Gorilla Trekking In Rwanda

From a typical 6 meter distance away from the mountain gorillas, you will interface with a huge male mountain gorilla. This is called the Silverback due to its grey-back furred skin. The silverback is always the head of the gorilla group, though at times there may be more than one silverback in the group.

According to researchers who have done gorilla habituation, A mature silverback may weigh as much as 200kg, or even 3 times the overall weight of an average man, however, the anxiety normally disappears once you set eyes on the group. Normally the gorilla group will be scattered over a small area of thick vegetation. They will carry on with their interactions and even feed without any concern of their human visitors although they will be observing you with interest. Rarely one, normally a playful youngster, will boldly approach you with inquisitiveness, at times coming really close that you will need to move away. (You are not allowed to move less than 7 meters close to them; this is to safeguard the gorillas from contagious human diseases.)  The climate in Musanze ( 1,700m above sea level) is mostly cold. Please carry along with warm clothing.

FOr trekkers visiting Rwanda for gorilla tours, the biggest challenge is actually the cost of the gorilla permit which goes for US$1500 where Uganda’s gorilla permits only cost US$600 per permit in Uganda. nonetheless, the pride of Rwanda is in its ability for a tourist to do gorilla trekking even in a day and even fly back to your home which is not possible in Uganda.

Most people wonder what is included in the gorilla permit cost due to its expensive nature. It’s undeniable that the high cost of gorilla permits is a reason why gorilla safari packages in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are surely luxurious. Every traveler intending to trek gorillas must possess a valid gorilla permit, which allows him/her to access and interact these endangered species in their natural habitat.

Getting There: From Kigali, you need to get to Muzanze the headquarters of the park. Muzanze is a 90-minute drive from Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. You can either hire a private car or take a public taxi minibus. From there, you need to get to Kinigi, where the trip begins. On the day of you are scheduled to trek, you must present yourself for briefing at the RDB Tourism & Conservation offices situated at the prefecture offices in Kinigi at 7:00 AM.

Language: RDB Tourism & Conservation currently has English and French-speaking trained guides as well as a team of 80 trained gorilla trackers many of whom speak French or English.

Climate: The climate in Musanze is changeable and you can generally expect both sun and rainfall during the day. At 1,700m above sea level, the city is generally quite cold, particularly in the evening, so warm clothing is advised.

What to wear: Recommended clothing is long trousers and shirts when in the forest to avoid nettle stings. Steady walking shoes or hiking boots are essential. Raingear is purposely important.

What else to bring: Bring a water bottle and a small snack although eating, drinking, and smoking near the gorillas is forbidden. Don’t forget your camera!

Taking photos: Photographs are permitted, although you may not use flash.

Porters: Porters are available to help you carry your daypack for a small charge.

Fitness level: Mountain gorillas live at high altitude and this may cause difficulties for some visitors. You should walk slowly and drink plenty of water. No one should feel deterred from making this trip.

For a discerning traveler hoping to do gorilla trekking in Rwanda, you can have a few highlights of the whole experience before you pack up for your next visit to Rwanda. On a typical gorilla trekking day, you wake up as early as 4-5 am to get prepared and reach the park headquarters on time for the pre-gorilla briefing experience. Your gorilla guide will lead you together with other 7 members of the group (to make 8 members per gorilla family) to the forest and start the hike trekking for the gorillas. Though an enchanting and amazing experience, the activity may be tiring depending on your physical fitness and strength since they are called mountain gorillas because they live in the mountainous areas. The gorilla trekking adventure in Rwanda can last for about 1-6 hours depending on the movement of these mountain giants. Services of English-speaking forest guides will surely give you the amazing experience as they will be able to answer your questions and also describe to you the whole details of that gorilla family you visit.

For one to experience the best gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda, you only visit the Volcanoes National Park, which shares the largest portion of the Virunga conservation area. Statistics estimate that about 380 are currently resident in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

Rwanda gorillas are divided into 2 groups; the groups dedicated for research purposes which are strictly accessed by scientists and researchers only and the 10 habituated gorilla families that are dedicated for gorilla trekking tours within in Rwanda. At most 8 people may visit each of the gorilla groups every day and you may spend at most one hour. Among these gorilla groups are the: Ugenda, Umubano, Susa group, Karinsimbi, Sabinyo, Hirwa, Amahoro, Bwengye, Group 13 (the Agasha group) and the Kwitonda.

There are quite a number of Rwanda gorilla trekking related activities, the famous one being the Kwita Izina ceremony of naming gorillas for Rwanda safaris, it is a yearly event where various celebrities are invited to this occasion. Booking your gorilla trekking tour during this time would be a chance to participate in this event.  A number of gorilla conservationists exist in Rwanda. From The Dian Fossey Foundation to The International Gorilla Conservation Project and so much more.