gorilla trekking rwanda | gorilla trekking uganda

Devine African Safaris (Gorilla Safaris Company) offers affordable and memorable gorilla trekking Rwanda experiences and gorilla trekking Uganda safaris.

Devine African Safaris are a pioneer in conservation-oriented small and large group travel. We connect travelers, adventurers, photographers and conservationists through adventure gorilla trekking in Rwanda, Gorilla trekking in Uganda, Uganda tours, Rwanda tours.

Organizing a holiday with Devine African Safaris (Gorilla Safaris Company) starts with listening to your fantasies and what you have envisioned as the beginning stage. We at that point make a customized itinerary to make it real. 

Our staff are specialists in knowing what is possible, practical and advisable. 

When you book a  gorilla trekking tour with Devine African Safaris, you  are assured of an optional community village visit which submerges guests in the traditions and practices of the local people. The cultural walk visits take in shifts exercises, for example, cultivating, brewing local beers, administering traditional medicines and end with dancing displays by individuals from the Batwa people community. 

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Gorilla trekking in Rwanda with Devine African Safaris (Gorilla Safaris Company) is a unique opportunity to spot mountain gorillas in their natural environment which is unforgettable in a traveler’s lifetime and a life-changing experience. Mountain gorillas encounter as they do their daily lives carefully, gorilla experts and guides lead small groups of tourists in the bamboo-covered slopes where travelers spend their precious and awe-inspiring hour enjoying these gentle giant apes.

Mountain gorillas are the largest living primate in the world, gorillas are scattered across the equatorial African tropical rainforest. Speaking broadly, the gorilla species is divided into mountain gorillas and lowland gorillas.

The chained volcanic range spans Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo which harbors the endangered mountain gorilla.  Mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda is relatively accessible and safe.

At the latest record, there are over 1,000 gorillas in the wild, with approximately 604 in the Virunga ranges. The gorilla population keeps increasing yearly, all thanks go to concerted efforts between our governments, NGOs, and the communities.

Rwanda has over twelve mountain gorilla families surviving in the Volcanoes National Park, being habituated fully, and a few other gorillas habituated solely for scientific research purposes. The gorilla troops have at least one silverback tagged along with many females and youngsters.

Rwanda issues only six tracking permits per troop per day, meaning the gorilla encounter is as intimate and can be unobtrusive as possible. Rwanda only avails 96 permits each day, we highly advise you to book your trip early enough.

Gorilla trekking is a tourism activity that starts with an early morning briefing at around 7:00 am regarding the rules & registrations for trekking mountain gorillas in the relevant national park headquarter. The park rangers always know the location of each gorilla family and their way about from the headquarters. Travelers hiking personal fitness and preferences will determine gorilla family allocation and your length for trekking.

After the morning briefing, travelers walk or drive to their trekking point, and your trekking start at around 8:30 am, depending on your gorilla family located to you.

Travelers always hike for an hour at least before reaching their assigned mountain gorilla family. In some cases, trekking may take three to four hours or more hours before you find your group because these gorillas tend to move from one place to another while searching for food.

The beautiful scenery is stunning, and hiking in this tropical forest is part of the unforgettable experience. Travelers should always keep their own pace and drink a lot of water since you can easily get dehydrated, especially at high altitudes.

As travelers get close to the allocated mountain gorilla family, the park rangers will request you to leave all your bags behind so that travelers can approach the gorilla family more closely. Once you are in the presence of the gorillas, you are only allowed to spend an hour with the mountain gorillas.

Enjoy gorillas munching on bamboo, groom each other, hanging from trees, suckling their babies, play, mating, sleeping, and farting. No travelers should miss out on this unique experience.

The park ranger guides are always knowledgeable and take good care of travelers in the forest. Remember to ask the ranger any questions regarding any information about the gorillas, the forest, and other wildlife species within. They know all the gorilla families intimately including the names and personalities of each individual gorilla. Porters are always available within the team at a small fee.

Mountain gorillas live in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bwindi National Park in Uganda and the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda offer you Gorilla trekking.

You can also visit Virungas National Park in the DRC for the same.

Are you getting confused about which place offers you the best experience to see these amazing mountain gorillas? 

Compare Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi NP (Uganda) and Volcanoes NP (Rwanda) would help you choose the location on the basis of cost, safety, degree of hiking, availability and so on.

In order to go for a gorilla trekking Rwanda tour, you will have to visit Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda which is just 3 hours drive from Kigali situated in the northwest of the country.

The gorilla trekking Rwanda permit costs $1,500.00

There are around 150 gorillas that are further split into 12 groups. The roads to Volcanoes National park are in very good condition and are easily accessible to anyone.  

The vegetation in Rwanda is not so dense, and thus you can click clear photographs here with gorillas. Rwanda has recently doubled the gorilla trekking permit charges as compare to Uganda in order to implement high-end tourism scheme.  

Rwanda offers welcoming refreshments to the travelers along with cultural dance. There are resorts and hotels where you can plan your stay after long day gorilla trekking in Rwanda. 

Uganda has 400 mountain gorillas which are further split into 37 social groups and 36 of them are live in Bwindi. The Gorilla trekking Uganda permit cost for this region is $700 Us Dollars.

It will just take 4 to 5 hours to reach Bwindi from Kigali, and a maximum of 9 hours from Entebbe/ Kampala capital city. 

Uganda has more gorillas than Rwanda, thus it has the ability to fulfill gorilla trekking expectations of every individual traveler.

Whether you love short gorilla treks, or long gorilla trekking hikes, Uganda Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has everything for you.

Also, there are a variety of accommodation facilities available near or around the park for both middle and luxury class travelers.

When planning for gorilla trekking Rwanda or gorilla trekking Uganda, you have to be careful with your bag packing items.

It is not something like a picnic, it’s a trek through the forest, and narrow paths, thus you need to be prepared well to cope up with any difficult situation throughout the trek.

There are some essential packing items that you should keep in mind before leaving for the trek with Devine African Safaris.

• Gorilla trek walking stick
• Walking stick comes in handy when traveling through difficult high terrain. It will balance you on the mountains and give you confidence while negotiating the tricky footing. Also, when you walk down it will take a load off your knees.
• Hiking boots with grip
• The gorilla trekking trails could be slippery in the early mornings, especially during rain. Wearing sandals, sneakers, or some other footwear will not give comfort to your foot, instead you can become clumsy. Remember to pack waterproof High hiking boots as they will keep you dry and help you step in puddles, mud or rivers. 
• Long sleeved shirts and long trousers
• Take a lightweight breathable waterproof, long trousers with you as weather conditions can change any time. Also, keep the full sleeve shirt and long trouser with you that you can wear while trekking to avoid insect bites. 
• Don’t forget hand gloves
• Garden gloves will protect you from lower vegetation, germs, scratches and the nettles. The gloves come in handy so that you can have some leverage against branches or tree trunks, to help pull yourself forward.
• Camera and spare batteries
• Photography is an important part to memorize things later in life. Thus, pack a camera with extra batteries for ultimate photography and videos on gorilla trek.  

You need a separate gorilla trekking permit for gorilla trekking Rwanda and gorilla trekking Uganda.

Travelers above 15 years of age are eligible for the gorilla trekking permit that allows them to track mountain gorillas. 

You need to purchase this gorilla trekking permit in advance, as much as six months. 

Gorilla families in Uganda are spread over a wide geographic area, so book an accommodation that is within an hour’s drive from the gorilla trekking. 

To purchase gorilla trekking Uganda permits, visit the Uganda Wildlife Authority office or contact Devine African Safaris with your preferred dates and we can help you buy the permits.

A gorilla trekking permit in Uganda costs around $700 for a single person. 

In Rwanda  the single gorilla trekking permit allows you to trek gorillas in Rwanda.

You can either contact Devine African Safaris for gorilla trekking Rwanda permit or can get it from the RDB Tourism and Conservation Reservation Office.

Send RBD tourism an inquiry email on reservation@rwandatourism.com to know about the availability of the dates you wish visit the gorillas. If the required dates of your choice are unavailable, you can request them for the nearest available dates.

When planning to go for gorilla trekking Rwanda or gorilla trekking Uganda with Devine African Safaris, your options lay between Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

But, deciding the time of year to visit these majestic creatures can put a big impact on your experience and wallet.

Here is the guide that will help you to plant your gorilla trekking effectively.

You can plan for gorilla trekking any time of the year as the gorillas are present all year round, but sometimes rain keeps tourists away.

Therefore, the best time for gorilla trekking is depending on you. Above it depends upon permit availability which is less at the peak season of tourism.

There is more rain in November or between March and May, and this time most tourists avoid gorilla trekking.

Thus, the best time for gorilla trekking in June, July, August, September and some part of October. In these months, the possibility of high rain has reduced and it’s sunny in most of the destinations.

If you don’t have dates to visit during these months then, January and February are relatively okay.

December is one of the busiest months, as during Christmas time most Uganda’s plans to visit a national park. Thus, book the accommodation and gorilla trekking in advance to avoid disappointments. 

If you are in search of the best time for gorilla trekking and aren’t worried about pricing, the dry season is the best. The climate is fairly cool all year round due to increased topography in the country, so you aren’t likely to ever overheat. 

The unique opportunity to see gorillas in their natural habitat is unforgettable, some even say life changing. Encounters with gorillas as they go about their daily lives are carefully managed, with expert trackers and guides leading small groups of tourists up bamboo-covered slopes to spend a precious and awe-inspiring hour just a few feet away from the gentle creatures.

The largest living primate, gorillas are spread across much of the equatorial African rainforest. Broadly speaking, the species is split into lowland gorillas and mountain gorillas.

The volcanic range which spans Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to the endangered mountain gorilla. Tracking gorillas in Rwanda is safe and relatively accessible.

At the latest count, there are approximately 1,000 mountain gorillas in the wild, with 604 in the Virunga Massif. The population is slowly increasing, thanks to concerted efforts between our governments, communities and NGOs.

There are twelve gorilla families living in the Volcanoes National Park, which are fully habituated, with a few others habituated solely for scientific research. The groups, or troops, consist of at least one silverback along with several females and youngsters.

The troops are somewhat fluid in composition, but tend to stick to a preferred area. They are constantly monitored and protected by park rangers, with each group coming into contact with tourists for a strict maximum of one hour per day.

Six tracking permits are issued per troop per day, meaning the encounter is as intimate and as unobtrusive as possible. With only 96 permits available each day in Rwanda, it is highly recommended to book in advance, either through Devine African Safaris or online.

Visitors gather at the Volcanoes National Park headquarters in Kinigi at 7am, and are allocated a family group on the day according to fitness levels, as well as being briefed on protocols and rules for visiting the gorillas.

The families are known as Susa, Igisha, Karisimbi, Sabyinyo, Amahoro, Agashya, Kwitonda, Umubano, Hirwa, Bwenge, Ugyenda and Muhoza.

Hikes up to their various locations can last anything from 30 minutes to four or more hours, reaching an altitude of between 2,500m and 4,000m. Porters are available to carry backpacks and cameras, as well as to offer a helping hand along the route.

10% of the revenue from the permits is channeled towards local communities, to build schools and health centers, as well as roads. There is a compensation fund for local farmers should any gorillas damage their crops, which helps to ensure peaceful co-existence.

Gorilla tracking also provides employment for many locals, from rangers and trackers to porters, drivers and staff at tourist lodges.

For those interested in tracing the footsteps of Dian Fossey, her tomb is a 30-minute drive from the park headquarters and then two or three hours hike through the forest, to above 3,000m altitude.

The annual Kwita Izina gorilla-naming ceremony is a special time to visit the Volcanoes National Park, with guided tours leading up the main event providing an opportunity to meet park staff and conservationists, attend cultural evenings and a celebration in Musanze.

At the naming ceremony itself, there’s music, dancing, and discussion about Rwanda’s great strides in gorilla conservation, and the great challenges that remain. The 2020 ceremony will be held virtually on the Visit Rwanda YouTube Channel.

Conservation organisations currently working in Rwanda include Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, The Gorilla Organisation, International Gorilla Conservation Organisation, Gorilla Doctors and Wildlife Conservation Society.