Year: 2025

The gorilla trekking activity in Rwanda entails traversing through thick rainforests in search of wild mountain gorillas. The gorillas in Rwanda inhabit a section of the Virunga mountains, especially in the bamboo forests on the slopes of five of the 8 Virunga volcanoes that is to say Mikeno, Bisoke, Nyiragongo, Nyamuragira and Karisimbi. Rwanda hosts a section of the world’s only remaining endangered mountain gorillas in her Volcanoes National Park.

 Volcanoes National Park.

Seated in the heart of Africa, Volcanoes National Park protects the captivating evergreen steep slopes of the Virunga Mountain ranges. The National Park prides itself on the rich mosaic of Afro-montane ecosystems and raised landscapes that form breathtaking scenery. The park gets its name volcanoes from the many volcanoes that form the area. A visit to the park exposes the traveler to the evergreen moist rainforests, riverine vegetation, bamboo forests, swamps, heath and moorland, and most notably the primates especially the mountain gorillas.

How gorilla trekking is done and what it costs in Rwanda.

Mountain gorilla trekking activities begin early in the morning at around 7:00 AM. They are kickstarted with a briefing that is conducted by the park Rangers to help equip the visitors with information on what they are to do and what to stay away from when on the gorilla trek.  The briefing usually ends at around 8:00 AM and then visitors get accompanied to the jungle to explore and meet the gorillas. This activity may go on for six to eight hours. The duration of the trek usually depends on the location of the gorilla family and the trekking speed of the visitors.

The trek takes visitors through diverse landscapes traversing through the thick forests made up of various tree species crossing various streams and hiking mountains.

13 gorilla families in Rwanda are fully habituated and readily available on a daily to be accessed by visitors. Each family is only allowed a maximum of eight people per day. The families are; Sabyinyo, Susa, Umubano, Titus, Karisimbi, Kwitonda, Hirwa, Bwenge, Agashya, Ugyenda, Muhoza, Isimbi and Amahoro. Each of the families is composed of various individuals under the leadership of a dominant silverback who is responsible for protection and guidance at all times in the jungle.

It is important to note that visitors can only trek one gorilla family at a go. Booking Rwanda gorilla permits can be done through registered tour operators. A gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda costs $1500 per person per trek.

How to get to the park.

Accessing Volcanoes National Park is quite an easy procedure since it is only 2 hours and 30-minute drive away from Kigali International Airport.

Visitors can be transported in comfortable safari vehicles by professional tourist guides who pride themselves in the experience they’ve gathered over the years and the knowledge about the gorillas in their land that they happily share and pass on to the travelers.

The park can also be accessed through southern Uganda via the Katuna border post.

Favorable time to visit.

The most favorable time to visit Volcanoes National Park is during the dry seasons. This helps the visitor to maneuver through the thick tropical rainforests and the mountainous terrain with limited hardships since they are characterized by low rainfall and therefore less mud but steady grounds.

The dry seasons are categorized into two that is to say the short dry season from December to late February and the long dry season from early June to late September.

Why Bwindi impenetrable national park is the best place to trekk mountain gorillas

The mountain gorillas are only found in Africa and only in three countries which is in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo, the research shows there are 1000 moutain gorillas in the whole world and Uganda having half of them all, its an advantage to trekk the mountain gorilla in Bwindi due to it having the most tatol number of mountain gorillas and it has more gorilla families compares to the other country like Rwanda.

The Reason why gorilla trekking is so beautiful activity

This activity is the most authentic gargle adventure experience you can ever have typically on foot and in a group guided will hiking through the forest of Bwindi to see mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. The mountian gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable national park will take you 2-6 hours depending on how soon you will come across a troop, and each group you will trekk has its name which is named after the gorilla family you would search for while enjoying the forest of Bwindi. Gorillas trekking being a beautiful activities there are some facts about them, humans almost shares about 98% DNA with the gorillas which means they do have some behaviors like of the  humans, living in family on average of 5-10 but sometimes it can be more, having a  head of family mostly being headed by the dominant meal gorilla “known as the sliverback who holds the position for years” the sliverback establishing dominance, giving protection to each family members and lead them, the potentail of this sliverback is determine by the famales in the group which will lead them to stay in the group or live it, most times when you go for gorilla trekking, you don’t know what status you will find them, sleeping, eating, climig up the trees, adult male eats close to 75LBS. (34kgs) of vegetation a day and they spend a quarter of their day eating, the famales are pregnant for about 8.5 months just like humans, the average lifespan of a gorilla is 35-40 years but some in a proper sanctuary and cared for can live to 50 yaers

How much can gorilla permit cost to trekk gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National park.

A gorilla permit costs $700 per person in Uganda cheaper than Rwanda which is $1500 per person to trekk the moutain gorillas and this permits can only be perchase by a Ugandan registed company under tourism like Beautifulsafarisuganda

What one can do or don’t do when you come face to face with the gorillas.

Its just magical to come face to face to with the gorillas, some times the gorillas can come closer to you but don’t make loud noise, no sudden movements, no flash photography, no strong eye contact, no eating or drinking and keep 3m distance from the gorillas, gorillas being wild guaranteed for gorilla sightings probability is almost 100% but however the likelyhood of shacking is very very high as they trekk daily by park rengers. The moutain gorillas are peaceful, gentle and sociable creatures you should always admire from a distance as the silverback will protect its family group from a threat.

When is the best time to trek gorillas in Bwindi.

Bwindi Impenetrable national park is open for gorilla trekking all year long, but the best time to go are from June to August and December to February, at these times the forest trails are drier and therefore less slippery.

How to get to Bwindi impenetrable national park. from Entebbe intrenational airport there are 2 ways you can reach to trekk the moutain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable national park, from Entebbe intrenational airport to Kihihi which will take 45mins by air and 10 hours on road driving,

What to take along when going for a gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the vegetation in Bwindi Impenetrable national park is ever raining that’s to say they are some clothes which you are to take a long, you need long trousers, along sleeved shirt, sturd, waterproof hiking boots, thick socks, hardy gloves, a lightweight rain jacket or poncho, a wide-brim hat, insect repellent, water bottle, camera and more others

How to book a gorilla permit, to trekk gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park you should be having the gorilla permit which you can call as well as the ticket which will allow you to trekk the gorillas, this permit you can only get through a registered tour company under Uganda Tourism Board and you will not be given a gorilla permit if you don’t go through that process, you can use company like Beautiful Safaris Uganda to get the permit.

Uganda is a beautiful destination in east Africa a hotspot for many travelers due to its natural composition, the landlocked country is bordered by South Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and the democratic republic of Congo, it is a land of diverse environments from mountains, grasslands, hills, to lakes and rivers, there is a fusion of cultures with uniting languages that spoken by most of the residents, the official one is English substituted with Kiswahili and Luganda,  Tourism in Uganda is a boom with 10 national parks, these present so many attractions including the most angelic Flora and fauna,. The top things to do in Uganda include

Gorilla trekking, takes place in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, in 1993 the very first gorillas trekked in the Buhoma sector, gorillas are characterized by their strong fur bodies, they live amicably together with other forest creatures freely without being captivated, it takes 2-8 hours tracking gorillas depending on how far they have moved, it a gun enjoyable activity done,  the hike is strenuous nut so rewarding at the end of the day, expect to meet the primates for an hour in groups of 8 per gorilla family. Tracking Mountain gorillas requires gorilla permits $700 per person $600 for foreign residents, and 250000shilings for East African citizens.

Chimpanzee tracking is a must-do thing while on your Uganda wildlife safari, the primates live within the Kibale Forest National Park and Kyambura Gorge of Queen Elizabeth National Park, they have scientifically been proven to share up to 98% of the human DNA, and they are characterized by their social behavior, intelligence, with their loud charter sounds, it is possible to hear the primates even at a distance before meeting them, tracking primates begins at the Kanyanchu visitor center with a briefing from the Uganda wildlife game rangers, they will tell you about the forest and in groups of 6 you will be allowed to track the primates an hour is taken while taking pictures, enjoying the play and jumping around of the primates.

Game drives in the Savannah conservation areas of Uganda, take place through the well-distributed game trails in the national parks of Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Semliki National Park, and Queen Elizabeth National Park Expect to see the so-called big five of the wilderness including elephants, buffaloes, leopards, lions, waterbucks, elands, giraffes, hippos, Jackson hartebeests, warthogs, crocodiles, and many bird species there are over 1000 species of birds recorded in Uganda, most of these are found in the protected conservation areas some of which are endemics to the Albertine region, game drives are conducted using 4*4 wheel car drives in order to beat the tough terrain of the African topography.

Hikes and guided nature walks, bring you closer to Flora and Fauna, these are led by the Uganda wildlife game rangers for protection from animals, walks begin at 7:00 am and last for 2 -3 hours enjoying nature, these can be done in any of the national conservation areas while hiking and mountain climbing takes place in the Rwenzori mountains, mountain Elgon, Kidepo valley national park.