The hike usually takes between 2 and 5 hours, depending on the location of the gorilla family, and a maximum of eight visitors are allowed per gorilla family. Once you reach the gorillas, you are allowed to stay for an hour to see them. The minimum age for gorilla trekking in Rwanda is 15 years. Although gorilla trekking is considered one of the most fascinating wildlife experiences, it’s not like a normal game drive or a visit to the local zoo.
Gorilla trekking involves hiking through difficult terrain, dense vegetation, bodies of water, hills and valleys. The activity can be very challenging and exhausting, leaving you exhausted and a knee aching, especially if you’re not used to running for hours.. The activity isn’t just about hiking on well-paved and predictable trails. Once has to deal with biting insects, thorns and thick forest.
Rain and altitude sickness are also a real concern in some parks.. The gorillas are strictly protected by rangers and police, and 10% of the revenue from gorilla trekking permits is used for conservation and community development, so your gorilla trek in Rwanda will directly contribute to the protection of these beautiful creatures and surrounding communities. Just over half of the world’s 1,000 remaining mountain gorillas live in the Virunga Mountains in Central Africa — a series of volcanoes that stretch for about 50 miles along the borders of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Republic of Congo. We recommend that you spend a few days in Kigali at the start or end of your trip, or head straight to Volcanoes National Park.
The park is located about 105 kilometers from Kigali and is a two-hour drive from the airport.. Conservationist Dian Fossey spent 20 years studying mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, and thanks to her work, poaching was curtailed in time to save these majestic animals. The park can be seen in the film “Gorillas in the Mist” (198), which records Dian’s work. There are currently 12 inhabited mountain gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park.
Trekking groups will be assigned a specific gorilla family for tracking and the number of people in each group is strictly limited to 8, meaning that only 96 permits are available per day (see below for more information on permits). One of the most important elements in determining which gorilla family you want to hike to is the duration and difficulty of the hike you want to take.. Your hike can take anywhere from two to nine hours, depending on the exact location of the particular gorilla family you’re tracking. Permit is required for trekking with gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.
As only 12 habitual gorilla families can be seen and only 8 people can visit each gorilla family every day, gorilla permits are strictly limited to 96 per day. For safety reasons, you must be at least 15 years old to track gorillas in Rwanda. Learn more and create your perfect trip with the help of our team of specialists on 0117 313 3300. Gorilla habituation in Bwindi allows visitors more time with the gorillas that are still in the process of getting used to..
Elderly and physically disabled people can also go gorilla trekking if they inform their tour operator in advance for better planning.. Gorilla tourism has helped bring mountain gorilla population back from extinction, but also threats to their survival that are still very real. Gorillas are easily infected by human diseases, and since they do not have the necessary immunity to fight these diseases, sick people can pose a major threat to the gorilla population. Almost everyone who comes to gorilla trekking experiences an almost mystical sense of recognition when they look into their sunken polite eyes.
Although many older travelers find gorilla trekking quite arduous, it is very unusual for them to be so intimidated to turn back. Trekking mountain gorillas are professionally organized and well developed too, making them an ecotourism adventure. When you finally find or see the mountain gorillas (come face to face with your wild cousins), you will have 1 hour to interact with them face to face, study their behavior and relate to their behavior, take pictures and record videos for your African girl star gorilla trek. In fact, gorilla trekking is a significantly more dangerous expedition compared to most primate experiences.
The second phase is more difficult to predict as it depends on the exact position of the gorillas on the day of trekking and the steepness of the terrain on the route.. On the other hand, anything could fall in your favor, and the gorilla trekking trip won’t be more than the proverbial walk in the woods. Gorilla trekking and all other activities in Volcanoes National Park start at the park’s visitor centre in the sprawling village of Kinigi, located 2,200m on the eucalyptus-strewn Virunga foot slopes (4* S 01°25.783, E 029°35.71.Watch these hyper, cherub-cheek-tiny primates swinging through the Bamboo forests are worthwhile on your gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda. Poppy is believed to be one of the gorillas that belonged to the first gorilla group that Dian Fossey did their research.
In the whole world, you can only see the mountain gorillas (gorilla Berengei Berengei) in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. Regardless of how fit you think you are, it’s not a good idea to underestimate the importance of being mentally prepared before gorilla trekking.
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