Booking a Gorilla Safari at Low Price!

There are many ways of encountering Mountain Gorillas at the cheapest means possible. Mountain Gorilla safaris are done in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. National Parks hosting Mountain Gorillas include:

• Volcanoes National Park – Rwanda
• Virunga National Park – Democratic Republic of Congo
• Mgahinga Gorilla National Park – Uganda
• Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Uganda

In this article, let us asses the possible ways of going on a low priced gorilla safari in Uganda, Rwanda or DR Congo. What makes a cheap trip depends on the distance, the cost of gorilla permit, the price of accommodation, fair quotations from different tour operators among others.

Currently, Rwanda gorilla permit cost US$1500, Uganda at US$700 while DRC cost US$400 so, travelers at low budget can wisely choose Gorilla trekking in Democratic Republic of Congo to save big.

• Self-driving is another way of cutting the prices. Here, you just need to hire a car and then drive to the gorilla park. Self – drive saves driver cost.
• Book budget accommodation in case your budget is low. Budget accommodation charges pocket friendly prices compared to Mid-range and Luxury accommodation.
• Book a short trip – 1 day Gorilla tour in Rwanda, Uganda or DRC is ideal. Short trip saves the travelers from high cost of accommodation, car charges and so on.
• Travel in low season – low season results into low travelers turn up. During this period, accommodation cut off prices, tour operators offer pocket friendly prices and so on.
• Visit multiple parks – Rwanda offers discounted gorilla permits for travelers who visit more than one National Park and spend at least 2 nights in each park. While in Rwanda, target to visit Volcanoes National Park (Home of mountain Gorillas), add on a visit to Nyungwe National Park or Akagera National Park.
• Join scheduled gorilla tours – Some tour companies set scheduled gorilla trip for groups and once you confirm your slot, you are entitled to a cheap gorilla safari.
• Get other people to join – they can be relatives or friend to share transport cost and accommodation thus reducing safari costs.
• Trek Gorillas in Democratic Republic of Congo – DRC is the cheapest destination as far as gorilla trekking is concerned. Currently, the cost of Gorilla permit in DRC is US$400 compared to that of Rwanda at US$1500 and Uganda at US$700.
• Use public transport to reach the gorilla parks – public transport seems to be cheaper than customized private transport. You just need to buy a gorilla permit and then use public transport to reach the gorilla park – trek Gorillas and leave the park.

Gorilla trekking is a life time event which every one should enjoy before death however; some people argue that the cost of gorilla permit is too high.

Guide To Gorilla Trekking In Rwanda

Camouflaged among the heavily forested and misty mountains of Rwanda, are the World’s most endangered Great Apes, threatened by habitat loss and other human factors. Mountain gorillas are one of the World’s most successful conservation stories and are so far the only primate species in the world with growing numbers, and Rwanda’s blossoming tourism industry has been centered on gorillas.

Coming face to face with mountain gorillas in their natural habitat is an extraordinary opportunity and one of the most unforgettable wildlife encounters you will ever experience in a lifetime. It is undeniably beautiful but also not an easy feat with several hours of maneuvering your way through the dense, muddy, and slippery African jungles but the moment you are already there to watch baby gorillas breastfeeding or playing, juveniles hanging on trees, and silverbacks sizing up, your life will never be the same again.

Interesting and emotional are the two main words used to describe the rare encounter with mountain gorillas in their natural habitats.

Where to trek mountain gorillas in Rwanda

With more than half the World’s 1063 remaining mountain gorillas occupying the mountain slopes of Virunga Volcanoes of East and Central Africa-Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, about 35% of them are in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. This Conservation Area is situated within the north-western corner of the country and has about 12 habituated gorilla groups. The number of visitors in each gorilla group is strictly limited to 8 persons; hence only 96 gorilla permits are available each day.

The Gorilla Groups in Volcanoes National Park include Karisimbi (Susa B), Susa A, Sabyinyo, Hirwa, Kwitonda, Agashya (Group 13), Umubano, Ugenda, Amahoro, Bwenge, Titus, and Pablo.

What to expect during gorilla trekking in Rwanda

Typical gorilla trekking adventures in Rwanda begin early in the morning by assembling at Kinigi Headquarters in Volcanoes National Park by 7:00 am. This is done for registration and briefing from one of the Park rangers. Embark on the search for the allocated gorilla group, at about 8:30 am and take about 1-6 hours. Trekkers are required to return back to the Lodge by evening.

The duration and difficulty of trekking, personal interests as well as your level of physical fitness are some of the important factors in determining what gorilla group you will trek to. You don’t have to be a weight lifter or gym addict and super fit for gorilla trekking but instead, you need a reasonable level of fitness. The team of professional guides, armed rangers, and trackers will take you through the hiking trails in search of the allocated gorilla group. The forest trails can be muddy and slippery even during the drier months and sometimes humid under the forest canopy.

When you finally meet the mountain gorillas, you will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of spending up to one hour quietly observing and taking photographs in their natural habitat. Keep a few meters away from the gorillas as they go about their daily routine-interacting with one another, munching, resting, and grooming under the watchful gaze of huge silverbacks. Talk in low voices while watching the gorillas and sudden loud movements should be avoided.

Excitement is inevitable but try as much as possible to express it quietly. Maintain a 7-meter distance from the gorillas and avoid touching them under any circumstances. Much as they have been habituated to be accustomed to human presence, they are still wild animals. It is therefore important to keep in mind the guidelines issued by your guides during the briefing and while interacting with gorillas.

Rwanda Gorilla Permits

Trekking Rwanda Gorillas is strictly managed to protect the endangered Great Apes within their natural habitats as well as increasing their chances of blossoming. A permit is, therefore, a requirement for trekking gorillas within Volcanoes National Park. There are presently only 12 habituated gorilla groups open for trekking and only 8 visitors can visit each of them. This means permits are limited to only 96 each day.

These gorilla permits presently go for $1500 per person per trek (as of August 2021) and include Park entrance fees, expert trackers, armed rangers, and guides. This price doesn’t include hiring porters and tipping.

Age restrictions of Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Trekkers of Rwanda gorillas have to be at least 15 years of age because of safety reasons. This also applies to gorilla safaris in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Important things to pack for Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Enough preparation is an important factor to achieving an unforgettable gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda although overpacking is also disastrous. Our recommended packing list for gorilla trekking in Rwanda should include light and breathable safari pants, strong waterproof hiking boots, long-sleeved shirts, warm clothing (sweater) for cold mornings and nights, gardening gloves, toiletries (bite relief cream, toothbrush, sun cream, toothpaste, lip balm, deodorants, and many others), a small backpack for carrying extra clothes, jacket, camera, drinking water, binoculars, snacks, and lunch box), reusable water bottle, a wide-brimmed hat, snacks, good non-flash camera with extra batteries and lenses, Multi-purpose travel adaptor, pair of binoculars, first aid kit and insect repellant.

Best time to trek Gorillas in Rwanda

Mountain gorillas in Rwanda are trekked all year round yet the best time is usually during the dry season from June to September when the forest is less muddy and slippery much as it is also important to expect rains any time of the year.

The Months of April and May are always the wettest hence hiking trails tend to be muddy. Nonetheless, gorilla treks can still go on even during the rainy months, and treks are easier since gorillas usually climb higher up the mountains during the dry months and descend during the wet months. Wet months also offer the most beautiful backdrops and conditions for photography in Rwanda.

Places to stay when trekking Rwanda Gorillas

As far as trekking Rwanda Gorillas is concerned, we advise staying near Volcanoes National Park for easy connectivity to the Park Headquarters. Therefore, our selection for the best places to stay while trekking Rwanda Gorillas include Virunga Lodge, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Muhabura Hotel, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, One & Only Gorilla’s Nest, Kinigi Guesthouse, Bisate Lodge, Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge, and many others.

How to reach Volcanoes National Park

Flights are the main way to reach Rwanda via Kigali International Airport. On getting cleared with immigration at the Airport, you will be met by a representative of the Tour and Travel Company your gorilla safari was booked with. In this case, our professional safari driver will meet and drive to your place of stay. We advise that you spend a night/s within the City on the first day of your trip but if you arrive earlier, you can make your way straight to Volcanoes National Park. This amazing safari destination is only 65 miles from the Capital City and about 2-3 hours’ drive from the Airport.

Rent a Car with Rooftop Tent in Rwanda

Rwanda is one of the best destinations in Africa offering ultimate big five game experience, mountain gorilla encounter and other primate safaris. It is perfectly explored while on a self-drive or driver guided safaris using car rental Rwanda. Rental cars in Rwanda are available at affordable rates and they can be rented in most locations in and around Kigali capital city.

Self-drive tours in Rwanda provide the most flexible road trip experience compared to other safaris. A visitor becomes in charge of his or her road trip. With wide range of self-drive rental cars, a visit to Rwanda for a self-drive tour never leaves you disappointed.

Toyota Rav4 SUV

If you are in need of a cheap Suv to rent in Rwanda on a short or long-term hire then booking our 4×4 Toyota Rav4 should be a must-do. The features that come with Rav4 Suv range from FM radio, air conditioner, powerful steering, 3-5 doors with capacity range of 2-4pax. This Suv rental is compact in size and ideal for self-drive tours, city tours, conference/business trips, camping and others.

Landcruiser

We have a range of Toyota Landcruiser rentals each offering ultimate Rwanda road trip experience to holidaymakers. You can book Toyota Landcruiser TX, Landcruiser TZ, Landcruiser VX each fitted with FM radio, MPS/CD player, adequate space, powerful engine and visitors can enjoy unlimited mileage.

Mini Van rental

Book Mini Van hire and you won’t return home disappointed. This is perfect for a little large group since it carries up to 7-14pax and best if you are headed for long-term projects.

Landcruiser V8 rooftop tent

Enjoy the best of Rwanda self-drive in a comfortable Toyota Landcruiser V8 rental. This is fitted with camping gear, 5 seater, air conditioner, diesel engine and you stand a great chance to enjoy unlimited mileage.  You can also opt for Landcruiser with double rooftop tent suitable for all your camping or self-drive trips.

10 Birding Tips for Beginners

Would you like to go bird watching? Here are some tips for beginners:

1. Come out Early: The “early bird” catches the greater amount of birds in their natural habitat. If you are really keen on sighting and observing the maximum number of birds that Africa has to offer, you should ideally start early in the morning, that’s when they are the busiest.

2. No dazzling clothes: You don’t want to give away your location and you certainly don’t want to distract the birds that you are going to observe. Brightly colored apparels are easily noticeable when amidst bushes and remember, birds have a finer eyesight than humans…this means they can spot you very easily, especially if you are lit like a halogen bulb in the middle of the runway at night.

3. Shush: Don’t make a noise or you will scare away the poor birds. No loud chatter when you are watching birds…if you have to communicate with the others, make sure you speak in muted volumes.

4. Stick to the trail: Your guide will help you get situated at the right spots where you can observe birds without worrying them by getting too close. If you stray from the trail and the group, chances are that you will have poorer luck than them in finding some particular and more exotic birds….

5. Grab a good field guide: Make sure you can tell your Grebe from petrels…you can manage that only once you familiarize yourself with the birds of Africa, and studying a good field guide beforehand is a genius move.

6. Take notes and make sketches: Even before you brush up your skills with the field guide, make sure to keep an eye on details, crest, beak, coloring, markings…these will help not only to tally and compare notes with the rest of the gang, but also enhance your skills as a birdwatcher.

7. Focus: If you don’t focus while you are observing the birds, there are chances that while you look down into your journal for notes, the bird has given you the miss and flown away…

8. Use telescopes for long range: This is especially for the high profile birdwatchers, and for birds that are very cautious and refuse to come anywhere within a mile of human territories.

9. Learn up the different bird calls: This way, even if you can’t see the bird, you can identify it by way of its call and spot it sooner or later if you can just identify the source of the call.

10. Get a good binocular: The most important factor. You need a good pair of binoculars so that you can make the best of the bird watching opportunities.

It naturally follows that you need to know about binoculars so that you can make a correct and favorable choice…

Rwanda Gorilla Trekking: Tips for An Unforgettable Experience

Just like putting yummy food in the mouth, gorilla tracking is one of the safari activities that is not isolated or missed by tourists when they are having a safari of their lifetime as this activity can’t be missed in menu of the various activities they want to explore which will bring you closer to related human beings. Some of the Gorillas families that are tracked include the following: Susa made up of 41 gorillas, Sabyingo, Amahoro etc. Just like in other countries like Uganda, where gorilla tracking is done in Bwindi impenetrable national park and in DRC, it is done in Virunga national park. For Rwanda, it is done in volcanoes national park which is located in the northwest of Rwanda considered to be the only national park where gorilla trekking can be done. Primate tracking  in Rwanda is done by various touring companies as the packages for this tracking ranges from 2 day gorilla trekking Rwanda to 12 day trekking Rwanda  which gives a wide variety of Gorilla groups to be trekked.

More so, to even start trekking these so called primates in volcanoes national park, a tourism permit must be issued by the body concerned with tourism called Rwanda tourism board. This gives license to the tourists of which type of gorillas to be trekked at that moment. Permits for Rwanda Gorilla Trekking goes for around US$750 per day of which some bid of the money goes to the communities around the national park for development and well being of people around it. A primate tracking is most suitable in the dry months of June to September and also December, January and February making this activity easier than ever before as you will see below.

Although Gorilla tracking in volcanoes national park  starts from 20 minutes to three quarters of the day in the evening, their some requirements that are needed to do this activity as tourists will go through a couple of challenges like rain, muddy soil, insects e.g. aunts which needs some bid of wearing strong shoes etc. These are some of the requirements needed to trek this amazing Gorillas are as follows.

Tip number one is dressing according to the Safari activity. Wear shirts made of synthetic material which tend to dry faster. This is due to the fact that in most cases, this activity may be done in the rainy season which needs some bid of drying faster to make the tourist more comfortable. Their after you are advised at the bottom to wear long pants made of synthetic material which also tends to dry faster than  other type of clothes making the Safari more sweet and affordable to do . The other clothes like short jeans will make the activity more difficult to do as they will make the tourist uncomfortable and unable to walk properly.

Wear proper foot wear(boots) that is reaches above the ankle, this is because while moving though this good scenery of tropical forests, there will be thorns, sticky plants that may endanger the lives of the tourists most especially the legs.  This will help you to move though the muddy soils, dangerous insects like the aunts that are of a danger to the lives of the human beings. On top of that, wear gators over those boots so that you can cover the remaining space which might be used to enter other staff like water making the tourist unreliable to do. On top of that wear high rubber willies with treads on the boots.

Pack enough food and water before you come for this activity as it mostly takes you a long period of time from morning to the evening hours during the dry months of June to September. This may be in form of snacks, a bottle of water most especially a liter is enough for the all day and it is advisable  for one to bring these items along with him or herself  after all some companies do provide some food to the tourists before proceeding to national park. When you have reached the park in side, you are not allowed to give any food to these gorillas which might endanger the life span of these primates.

Speak about your trekking preferences meaning that you as the tourist will have to communicate to specific company you had booked with to inform them about your fitness level and other diseases you may be facing  plus also what type of Gorilla you might want to see first. This enables the guide to assign you to a group that is in with your range which you can afford to do as some of tracking groups may even track within or  just outside the national park.

Making sure that video camera is working in good conditions and already for use. The first thing is to put in mind is that light from camera shouldn’t be there as long as it does not disturb the movements of the so called primates. These photographs which are made tend to be of a dark exposure because of the so many trees that are situated in the park more so a camera should be kept in a water proof bag so that water does not disturb its settings

Go for Gorilla tracking activity in a dry season is other tip for gorilla tracking meaning that the best months for Gorilla tracking are from June to September and also from December, January and February as these months tend to be dry because in the dry periods, movements of people within the park is much easier than ever before plus also cars are able to move in those roads drive safely. And that is why tourists are advised to come in the dry months although; they can also come in any period of the year. The wet months include the following march, April, May etc.

Practice Gorilla etiquette meaning that you should start and learn to respect the environment of these primates such as their behavior and knowing that you a visitor to them. Don’t be afraid to these primates as they are close friendly to the human beings. More so if they approach you, don’t just run for hide out as they think that you have stolen something from them which marks in the end of the tips for gorilla treks in Rwanda.