Guide to Tracking Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda: Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is a popular pastime for visitors to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. The gorillas you may see in Volcanoes National Park are mountain gorillas, which live on mountain slopes. The national park serves as a base for many Virunga mountains, which are home to mountain gorillas. Mount Muhabura, Mount Bisoke, Mount Sabinyo, Mount Karisimbi, and Mount Gahinga are among the volcanoes in the Volcanoes National Park.
Mountain gorillas share up to 99.6 percent of their DNA with humans, making this an intriguing activity to participate in. There are only about 1,063 mountain gorillas left in the world, and they can only be found in two places: Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the Virunga massif, which includes other national parks such as Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Virunga National Park, and Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. This article will teach you all you need to know about mountain gorilla hiking in Rwanda.
When organizing a mountain gorilla hike in Rwanda, you must first determine where the activity takes place, which is in the Volcanoes National Park. Trekking in the Volcanoes National Park would need you to be physically fit due to the terrain. The Volcanoes National Park is open all year and can be visited on any given day, whether it is rainy or dry. The dry season at Volcanoes National Park lasts from mid-December to early February, and then it returns from June to September.
Trekking Mountain Gorillas during the dry season is advantageous in that the terrain may not be muddy, making it easier to make your way through the forest, and guests who feel more comfortable visiting a foreign place in groups will enjoy traveling during the dry season due to the lower number of people in the park during that season. Mountain gorillas can be seen in all seasons, so there’s no need to worry about when to go.
Mountain gorilla trekking at Volcanoes National Park may be the easiest of the other sites since the slopes are softer and the forest is more open than in the deep Bwindi forest and other destinations in the Virunga Massif. Dian Fossey, a female primatologist who dedicated much of her life to the survival of mountain gorillas, is largely responsible for the success of gorilla trekking and conservation at Volcanoes National Park.
Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park features 12 habituated gorilla groups that may be viewed after you arrive, and each of these gorilla families is led by a silverback gorilla. Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park is claimed to hold 400 of the estimated 1,063 gorillas left in the world, which is more than those residing in Uganda’s Mgahinga forest, which has only one gorilla family. The gorillas have become accustomed to visitors, but keep in mind that they are still wild creatures, and you may approach close enough to photograph them at a 6 meter distance.
A gorilla family lives in both the Volcanoes and Mgahinga forests national parks and frequently migrates between the two. When compared to other gorilla trekking sites, the Bwindi Forest National Park still has the most mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas at Volcanoes National Park are also bigger in size than gorillas in Bwindi Forest. These gorillas are considerably more acquainted with those seen in the Virunga and Mgahinga forests national parks.
Mountain gorillas are prospering as a result of stakeholders’ conservation efforts, as well as your indirect contribution when you acquire a mountain gorilla permit. Mountain gorillas were thought to be extinct by the twentieth century, but they are presently doing well. Trackers will advance ahead of trekkers (including you) to ensure that the journey is not in vain, and they will advise you on which tracks to take.
Mountain gorillas are prospering as a result of stakeholders’ conservation efforts, as well as your indirect contribution when you acquire a mountain gorilla permit. Mountain gorillas were thought to be extinct by the twentieth century, but they are presently doing well. Trackers will advance ahead of trekkers (including you) to ensure that the journey is not in vain, and they will advise you on which tracks to take.
Trekking in Volcanoes National Park normally takes 2 to 4 hours before you get to spend an hour with the mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas have a powerful aroma that you will most likely detect before you see them. Observe the silverback defending his family and the female gorillas raising their newborn one before leaving the forest.
A few things to bring on your gorilla safari in Rwanda are good hiking boots that will give you good balance as you make your way through the forest to meet the mountain gorillas, long sleeved trousers, socks, and shirts to protect your skin from irritations if your skin rubs on the bushes as you move through the forest, and don’t forget your camera to capture this once in a lifetime opportunity.
Depending on one’s budget, there are a variety of lodgings to choose from while visiting Volcanoes National Park, and we can recommend a few of them. If you are on a tight budget, choose Muhabura Lodge or Fatima Hotel; if you prefer a more luxurious accommodation, consider Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge or even Da Vinci Lodge.
There are several alternatives for luxury travelers, like the Bisate lodge, the Virunga resort, the 5 Volcanoes gorilla lodge, and many others. A mountain gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda is $1,500 USD per person; contact us to book your Rwanda safari to Volcanoes National Park.
