Rwanda is one of the few places where you can see the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that requires planning and preparation; here is some information to get you started.
What You Need to Know
Permits and Where to Get Them
First, you will need to get a permit for the gorilla trek, don’t plan on getting it when you arrive in Rwanda. There are a total of 96 gorilla permits for Volcanoes National Park issued each day, which is 8 permits for each of the 12 gorilla groups that can be visited, and these get snapped up quickly. Because of the limited availability of permits, try to book as far out as you can so you don’t miss out. We were lucky to obtain ours 3 months in advance, but there are no guarantees, so plan early. The minimum age to trek is 15 years old.
Option One: Through your outfitter (do some research to ensure they are a trusted outfitter). We used Africa Adventure Consultants (AAC)* to secure our permit, having used them for our Safari in 2019.
Option Two: You can contact The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) which is the governing body of tourism in Rwanda. They can be reached via email reservation@rwandatourism.com or by Phone: +252 57 65 14
How Much Does a Permit Cost
The cost is $1,500 USD per person regardless of the time of year. This includes entry into Volcanoes National Park, a ranger guide, the cost of the trackers who find the gorilla family each day, as well as the other guides and armed guards that accompany the group. (more on the armed guards later). Rwanda also uses these permit fees for conservation purposes. This permit gives you one hour with a gorilla family.
What to wear for a Gorilla Trek?
Proper Footwear
You will need waterproof, sturdy hiking boots or hiking shoes. We would not recommend running shoes; although some of your trek may include paths worn by cape buffalo and elephants, there very likely will be parts where the forest is quite dense and you’re climbing through and over vines and branches. The rangers and trackers usually wear rubber boots but hiking shoes/boots offer you the best stability and support for your ankles. Also wear good, thick socks and tuck your pants into your socks. You might think this is very unfashionable, but the gaiters will cover it and you’ll be grateful if you encounter soldier ants.
Gaiters
It is also highly recommended that you have hiking gaiters because they offer great protection for your lower legs from the many thorns and nettles you will be climbing through and over. They also protect you from insets and soldier ants. (check with your lodge/hotel before you purchase them, as some have gaiters for their guests to use)
Long Sleeved Shirts and Long Pants
If you think you are going to be in a warm climate and don’t need long sleeves or pants, think again. Long-sleeved shirts and long pants (preferably waterproof or water repellent) will protect you from the thorns, nettles and branches, and those who ignore this advice and wear shorts and t-shirts will come away with many scratches. Jeans are not recommended as if it rains, they quickly become sodden and heavy and will be very uncomfortable.
Warm Sweater
Depending on the time of year and elevation it can get quite cool in the Volcanoes National Park, so it’s recommended you pack a sweater or hoodie, just in case.
Leather, Canvas or Gardening Gloves
You should also purchase a pair of leather, canvas or gardening gloves to protect your hands from the thorns. When you first start your trek, you will wonder why you need them, but as soon as you enter the park, and begin your climb, you will quickly realize why they are a necessity.
Rain Jacket
The gorillas are in the rainforest, so rain may fall at any time. Rain jackets also can provide an extra layer of warmth as you do start the trek early in the morning and it can get cooler as you climb up the mountain.
Hat
A wide-brimmed hat protects your head and neck from the sun or rain; however some people opt to wear a baseball cap. Regardless of which type you wear, it is recommended to wear one.
Insect Repellent
You could come across different insects therefore bring insect repellent. We did our trek in early September at the end of a dry spell, so actually didn’t encounter any mosquitos or bugs, but that is rare.
Backpack
You will need a backpack to carry your water, lunch, snacks, rain jacket etc. Also, to carry out whatever waste or garbage you generate as you must carry it out of the park with you. Our lodge provided us with one each during our trek, but it’s best to check with your hotel to check what they provide.
Face Mask
Gorillas share 98% of DNA with humans and are very susceptible to many human diseases so you are required to wear a face mask when near the gorillas. Visitors with a cold or other communicable illness will not be allowed to participate in the treks.
Our Gorilla Trekking Experience
Gorilla Trekking Day or as our driver Eric called it G-Day!!, started with an early morning wake up and breakfast at 6 am. Be sure to eat a hearty breakfast as it can be a long time before you get to eat lunch. You could pack a couple of granola bars if you think you might need them, although most hotels/lodges will pack a light lunch for your trek.
We stayed at The Bishop’s House Rwanda in Musanze** and they were excellent at helping us put our gaiters on correctly and get us out the door ready for our adventure.
We were very fortunate that we had perfect weather, sunny and warm. Our driver picked us up at 6:30 and after an approximate 25-minute drive, we arrived at the Volcanoes National Park Headquarters. When you arrive at the headquarters, there is a coffee bar in a covered pavilion and bathrooms. It’s recommended you use these bathrooms as there are none once you get to the location where you start your trek. We attended a pre-hike briefing and were placed into groups, assigned our park ranger and gorilla family. You will be asked your level of fitness and while we opted for the easy to moderate hike, there was only a very short portion that was easy, even though we are both fit and walk daily.
By pure coincidence, our trek was on September 1st, coinciding with Rwanda’s Annual Gorilla Naming Ceremony, Kwita Izina. This is held in Kinigi, at the foothills of Volcanoes National Park, Musanze District. As we came closer to the Volcanoes National Park, we saw literally thousands of locals, adults and children alike, excitedly flocking to the ceremony. Kwita Izina is one of the most important celebrations in Rwanda, and 23 baby mountain gorillas born in the previous 12 months were named. The namers for 2023 included notable partners, conservationists, international and local personalities, dignitaries and friends of Rwanda.
Kwita Izina showcases Rwanda’s conservation efforts that has enabled the gorilla population to thrive and provide better trekking experiences to visitors.
The Trek Up
After being assigned our group and gorilla family, our group of 8 got back into our respective vehicles and drove for approximately 30 minutes over the rough and rocky roads, passing by villages and farmland to the edge of the forest. The local children love to watch the jeeps drive by and come out happily waving and calling out hello.
At the starting point, we met up with the trackers and armed guard. The armed guard was more for protecting us from the Cape Buffalo than humans. (The Cape Buffalo are known for their fierceness and are the most dangerous, killing an estimated 200 people each year throughout Africa. Throughout the long trek, we were right on their heels as indicated by the fresh dung, so, we were grateful for the armed guard). This is also where you meet the porters who can be hired for $10 USD although we choose to tip them $20 USD each as this is their actual job, to carry your backpacks and provide any climbing assistance should you need it. We highly recommend hiring the porters as they are locals, and this adds to their economy. There is also an understanding that one porter is assigned to a single trekker rather than a porter being expected to carry two backpacks. This is also where you are provided walking sticks, so you don’t need to worry about bringing your own.
We set off through potato fields walking up a slight incline, occasionally stopping along the way for a brief rest which gave our ranger time to provide additional information about what gorillas eat, etc. As we entered the park that is surrounded by a stone wall to discourage the animals from entering the fields, we began the climb up Mt. Bisoke. Some of the trail is clearly worn as the animals travel it regularly, however we encountered some areas where the elephants knocked over trees, blocking the trail. At these points, the trackers would use their machetes to blaze a new trail, and we slipped and slid as we made our way up steep terrain. Occasionally the jungle would open up with magnificent views of the valley below.
Our particular Gorilla family is difficult to track, so our trip one-way, took between 3 1/2 and 4 hours, and after going up the mountain, down the mountain, back up another mountain we received word from the trackers that the gorilla family was nearby.
Gorilla Sighting
Once again, slipping and sliding our way down a bamboo-covered steep slope, we could see the first gorilla as she was feeding. On that day the family was in thick vegetation on the side of the 45⁰ slope, so we couldn’t see all members at one time. We had previously watched a number of YouTube videos where they were in open areas making it easy to observe them, but this was not the case on this day. We struggled to keep our balance on the thick and slippery vegetation but were still able to observe a fair number of the family including the dominant silverback, the non-dominant blackbacks who are subordinate to the dominant male, females and young gorillas. We were allowed to get quite close to them and watched them feed, babies playing and hanging from vines and even saw a two-week old baby hanging on to mom as she gently cradled him. The ranger and trackers made grunting noises to signal to the gorillas that we meant them no harm and they seemed to be very comfortable around us.
During the trek briefing the ranger mentioned that we had to maintain a 10-meter (about 32 feet) distance between us and the gorillas. However, if a gorilla chooses to come closer that is up to them and that clearly happened with many of the gorillas coming to within 4 feet of many of us.
The Amahoro Gorilla Family
Our gorilla family was the Amahoro Family, “Amahoro” means peace in Kinyarwanda. The family is led by a silverback called “Umbumwe” which means togetherness and inhabits the slopes of Mount Bisoke but occasionally moves even higher up the mountain. Check out our gorilla trek photo gallery. Umbumwe’s unassuming character has caused him to lose some family members to other groups. The Amahoro family currently (September 2023) has seventeen members, Umbumwe, the dominant silver back, two black backs, five juvenile gorillas, five adult females and four young gorillas.
The Trek Down
After our hour with the gorillas, we descended to a lower elevation where our porters were waiting for us and took a fifteen minute break to have our lunch before making our way to where we began just outside the park. Our descent was much quicker than our ascent, so the round trip took approximately 6 hours.
Note:
*We are not associated with, nor are paid to promote AAC, we’re merely indicating who we worked with and had an excellent experience with.
**We are not associated with, nor are paid to promote The Bishops House Rwanda
