Are you guaranteed to see gorillas in Rwanda?
This is one of the frequently asked questions and searches by many travelers who wish to participate in the gorilla trekking excursion. Gorilla tracking is a highly priced activity that attracts many people’s concerns to know the guarantee of seeing the little giant apes on visiting their natural habitat. The leading governments in the three East African countries (Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC) where gorilla tracking is done take a lot of concern to conserve the homes of these endangered primates and facilitate all the conditions that enable trekkers to have confidence and guarantee to see the mountain gorilla with chances of over 99% through confidently it should be 100%.
Where to see gorillas in Rwanda.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is done in the Volcanoes National Park which is located in the northwestern province of the country in a small town called Musanze (former Ruhengeri). The park is the oldest park in Africa and is home to mountain gorillas and other primate species. The park is a popular destination for gorilla trekking experiences. The park has open savanna grasslands, thick bamboo forests, and montane vegetation.
Volcanoes National Park provides great memories for the famous primatologist Dian Fossey who instigated study and research on the conservation of mountain gorillas. Gorilla tracking in volcanoes is carried out daily including the public holidays. This is done once daily with a group of eight individuals visiting a particular gorilla family.Trekking starts with an early morning briefing at the park headquarters at Kinigi where the trekkers are taken through the dos and don’ts of the activity. After the briefing allocation in groups is done, each group is assigned to a specific gorilla family to trek to with the leadership of a trained park ranger guide. Trekking may take from 1-5 hours but on finding the gorilla family, you are allowed to stay in the presence of the gentle giant apes for only one hour observing their behavior and ways of interaction within themselves and humans. You are allowed to take flash photos for a memory of your safari but should not forget other trekking guidelines.
Why are there high chances of seeing gorillas in Volcanoes National Park – Rwanda?
After the briefing, allocation to gorilla families is usually done according to ability, health, and general physical fitness. Young and fitter trekkers are often allocated to families in distant locations, while the elderly are set to gorilla families close to the starting point.
It is therefore important to notify park officials in advance about your fitness status and health. This will help them to make for you other preparations. People with diseases like cough, flu, or diarrhoea are not allowed to trek as they can transmit the disease to the gorillas.
The elderly also have another solution to fitness when going for the trek. They can hire porters to carry them on sedan chairs to and from the gorilla family. While the rest of the trekkers are provided with walking sticks to help support them as they traverse through the thick jungles, moving along the uneven terrain and in high-altitude areas.
Trekkers are advised to come mentally prepared for the activity. They should not have worries about how long they will trek, or the type of conditions they must go through. Their focus should mainly be on a successful adventure as this raises their hopes of interacting with their human cousins.
Trekkers should not forget to come along with the necessary trekking equipment like good hiking boots, long-sleeved shirts and t-shirts, warm stockings, garden gloves, waterproof jackets, warm sweaters and jackets, hats, hair bands, sunglasses, and insect repellents. These items, together with packed snacks, water, and hiring a porter to lift their luggage along the trek will help to facilitate and ensure a successful gorilla encounter.
Trackers are important people who greatly facilitate the high chances of seeing mountain gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park. Trackers are groups of trained park rangers who wake up before sunrise and move into park jungles to locate the gorillas. They later communicate with the ranger guides using radio calls and satellite phones on which routes to follow as they are leading the trekkers. This is an assurance of seeing gorillas as you move directly to the point where they have already been spotted. Thanks to the researchers and conservationists.
What happens if you don’t see gorillas on your trekking safari in Rwanda?
As already mentioned earlier, there are less chances of not seeing mountain gorillas in Rwanda as the Rwanda Management Board (RDB) makes sure the animals are safe and protected in their natural habitat. This may happen but on a rare occasion, trekkers miss seeing gorillas due to natural effects like personal sickness, heavy rains, or the gorillas may charge and become wild which interferes with human encounters. In this situation, the Rwanda government through RDB will compensate by giving you an extra day free for gorilla trekking.
However, travelers should not use this as an excuse to remain in their accommodation and not inform the authorities because the gorilla trekking permit is valid for a single trek on that specified date.
How to book a gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda.
In order to go trekking gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, one needs to secure a gorilla permit. Travelers are advised to book their permits three months before the trekking date to avoid inconveniences as there are no last-minute permits in Rwanda.
After setting and confirming your travel dates, send an email to Active African Vacations to check for the availability of permits on the date you want to trek. We shall swiftly get back to you and send an invoice so that you make the payment of $1500 which is the cost per gorilla permit in Rwanda. After receiving the payment on our account, we shall go ahead to purchase the permit of which we shall send you a scanned copy of the permit to confirm the reservation. All gorilla permit reservations through Active Africa Vacations are free (no commission). The gorilla trekking permit is the main gate pass into Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
Cost of gorilla safari in Rwanda
The cost of a gorilla trekking safari to Volcanoes National Park is a combination of different services. It includes the cost of a gorilla permit which is $1500 for foreign non-residents, $500 for foreign residents, $200 for Rwandan citizens and other East African countries, and $500 for other Africans from the rest of Africa, and the country does not offer discounts on permits. In addition to the permit, there are other services like transport, accommodation, and guiding charges from the tour operator company. With these services and other personal expenses like tips to porters and guides and souvenirs, one is assured of a successful gorilla trekking expedition.
Best time to trek gorillas in Rwanda.
The best time to trek gorillas in Rwanda is regarded to be the dry season from June to October and December to March. This is because little or no rainfall is received, leaving the tracking trails dry and easy to hike. There’s also little forest undergrowth, creating easy views of the primates and allowing clear photography. However, the rainy season in April, May, and November offers shorter treks as the gorillas don’t move longer distances searching for food, and they are easily spotted as the vegetation(their food) is in plenty. This provides a guarantee to see gorillas in Rwanda throughout the year with over 99% chances because the activity is well organised, and the country is safe.
How to access Volcanoes Gorilla Park in Rwanda.
Volcanoes National Park is easily accessed by road from Kigali within a 2–3-hour scenic drive. As you travel to the park, expect to enjoy the breathtaking views of the rolling hills in the country. Such a drive is more enjoyable when you travel privately with your tour operator guide. Alternatively, you can travel by public means in a bus from Nyabugogo.
When using air transport, take a flight from Kigali International Airport to Musanze airstrip for 30 minutes. From there, drive to the park headquarters in less than 25 minutes.
From Uganda, you can connect to Volcanoes National Park through the Cyanika border which is just one hour from the border.
From DRC, the easiest connection to Volcanoes National Park is traveling from Virunga National Park through Goma- Gisenyi border which is a one-hour journey.
Where to stay on your gorilla safari in Rwanda.
Volcanoes National Park offers a variety of accommodations that fit all travelers with different budgets. These accommodations range from high-end, mid-range, and budget options. Most of these accommodations are in close range to the park. They include Five Volcanoes Hotel, Virunga Lodge, Sabinyo Silverback Lodge, Bisate Lodge, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge, Le Palme Hotel, Kinigi Guest House, Gorilla Hotel, Muhabura Hotel, Mountain Gorillas Nest Lodge, Faraji Motel, Gorilla Solution Lodge.
To sum up, the chances of seeing mountain gorillas are very high to an extent you can’t imagine. We can’t fully guarantee the sighting of the gorilla but with determination and proper preparedness, one is assured of a successful trek. This is so because gorillas tend to move shorter distances when searching for food which is not the case with other primates like chimpanzees and monkeys.