tag on trekking permits at $1500, expect royal treatment throughout your whole adventure experience.
More so if you are in position taking the gorilla permit of $1500 better to take a Rwanda gorilla trek in low season that starts from November to May and during this time the permit cost $1050 and to acquire this discount you have to 02/03 Rwanda parks and you will Rwanda wildlife, chimps and gorillas in the mist.
Again, if you don’t have enough time to take such long Rwanda trips and you happen to attend the some of the international conferences and seminars in Rwanda you can simply see mountain gorillas at $1275 dollars.
Gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda begin at 08:00 am, irrespective of the date or weather. Expect to spend a night at a forest lodge near the visitor centre and be up before daybreak.