Gorilla trekking in Rwanda

I’ve been lucky enough to go gorilla trekking in Rwanda several times over the 15 years that I’ve been living in East Africa.

My time here working as a conservationist, journalist and travel writer has given me unique access to local communities, conservation organisations, primate researchers, rangers, and the magnificent apes that they’re all working to protect.

One of the advantages of choosing Rwanda for your gorilla trek is that everyone starts at Volcanoes National Park HQ in Kinigi, which is just two hours’ drive from the capital, Kigali. This makes the morning logistics much simpler than in neighbouring Uganda, which has numerous starting points. In Rwanda, most lodges are within 15 to 30 minutes’ drive from the park entrance.

Here are a few of Rwanda’s most popular gorilla trekking lodges, plus some hidden gems you might not see elsewhere.

This is a straightforward country to visit, and Rwanda’s gorilla trekking industry is well organised and highly professional. That said there are a few things about gorilla trekking here that you might not know.

It’s a big day with an early start and potentially hours of hiking, so make sure of an early night the day before. I was so excited on the eve of my first gorilla trek that I barely slept a wink. (My bleary-eyed selfie is testament to that!)

Your lodge or tour operator will organise a transfer to the park headquarters for registration and a briefing between 7:30-7:30am. You’ll get an important reminder of the regulations and safety guidelines and your group will be assigned to visit a specific gorilla family.

You’ll usually trek for at least an hour before you reach your gorilla family. In some cases, it may take three or more hours before you find your group.

The scenery is stunningly beautiful, and the hike is all part of the experience. Be sure to keep your own pace and drink twice as much water as you think you’ll need. I find it surprisingly easy to get dehydrated.

As you come within range of your gorilla family, the rangers will ask you to leave your bags so you can approach the group more closely. Once you make contact, you’ll spend an hour with the gorillas. They may be hanging from trees, grooming, suckling their babies, playing, sleeping, farting or mating. Your hour with the gorillas may be calm or it may be full of drama! One thing is for sure, the hour will fly by. My biggest tip is to just enjoy being in their presence: don’t spend the whole time watching them through your camera screen.

If the gorillas are on the move, you’ll be able to move with them, keeping the required minimum distance of ten metres at all times. They may ignore you or show some interest and approach you. This is normal, exciting and – because of their size – a little scary too! It’s all part of the fun.

If the gorillas do approach, the rangers will reassure you and ask you to calmly step back. The rangers are highly knowledgeable; they will show you how to vocalise like a gorilla, and help you notice their behaviour and traits. I find talking to the guides an integral part of the experience. They know each gorilla family and their personalities intimately, tap into their wealth of knowledge about the gorillas, the forest and conservation issues.

Depending on where you are, you’ll find the gorillas in very different settings: I first saw them in dense dark forest; I’ve watched them in an open clearing, with clear views and plenty of sunlight; I’ve seen them balance precariously in the bamboo above my head! Keep lighting conditions in mind when planning your photos as flash photography is strictly prohibited.

The altitude, the dark forest, the rain and mud can make gorilla trekking hard work, but it’s always worth the effort.

The gorilla family that you’re assigned to visit is determined by your group’s trekking ability and preferences.

The park authorities closely monitor the whereabouts of each family and they have a good idea of their distance from headquarters. Some families are within an hour of easy hiking, others could be four or more hours away from HQ. The authorities will assign you to a gorilla family that is suited to your preferences and personal fitness.

So, if you have any preferences for a shorter (or longer) trek, I urge you to speak up at the morning briefing and you’ll be assigned to track the most appropriate gorilla family.

If you’re travelling with a big group this could mean splitting up – younger or fitter members trekking to a more distant family, and older or less mobile members visiting a more accessible family. It’s up to you, and the rangers will try to accommodate your preferences.

At the morning briefing you’ll have the option of hiring a porter for the day. The going rate for a porter is around USD $20 (plus optional tip), and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Their help is absolutely invaluable. I really appreciate having my hands free to take photos or grab hold of a branch as I’m climbing a slope. Porters are more than happy to carry extra water (so there is no excuse for getting dehydrated). If it gets muddy, you have a strong pair of hands to help you scramble up the hillside.

It’s also a fun way to interact with the locals, and it provides useful income in a community that has little access to cash jobs. Portering makes a valuable contribution to local livelihoods, and therefore directly supports gorilla conservation through tourism. In these areas, most people are subsistence farmers; having an opportunity to earn some extra cash is extremely well received.

If you’re unsure of your physical ability, it’s also possible to hire an unglamorous-sounding “stretcher” which is carried by a group of porters. The use of a stretcher costs around USD $100 plus tips.

You are required to have a permit to track gorillas in Rwanda, and permits currently cost USD $1,500 per person.

It’s a lot of money and is significantly more expensive than [gorilla tracking permits in Uganda] or the DRC. Rwanda positions itself as a high-end, responsible tourism destination, and the price is set to reflect that.

Rwanda gorilla trekking permits can be purchased directly from the Rwanda Development Board website or via a registered tour operator.

Permits are limited and their numbers are determined by the number of habituated gorilla families: Volcanoes National Park has 12 habituated gorilla families, there’s a maximum of eight visitors per family (not including guides and porters), which means a maximum availability of 96 permits per day.

Despite their high cost, permits do sell out during the peak summer and Christmas seasons, so I strongly advise booking well ahead. In fact, it’s common for people to book a year or even two in advance.

Advance booking is definitely recommended for peak times of year or larger groups, but if you are travelling during rainy seasons (approximately April and November) you might be able to fly into the country and buy your permit when you get there. There aren’t any last-minute discounts, so I wouldn’t risk it.

Permits are not transferable or refundable, except in exceptional circumstances. If you are ill on the day of your permit, particularly if you have a contagious disease such as COVID or flu, you may be able to postpone your trek if you or your tour operator contacts the authorities, but this can’t be guaranteed.

In my 15 years of trekking with gorillas, I’ve only once heard of a group not encountering their gorilla family, and they were given a complimentary permit to track again the next day. Since then, monitoring (assisted by GPS) has become more thorough so you can safely assume that you’ll see the gorillas, although it’s not officially guaranteed.

A final comment on the permit system: with zero tolerance of corruption in Rwanda, you can be sure that your permit fee benefits the gorillas directly. The country has made huge strides in restoring and protecting key habitats – both in Volcanoes National Park and in other areas such as Akagera, Nyungwe Forest and the country’s newest national park, Gishwati-Mukura. Overall I think this is a tourism success story that deserves to be celebrated.

There are two ways to organise a gorilla trek in Rwanda: independently or via a tour operator.

Unlike in Uganda, in Rwanda it’s possible for travellers to purchase a gorilla trekking permit directly from the Rwanda Development Board. You can then find and book your own accommodation. Most lodges and hotels are happy to take direct bookings, and they may also be able to organise your transfers to/from the airport and to the park entrance on the morning of your trek. Depending on how intrepid you’re feeling you can rent a car in Kigali to get yourself around, or even travel on public transport (factor in likely delays to your itinerary).

If you do decide to travel independently, arrive at VNP a day early because if you’re late, that’s it: you’ll miss your permit and you won’t get your money back.

Because permits are limited and non-transferable, if you’ve got your heart set on a particular lodge, it’s prudent to check availability first, then book your permit, and then confirm your accommodation booking.

Alternatively, you can book the entire thing through a tour operator. They will arrange your gorilla tracking permit, book your accommodation and organise all the necessary logistics.

My advice is to book with a tour operator. Rwanda is an easy place to travel around but things can go wrong, and their support can be invaluable.

There are many Rwanda-based operators as well as international travel companies, often with stark price differences between the two. International travel companies often subcontract local operators to run their ground operations, so you may wonder why you’re paying a premium to a middleman. Generally speaking, international operators can offer an extra edge on pre-trip communication, more hand-holding, and stronger financial protection.

On the other hand, a good local tour operator will have a stronger grounding in the local community and customs, might use smaller, independent accommodations or homestays, and can generally get you out of the international tourism bubble. And the biggest factor for me: much more of your money will stay in the local economy, instead of being syphoned off abroad.

My advice as a 15-year resident of East Africa: embrace the local connection, don’t rely on the highly curated experience of an international company. Dance with the locals, make banana beer, get your hands dirty and do a bit of digging in the fields. Get out of your comfort zone and find out what life’s really like in Rwanda. I guarantee you will have a more memorable trip as a result.

If you do book with a local tour operator, always check independent reviews and ensure they’re registered with the Rwanda Tours and Travel Association. Pay by credit card for financial protection, and always make sure you’re covered with travel insurance from time of booking.

Rwanda pitches itself as the high-end gorilla trekking destination and this is reflected in the higher price of the permit and the bigger range of high-end accommodation. Rwanda has some sensational luxury properties and, in my experience, a fair number of overpriced mid-range ones, so do your homework.

Typical accommodation costs in Rwanda:

Budget : $20 - $50 per person per night based on two sharing

Mid-range: $80 - $250 per person per night based on two sharing

Luxury: $300-$3,000 per person per night based on two sharing

Rwanda’s gorilla trekking region is only two hours’ drive from Kigali. In theory this means you can save on transport and accommodation by doing a shorter trip then you can in Uganda.

A two-day gorilla itinerary – the most popular option – starts from £1,900. A three-day luxury gorilla safari may cost $2,000 to $5,000 per person. Tours include one gorilla tracking permit, private transport, English-speaking guide, accommodation and meals.

It’s even possible to do a one-day gorilla tour in Rwanda from around $1,700 per person, but please don’t do that. My advice is to slow right down: don’t rush in and out just to track the gorillas – you’ll be doing yourself and your hosts a great disservice. Rwanda wants to nurture responsible tourists; we undermine those efforts by reducing the entire country to ‘just’ gorilla trekking.

In my experience, the best conditions for gorilla trekking in Rwanda are during the two dry seasons which run from June-September, and December-February. (Note that climate change is disrupting the timing of these seasons.) The advantages to tracking in dry season are less muddy paths, easier hiking and clearer views. The disadvantage is that these are the peak gorilla trekking seasons, demand for permits is higher, and accommodation is more expensive. You’ll need to book well in advance.

The rainy seasons, from March-May and September-November, can be very soggy but if you don’t mind the rain (and mud) the mountains will be quieter and you may find some good deals on accommodation. Saying that, just because it is called the rainy season, it doesn’t mean that it rains every day. There is no off-season discount on the gorilla tracking permit.

Whenever you come, you must bring your rain gear and some decent boots. Mountain gorillas live in the rainforest and most days have heavy dew, a light shower, a downpour, or all of the above!

A word about April: this is the month when Rwandans pause to commemorate the the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in which nearly one million Tutsi were killed. Ceremonies take place at hundreds of sites across the country and visitors are welcome at these events. April is known as Kwibuka, which means “remember” in Kinyarwanda language. There is no live music, for example, during April and the country has a sombre air.

Lots of tour operator itineraries would have you rush through Volcanoes National Park and onwards to other safari destinations elsewhere in East Africa. I've even seen a fly in/out itinerary to see mountain gorillas and then leave Rwanda on the same day.

While these itineraries are technically possible, I really don't recommend them – there's much more to Rwanda than one hour with the gorillas! I always recommend that visitors plan to stay at least two nights in the vicinity of Volcanoes National Park. This will allow you to spend one night acclimatising and another recuperating after your trek.

And after you’ve seen the gorillas there’s plenty more to see and do in Rwanda with a growing range of wildlife and safari activities, including Akagera National Park (a big five destination) and Nyungwe Forest.

The capital, Kigali, is a well-organised city with some excellent cafés (serving Rwandan coffee of course) and art galleries. A visit to the world-class Genocide Memorial Museum may be painful yet is highly recommended after you have visited the gorillas. This history may go some way in explaining the more reserved nature of Rwandans.

Overall my main advice is to slow right down, and appreciate the privilege of being able to visit this little corner of a vast continent. By all means combine your trip with some of the other East African ‘big hitters’, but treating the entire country as a springboard to just see the gorillas just feels wrong to me.