Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park
Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park is the top tourist activity done in this park and is supported by the existence of a number of mountain gorilla species. The land of 1000 hills has a number of attractions and activities that can be carried out to make your Rwanda tour quite memorable. While in Rwanda, you can participate in activities like going on the Rwanda genocide tour, chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe national park, cultural tours in Rwanda but among the different activities in the park, the Rwanda Gorilla tours in Volcanoes National Park will ensure that you have an amazing time during your Rwanda Tour.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND THE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS IN RWANDA
Virunga Mountains
The different virunga mountains in Volcanoes national park are the homes to the different Rwanda gorilla families that can be seen during gorilla trekking in Rwanda. The different virunga mountains in the park include mount Sabyinyo, Mount Gahinga, Mount Muhabura, mount karisimbi, and Mount Bisoke. During the Virunga mountains hike in order for you to get to the different Rwanda Gorilla families but before you see the different Rwanda gorilla families you will have to hike the mountains where you can see a number of attractions and exceptional views like the twin lakes of Burera and Ruhondo which you can decide to visit the lake on your hike down Mount Muhabura.
Price of a gorilla trekking permit
In order to participate in the activity, a tourist should obtain a gorilla trekking permit at only 1500USD. A gorilla trekking permit can be got through the Rwanda Development Board or through a trusted tour company or operator. It should be noted that because gorilla trekking is a very popular tourism activity in Rwanda, there are a number of people that participate in the activity, therefore, you should book in advance in order to have the opportunity of participating in gorilla trekking in the park.
Packing list
- Hiking shoes, the Virunga Mountains in the park can be hard to hike while in the park there for having the right hiking shoes will enable you to hike the Virunga Mountains with ease in order to access the different Rwanda Gorilla Families.
- Raincoat because Volcanoes National Park’s weather is quite unpredictable because it can rain at any time, therefore, it is necessary to carry a raincoat because it can rain at any time.
- Insect repellent because the park is also a habitat to a number of insect spreading diseases like mosquitoes that can spread malaria and yellow fever
- Notebook, in order to note down the different findings of the gorillas in the park in relation to their behavior in the wild.
- Camera, in order to capture the beautiful moments during your gorilla trekking experience in the park.
- Packed lunch, this is because the activity of gorilla trekking takes approximately 6- 8 hours, therefore, you should make preparations with your tour operator to organize for you lunch to take with you during the gorilla trekking activity.
Guidelines of gorilla trekking
- Follow the lead of the guide in order for you to have an amazing and safe activity in the park.
- Avoid unnecessary movements while in the presence of the gorillas because it can trigger them as an attack which can lead them to react violently towards you.
- Avoid making noise when you are in the presence of the gorillas because they will scare them and cause them to react which can be fatal to the tourists during their activity in the park.
- Avoid taking pictures of the gorillas with a flash on because it will act as a disturbance to them and in the long run they will end up attacking you.
- You should keep a distance of 7 metres away from the gorillas because the primates are highly fragile and vulnerable which means they can easily contract diseases from humans.
- Avoid feeding the gorillas your lunch because it can spread diseases from the tourists to the gorillas.
Gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park
After knowing the guidelines of gorilla trekking and the packing list to ensure you have an amazing gorilla trekking experience, you will then be ready to participate in gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park where you will have an amazing time.
Briefing session
Before participating in gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, tourists will have to first go through a briefing session with a guide who will go through their gorilla trekking experience, what to expect the guidelines of gorilla trekking in the park. After the briefing session in the park, you will then be ready to participate in gorilla trekking.
Hike to the gorilla families
In order to access the different Rwanda Gorilla Families, you will have to hike the Virunga Mountains in the park. On the different mountains, you will get to find the different families, for example, the Karisimbi gorilla family can be found on the slopes of Mount Karisimbi, Susa gorilla family which can be found on Mount Bisoke. As tourists get closer to the gorilla families, they will hear grunts and growls of the gorillas which will be an indicator that you are close to them. When you get come in contact with the gorillas, you will have an amazing time getting to know them, there feeding patterns, how they co-exist with one another while in the park.
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