Reasons to trek gorillas in Rwanda
Why you should go gorilla trekking in Rwanda: Gorilla trekking is the most famous thing to do in Rwanda, and a lot of people come to do it. You walk through the warm jungle in search of mountain gorillas, and once you find them, you spend an hour with them in their natural environment. The best place to go gorilla climbing in Rwanda is in Volcanoes National Park, which is in the northwest. Golden monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and black and white colobus monkeys live in Volcanoes National Park. So do over 200 kinds of birds and animals like forest elephants, buffaloes, duikers, and bush pigs. In Uganda, you can go gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, you can go gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park and Kahuzi Biega National Park.
Trekking with gorillas in Rwanda
Early in the morning, around 8:00 a.m., gorilla climbing in Volcanoes National Park starts with a meeting at the park offices to go over the rules, regulations, and standards. After the lecture, you will be split into eight-person groups. Each group will be given a familiar gorilla family to walk with and an experienced park guide who knows the gorilla trails well. There are mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. It takes about 2 to 6 hours to trek them, depending on where they are. This is because the gorillas like to move around looking for food. Wildlife you might see while trekking includes other primate species, mammals, birds, and more. Once you find the mountain gorillas, you will have an hour to spend with them in their natural habitat. This gives you a chance to learn more about their habits and behaviors, as well as to take pictures and videos to show your family back home.
How much it costs to go on a gorilla trek in Rwanda
Volcanoes National Park charges 1,500 USD per person from any country for a gorilla hiking pass. There are also reduced gorilla hiking passes available in Volcanoes National Park until December 31, 2023. People who live outside of Africa, people who live in Africa, people who are from Africa, people who are from East Africa, and people who are not from East Africa can all get special gorilla climbing passes for 500 USD each. One month before the trip date, the special passes need to be bought. It will cost $1,500 USD to buy the pass less than one month before the hike.
Why you should go gorilla trekking in Rwanda
For many reasons, Volcanoes National Park is one of the best places to go gorilla climbing in Rwanda. For example, it’s easy to get to from Kigali; it takes about three hours to drive from Kigali International Airport to Volcanoes National Park.
Volcanoes National Park also has easy gorilla treks in Africa compared to other places to go on a gorilla journey.
Going on a hike with golden monkeys
The rare golden monkeys live in Volcanoes National Park, where you can see them on your tour. Volcanoes National Park’s golden monkey hiking is a fun and busy thing to do. The day starts early in the morning at the park offices with a lesson on the rules and regulations to follow. After the briefing, people will start hiking through the forest, following trails made of dead bamboo shoots and leaves. Once the golden monkeys are found, you will have an hour to spend with them in their natural habitat, where you can watch them eat, play, and jump up in trees while taking pictures and videos.
Going up mountains
During your gorilla walking trip in Rwanda, you can also do some fun things like mountain climbing. Five of the eight Virunga volcanoes can be hiked in Volcanoes National Park. These are Mount Bisoke, which is 3,700 meters above sea level, Mount Karisimbi, which is 4,507 meters above sea level, Mount Muhavura, which is 4,127 meters above sea level, Mount Sabyinyo, which is 3,674 meters high, and Mount Gahinga, which is 3,474 meters high.
Seeing birds
Over 200 kinds of birds live in Volcanoes National Park. This makes it one of the best places in Rwanda to go birdwatching. The park is home to Albertine native birds, forest birds, migrating birds, and more. You can go bird watching in Volcanoes National Park early in the morning or late at night with an experienced park guide. The guide will help you see many types of birds, such as the African Green Broadbill, the Ruwenzori Batis, the Palm Nut Vulture, the Archers Robin Chat, the Ruwenzori Turaco, the Crested Barbet, the Lesser Honey Guide, the Grauer’s Swamp Warbler, the Baglafecht Weaver, the Common Stonechat, the Brown Woodland Warbler, the Black-crowned Waxbill, the Dusky Crimsonwing, and the Handsome Francolin.
Why you should go gorilla trekking in Rwanda
Baglafecht Weaver Iby’iwacu tour of culture
Volcanoes National Park also has the exciting iby’iwacu cultural experience. In this experience, you can meet people from nearby communities and learn about their culture and way of life. You can also visit their traditional homes, dance with them, and buy crafts made by them, among other things.
You can do other things in Rwanda besides gorilla trekking. For example, you can hike to the grave of Dian Fossey, visit the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, see the twin lakes, go on a tour of Kigali that includes the Kimironko market and the Kigali genocide memorial center, and more.
When in Rwanda is the best time to go on a gorilla hiking safari?
Volcanoes National Park lets you go gorilla trekking all year, but the best time is during the dry season, which is from June to September and December to February. This is because the park gets less rain during these months, so the gorilla trekking trails will be dry and easy to use. This is in contrast to the rainy season, when the trails are muddy and slippery, making gorilla trekking harder.
Where to stay during your hike to see gorillas
During your gorilla trekking safari, you can stay at a variety of places, ranging from cheap to high-end. These include the Tiloreza Volcanoes Ecolodge, the Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, the Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, the Bisate Lodge, the Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, the Singita Kwitonda Lodge, the Hotel Muhabura, the Kinigi Guest House, the Sambora Kinigi Lodge, the Eagle View Lodge, the Gorillas Nest Lodge, the Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge, the Amakoro Songa Lodge, the Virunga Lodge, the Mountain Gorillas Nest Lodge, and the Virunga Inn Resort and Spa.
What to bring on a Rwandan gorilla hiking trip
There are many things you should bring with you when you go gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park. These include bug spray, long-sleeved shirts and pants, hiking shoes, garden gloves, a waterproof rain jacket or poncho, long cotton socks, a warm sweater, a camera and extra batteries, energy snacks and water, a walking stick, a backpack, face masks, and so on.
