Rwanda Gorilla tours

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TREK GORILLAS

Every gorilla trekking client wants to get value for money out of the Gorilla permit fee paid for gorilla trekking safaris in either Rwanda or Uganda and the first question is allways- “When is the best time for gorilla trekking?” While gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda can be done all through the whole year, months of June, July, August, and early September December up to February are the most preferred. Since Gorilla Trekking destinations like Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a tropical rain forest and its climate is influenced by micro conditions of the area, the weather is unpredictable. During high season Rwanda gorilla permits to visit gorillas in  Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi National Park is at USD 1500 and USD600.00 per person respectively. For those who are price sensitive, should take advantage of low season gorilla permits at USD450.00 to book a Uganda gorilla trekking Permit.   Gorilla trekking difference in Rwanda and Uganda.

WHAT ARE THE GORILLA PERMIT PRICE DIFFERENCES IN UGANDA & RWANDA

A gorilla permit is obtained from Rwanda Development Board for Gorilla trekking Rwanda and  in the Uganda Wildlife Authority incase of Gorilla tours in Uganda, to allow you spend one hour with the mountain gorillas in  Volcanoes National Park Rwanda or Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. The Rwanda gorilla permit costs USD1500.00 for Non residents. The Uganda gorilla permits to visit mountain gorillas in Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga cost USD600.00 (Non residents) USD500.00 for Foreign Residents. Uganda’s discounted gorilla permits go as low as $450 in the month of April May and November.  Gorilla permit Info.

HELP ME UNDERSTAND BWINDI NATIONAL PARK

Bwindi Impenetrable National park is located in south western Uganda and is divided into four regions. Buhoma region in the North, Ruhija region in the east, Rushaga and Nkuringo in the south. Each region has given habituated gorillas families for gorilla tracking. If you are to trek gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, then you need to mind about a specific region where you are going as this will affect the Lodge to be booked, gorilla permit as well as your transport.

WHEN SHOULD I BOOK MY GORILLA PERMIT

You are advised to Book gorilla permit at least three months in advance most especially during high season. Please contact us with the date when you intend to trek and we will advise.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN A GORILLA PERMIT?

A gorilla permit allows you one hour with mountain gorillas in the different gorilla tracking destinations in Rwanda and Uganda. Included are park entry fees for the parks, National Park guides/rangers service fees, the gorilla trekking guides escort you to the forest. Gorilla Tracking in Rwanda with Gorilla Adventure tours will be an adventure of a life time.

HOW LONG IS A GORILLA TREK IN UGANDA OR RWANDA?

The Rwanda gorilla trekking tour or Uganda Gorilla trekking exercise can take over three quarters of the day depending on,  the gorilla movements, where the gorillas stayed the previous night and the mood of the gorillas. It may also depend on the people in your group since the guides/rangers move following the slowest person in the group. Gorilla Adventure tours is happy to provide all relevant advice.

WHAT IS THE AGE LIMIT FOR TREKKING GORILLAS?

The age limit for gorilla tracking as well as the Rwanda golden monkey trekking is 15 years.

The age limit for trekking chimpanzees in Rwanda is 12 years old and children 10 years and older are allowed to trek golden monkeys in Rwanda as long as they are accompanied by an adult.

WHAT SHOULD I PACK FOR GORILLA TREKKING?

To prepare  for your Rwanda gorilla tour, we advise trousers, long sleeved shirts or blouses, long socks to enable you tack in your trousers, garden gloves, a hat, sun glasses, hiking boots, insect repellents and some energy giving foods. More about packing list and gorilla trekking gear.

What is gorilla habituation experience?

Gorilla habituation experience is an activity in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where tourists are allowed to stay four hours with mountain gorillas after paying ther Rwanda Gorilla trekking fee of USD1500.00 for a gorilla habituation permit. Gorilla habituation safaris are currently taking place only in Rushaga located in southern part of Bwindi Forest.

Rwanda Gorilla tours

ABOUT RWANDA

Rwanda is a small, land locked country in eastern / central Africa of approximately 26,340 sq km. It has five prominent volcanoes and 23 lakes as well as several rivers. A large part of the country has an elevation of between 1,500 and 2,500 meters AMSL.

In prehistoric times as much as one third of Rwanda was covered with montane rainforest. Today the only large tract of forest left in Rwanda is Nyungwe in the southwestern part of the country; it covers almost 1000 square kilometers. Some areas of forest are also found in the Volcanoes National Park in the northeast, but most of the natural vegetation here is bamboo forest and open moorland.

The highlands in large parts of the country are now dominated by the terraced agriculture that gives the Rwandan countryside its beautiful and pleasant character. The eastern part of Rwanda has entirely different vegetation, the typical African bush, a mix of savannah and grassland dominated by acacia trees. Average temperatures are between 24 – 27 degrees with the hottest months from August – September.

Official languages; Kinyarwanda, French, English & Kiswahili

Local Currency; Rwanda Franc Approximately 600 Rwandan Franc = 1US Dollar (as at January 2014)

RWANDA VISA ENTRY FACILITY

All visitors / tourists (by road and air) who are not eligible for the free 90 day entry into Rwanda or able to get their visa upon arrival without prior application are required to complete an “entry facility application” on the Rwandan immigration authority’s website – www.migration.gov.rw – under the topic “Public service” click on “entry facility” and on the form that appears clients fill in the basic details like name, passport number, arrival date and port of arrival – and submit it over the web. It is advisable for clients to process this application as soon as possible to allow plenty of time for the application to be approved. It’s good for clients to print out a copy of their submission in case their copy is not at the visa counter when they arrive.

Upon re-entry in to Uganda, e.g. from Rwanda by road, a transit visa for USD15 MAY be possible, depending upon your itinerary and where you are going in Uganda & for how long BUT if not then a full new single entry visa at USD50 will be charged.

It is YOUR responsibility to ensure that your passport is valid for a minimum of six months and has several clear pages for visas prior to departure. If you are travelling on a British Passport new regulations require that your passport is valid for 12 months for entry into Uganda. It is suggested that you check your status as regards visas prior to travel with your agent or Wild Frontiers – they change on a regular basis, and some of these states embassies will INSIST you get one prior to travel, whereas they may be freely available on arrival – embassies make money out of this.

Rwanda Wildlife Tours: (National Parks and other scenic attractions in Rwanda)
Gorilla Adventure tours not only deals with Rwanda Gorilla tours but also highly experienced in Rwanda’s wildlife and we have got the most experienced and professional guides with the passion to provide interpretation of nature and culture in addition to their unlevelled hospitality and vast knowledge on Africa Wildlife tours, Bird watching safaris, Primates, chimpanzee and Cultural tours.

NyungweNational Park:

Nyungwe National Park is the largest montane forest in East or Central Africa and one of the most ancient dating back to before the last ice age; covering 1,000 square kilometers across the majestic hills of southern Rwanda. A uniquely rich centre of floral diversity, the forest has more than 200 different species of trees; over 100 species of colourful orchids and a myriad of other flowering plants including the other-worldly giant lobelia.

Nyungwe is most alluring for its primate: 13 species in all, including humankind’s closest living relative the chimpanzee, as well as the handsome L’Hoest’s monkey and hundred-strong troops of diligently acrobatic Angola colombus not forgetting over 250 species of birds. The park has 15 well-maintained trails teeming with flora and fauna and offering spectacular views of afromontane forests, mountain ridges and deep valleys.

AkageraNational Park:
This park is relatively set at low altitude on the border with Tanzania. It follows the meandering course of the Akagera River on its eastern border, one of the most remote tributaries of the Nile. Akagera is big game country but the four most unique things that you will experience in the Park and not in many other parks of Africa are;

VolcanoesNational Park:
Volcanoes National Park is the oldest national park in Africa; it was created in 1925. The Park is visually stunning with a chain of five volcanoes ranging in elevation from Mgahinga (3474 meters) to Karisimbi (4507 meters) covered with rich, green rainforest vegetation. The Volcanoes are situated in the far northwest of Rwanda and are home to the last remaining population of the rare and endangered mountain gorilla. The Park has other species of animals including forest elephants, duikers, buffaloes, porcupines, and golden monkeys. While gorilla tracking is the Park’s top attraction, we also offer other activities in the park of which include mountain climbing, nature walks, trips to the Diana Fossey tombs and gorilla graves and a visit to the rare golden monkeys.

The Rwanda Development Board, on the 6 May 2017 announced an increase in the price of Gorilla Permits from US$ 750 to US $1,500 for all visitors. A new exclusive package for tourists who wish to book an entire family of gorillas was also introduced at US$ 15,000, and will receive exclusive personalized tour guide services.

Tourists who visit other national parks (Nyungwe and Akagera) for a minimum of three days, in addition to gorilla trekking will receive a discount of 30%. Similarly, conference tourists, who stay pre or post conference dates to see gorillas will be eligible for a 15% discount.

In line with Rwanda’s high-end tourism strategy, the price increase aims to strengthen conservation efforts and contribute more to the development of communities living around the Volcanoes National Park.

Along with the new tariff, the tourism revenue sharing rate for communities adjacent to the park, will also increase from 5% to 10%, which will quadruple the absolute revenues received by communities. Over the last 12 years, more than 400 community projects have been completed including hospitals, schools, business development centers and water supply systems to facilitate access to clean water. These projects directly benefit the people living around the parks.

“Gorilla trekking is a highly unique experience.  the price of Gorilla permits was raised in order to ensure sustainability of conservation initiatives and enhance visitors’ experience. The Rwanda Government also want to make sure that the communities living near the park area receive a bigger share of tourism revenues to fund development projects and empower them economically.”

New, high-end lodges are opening in Musanze and plans are underway to improve visitors’ experience at Kinigi, including renovation of the information center to equip it with modern offices and tourism services such as conservation education, children’s learning space as well as digital facilities.

Mountain gorillas are an endangered species with only around 880 remaining in the world. Of those in in the Virunga Massif, Rwanda accounts for 62% of the gorilla population. Stringent conservation measures have significantly contributed to a rise in gorilla numbers. There are currently 20 families habituated for tourism and research in Rwanda, up from just 9 families in 2010.