Rwanda Safaris

Discover Rwanda with African Jungle Adventures

Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National park

If you are interested in seeing the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, Rwanda offers one of the perfect locations for gorilla trekking adventures in Africa. There are currently ten (10) habituated gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park and these include Susa, Ugenda, Sabyinyo, Amahoro, Group 13, Umubano, Kwitonda, Bwenjye, Karisimbi and Hirwa. A maximum of 8 persons allowed to visit each gorilla group in Rwanda. For many, seeing gorillas in the wild offers a wildlife experience of a lifetime.

Mountain gorilla trekking starts in the morning and depart from the Park Headquarters at Kinigi at around 07:45am. Before departure for gorilla tracking, you are given a briefing by park rangers about the activity, assigned a gorilla family to visit. Rwanda gorilla trekking takes place on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes and tourists should be in very good physical condition as some of the trek can be physically demanding.

Gorilla tracking in Rwanda normally start in the cultivated land on the base of the volcanoes, then you are guided up into the beautiful dense misty jungles where you will encounter these gentle giants camouflaged in the thick vegetation. Time taken searching for these Gentle Apes ranges between 2 to 6 hours depending on their movement in their natural habitat. Gorillas are sometimes far, and sometimes near. The thrill of encountering these gentle giants is worth the effort! It erases away all the poor memories you went through in searching for them. You are allowed to stay for one hour to enjoy them, take photos and videos. The minimum age for gorilla trekking in Rwanda is 15 years. The demand for gorilla permits is extremely high throughout the year. You are advised to book your gorilla permits early at USD750 each.
Below are some of our customized safaris in Rwanda;

Top Gorilla Tour packages in Rwandas

Golden Monkey Tracking

Apart from gorilla tracking, golden monkey tracking is another adventurous activity you should never miss while on your safari in Rwanda. The monkeys are playful and inquisitive and often spend their time leaping from bamboo branches or frolicking on the forest floor.
There are 2 habituated groups for Golden Monkeys in Volcanoes National Park, one group comprises of 90 – 120 Members. Like gorilla tracking, this activity also starts in the morning from Kinigi park headquarters; the number of visitors is unlimited. Permits can either be arranged in advance or booked at the park headquarters on the morning of the trek.

Hike to Dian Fossey Research camp

You can also visit Dian Fossey’s original scientific base Karisoke. The base was established by the late Dian Fossey in the saddle area between two beautiful volcanoes namely; Mt Visoke and Mt Karisimbi. The name Karisoke was derived from here. It is located at an altitude of around 3000m ASL (over 9000 ft) and was abandoned during the unrest of the 1990’s. All that remains today is the graveyard where several of Dian Fossey’s favorite gorillas were buried. Dian Fossey was also buried near the graves of her beloved gorillas.

This trek takes between 3 – 5 hours and goes through some of the most beautiful stretches of Hagenia – Hypericum forest in the Volcanoes National Park. If you are luck, you may see gorillas and other primates on your way.
Other tourism activities around Volcanoes National Park include escorted bird watching walks, mountain hiking adventures, Iby’Iwacu cultural village tour, nature walk to the Twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo, Buhanga Sacred forest, Gishwati forest, Musanze local market tour and Musanze caves exploration among others.

Primates tracking in Nyungwe national Park

This is the largest mountain forest in East and Central Africa, with the highest concentration of primate, with about 13 species. Chimpanzee tracking is the major tourist activity. Other activities include Colobus monkey tracking, forest walk to waterfalls, canopy walk adventure, community walk, tea harvesting and birding among others.

Akagera National park

This is famous for wild life viewing and boat ride on Lake Ihema. Among the animals in the park include Giraffes, Zebras, Elephants, Buffalo, Lion and many more.
While on your safari in Rwanda, you can visit different genocide memorials such as Gisozi in Kigali, Bisesero, Nyamata and Ntarama churches, Murambi technical school and many others, as well as local schools and orphanages. We also have historical and cultural museums such as Nyanza.
If you are interested in planning a safari in Rwanda, then please contact us and we would be happy to answer any questions you may have, advise you of current availability of gorilla permits and help you plan your safari.

Also see: 4 Days Tour with 2 Gorilla Treks

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