Travel and meet the cleanest country, Rwanda directly from its capital city Kigali into a deep village that harbors mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda. Rwanda is a neighbor to countries like Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country is located a few degrees from the equator and it covers an area of about 26,338 square kilometers of land.
Rwanda was given a slogan as a “land of thousand hills” due to the presence of mountains and hills in the west, Savannah in the south-east and very many lakes scattered all over the country. The whole country is blessed with four national parks that inhabit different wildlife, flora, beautiful flowers, bird species, reptiles, and many others. Among the national parks, there’s Akagera, Nyungwe, volcanoes plus Gishwati-Mukura national Parks.
All these protected areas harbor different attractions but mostly the Volcanoes National Park for the famous endangered mountain gorillas. Volcanoes National Park is perfectly located in the northwestern parts of Rwanda and covers an average area of 160 square kilometers of purely rain-forest.
Volcanoes national park is not only the best home for mountain gorillas but also golden monkeys. It borders the Mgahinga gorilla national park in Uganda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo which both harbour these great apes. Furthermore, this park was a camping place for primatologist – Dian Fossey who died during her research about the gorillas and she consequently was buried here. Therefore, you will not miss discovering her tomb while on your gorilla trekking experience in Volcanoes national park.
Despite the above, there are about 380 mountain gorillas found in this park living in over 10 habituated groups. Some of the groups include; Bwenge group, Hirwa, Karisimbi, Kwitonda, Susa, Sabyinyo and many more. Interestingly, each of the groups has one dominant male called a silverback.
Gorillas in Volcanoes national park can be visited any time, but what is important is through booking in advance, almost one or two months before. Even though booking is the priority, one can’t do this activity without a gorilla permit, the document which allows you to spend time with gorillas. One should be above 15 years old as the law states to keep these apes safe.
Immediately after being allocated a certain group to trek, only three hours are recommended for the trek; one to search for the gorillas, one in their presence and another descending back to the office to meet your driver guide. Most interesting they are amazing creatures, you will see how they groom each other, copulate, mothers taking care of infants, feeding habits and much more.
What to carry?
Having planned your safari to Rwanda for a gorilla experience, don’t forget to carry your binoculars, cameras to shoot photos and record videos, backpacker to keep your gadgets safe, rain gears like heavy jackets and since weather in Africa is unpredictable, sun screen, insect repellents, good hiking shoes plus energy giving snacks.
Rwanda has four climatic seasons – a long rainy season which starts from March to May, a long dry season which is from June to September, a short rain season between October & November and a short dry season from December to February.
Many visitors prefer traveling during the dry season when trails are reachable and accessible but also during rainy season can be a great chance for budget travelers since most parks offer discounts on activities and lodges.
Safaris & Tours Packages in Rwanda:
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