Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda
While on gorilla trekking in Rwanda, tourists constantly look at the mountain gorillas in their natural habitats with feelings of fear and excitement. They have a little fear because mountain gorillas are dangerous and strong animals that when disturbed could easily attack someone. However fear does not last long as the continuous looking in the eyes of the mountain gorillas and the young mountain gorillas playing is very exciting and offers exclusive experiences that can not be experienced anywhere on the planet.
Most of the mountain gorilla’s characteristics are very similar to human beings and yet they are wild animals. The female mountain gorillas most times pumper their young ones, while others keep playing and rolling around the bushes as the silverbacks break leaves putting in their mouth chewing loudly. The way the mountain gorillas sleep, look and scratch their body parts is all-human like and therefore seeing them do this makes you realize that truly the mountain gorillas are very close to human beings. That is always felt by most tourists and explains why each year more tourists head to the jungles to also have the mountain gorilla experiences. There is however restrictions to mountain gorilla visit because too many visitors pose a threat to the animals since they can be highly exposed to human diseases like flue. For that reason, only 8 tourists are allowed to trek a mountain gorilla family a day.
Even though you try hard to figure it out, its hard to know what is really going through the minds of these untamed animals as they look back at tourists constantly looking at them and taking their photographs.
Mountain gorillas are some of the wild animals that have gone through rough times in the past years facing a lot of challenges like poaching. This lead to a lot of deaths reducing the mountain gorilla populations to only about 900 remaining in the Virunga area; Rwanda is blessed to have half of them in Volcanoes national park. The good news is that the mountain gorilla numbers are expected to increase over the years because of a lot of conservations efforts by the Rwandan government especially through the baby gorilla naming ceremony – Kwita Iziina
Gorilla trekking permits can be bought at $750 through a tour operator or from Rwanda development offices in Kigali. The permit is inclusive of park entry plus guiding services and a certificate.
The trekking process starts very early in the morning after having locally made tea or coffee. Going through the forests take time and can range from 30 minutes to several hours. Those who seem to be physically weak are allocated to mountain gorilla families that can be accessed within few minutes. While in volcanoes national park, just be assured of viewing the mountain gorillas even though you take 3 hours before seeing them.
On encounter with the mountain gorillas, tourists are required to keep a distance of about 10 meters away from the gorillas, not making a lot of noise, not using flash photography and avoid imitating the behaviors of the gorillas especially beating the chest. The one on one encounter with the mountain gorillas takes an hour and once it elapses, tourists are directed back to the park headquarters where they are given certificates.
The one-hour seems short for tourists who travel several kilometers to Rwanda to view the mountain gorillas however it’s very exciting and unforgettable. Tourists in volcanoes National Park not only view mountain gorillas but also a number of other wildlife species like birds, other primates like monkeys and many others.
For successful gorilla trekking safaris, tourists are recommended to keep their cameras ready, wear long sleeved shirts and pants, get a walking stick and follow the guide’s instructions.
Volcanoes national park can be accessed just after a 2 hours drive from Kigali on a well-constructed tarmac road. Do not just sit there, prepare and head to Rwanda for remarkable gorilla trekking experiences.