Gorilla Trekking Tour

• Gorilla Trekking

Tour Ref MSA 1716

Safari Highlight: Kigali City / Volcanoes National Park / Kigali City

On the day of the trek you’ll leave from your lodge early in Volcanoes National Park and your guide will drive you to the park headquarters in Kinigi village where you’ll be introduced to your gorilla trekking guide. The guides here are excellent, many having spent years tracking individual gorilla groups. They will be taking you to a specific group of habituated mountain gorillas, all of which are used to human visitors, and known well by the guides. After a briefing on safety and gorilla trekking etiquette, you’ll be driven to the start of the trail you’ll take to reach your mountain gorilla group. The duration of your trek depends on the location of the gorilla family you’re heading to, but can take from 30 minutes to several hours. Once you reach your designated group you’ll be allowed an hour, maximum, with the gorillas.

The Virunga Mountains that straddle the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are home to around 480 mountain gorillas, more than half of the world’s entire population (the rest live in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda). In Volcanoes National Park, the Rwandan part of the Virungas, 12 gorilla family groups are now habituated for gorilla safaris. A maximum of 96 gorilla tracking permits are available each day. In May 2017, the Rwandan Development Board increased the costs of the gorilla permits from US $750 to US $1,500 per person, for a one-hour encounter. The new prices aim to strengthen conservation efforts and support the development of local communities. Travelers who are also spending a minimum of two nights in Nyungwe Forest National Park or Akagera National Park during the months of November to May are entitled to a 30% discount on one permit – reducing the costs to US $1,050 per person.

There are no meals included except some drinking water. You may buy some snacks from your lodge to carry along.