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Overview
- Duration:8 hours 0 minutes
- Tour Type:Daily tour, Private tour
- Language:English, French
Enjoy a pickup from your hotel or apartment in Kigali and travel in a 4x4 vehicle to Volcanoes National Park, departing around 4:30 am. Settle in for the roughly 2.5-hour drive north to Musanze, home to Rwanda’s endangered mountain gorillas. Your English or French-speaking driver/guide will share a little about the park and the conservation story behind these gentle giants.
Upon arrival, enjoy breakfast before heading to the park headquarters at Kinigi for a briefing by the park warden. Gorilla families are allocated to guests at the headquarters, and your guide, who has a strong relationship with the park wardens, will express your interests in a particular group. At 8:00 am, you’ll be transferred to the starting point of the trek.
Set off into the forest in search of your gorilla family. The trek can take anywhere from 1 to 8 hours, depending on where the gorillas decided to rest after the previous day. Along the way, keep an eye out for some of the park’s many birds, as Rwanda is home to over 700 bird species, including 27 Albertine Rift endemics. Once you reach the gorillas, watch them feed, play, and move through the undergrowth, with babies running around and full-grown gorillas going about their day.
After the trek, say farewell to the park and relax on the scenic drive back to Kigali. Your driver/guide will drop you at your hotel or the airport, as long as your flight is on the same day the tour ends.
Highlights
- Trek through the forests of Volcanoes National Park to meet endangered mountain gorillas
- Watch gorillas feeding, playing, and moving through the undergrowth, from babies to full-grown adults
- Keep an eye out for birds in a country with over 700 species, including 27 Albertine Rift endemics
- Learn about the gorillas and their habitat from your English or French-speaking driver/guide
- Enjoy breakfast and a briefing at the Kinigi park headquarters before your trek
- Travel in comfort by 4x4 with hotel pickup and drop-off in Kigali, including airport drop-off if your flight is on the same day
Itinerary
1 Day Gorilla Trekking Itinerary
Day 1: Gorilla Trekking
Set off at 4:30 am, for a 2 Hours and 30 Minutes drive to Volcanoes national park found in Musanze province, habitat to endangered mountain gorillas.On arrival, enjoy your breakfast and proceed to the park headquarters at Kinigi for briefing by the park warden. At 8:00am the tour guide will transfer you to the starting point of the gorilla trek.The gorilla groups are allocated to the guests at random at the park headquarters. However, our experienced guides have over time built a strong relationship with the park wardens. They normally talk to them before time and express the clients’ interests in specific Gorilla groups. They normally get a positive response over this.The trek may last from 1-8 hours depending on the movements of the gentle giants.On return, your driver will transfer you back to Kigali for drop off at your hotel or at the airport for a scheduled flight back home.End of Tour
Includes/Excludes
- Gorilla Permits
- Park Ranger Fees
- Relevant Government Taxes
- Full time English or/and French speaking Driver/Guide
- Meal
- Ground Transportation by a 4×4 vehicle
- Airport transfer, as long as your flight is on the same day on which the safari ends
- Airfares
- Visa Fees
- Personal Insurance
- Expenses of personal nature such as; drinks, tips, laundry, telephone, cigarettes, accommodation & meals not indicated in the itinerary and optional activities.
Cancellation policy
You can cancel up to 72 hours in advance of the experience for a refund.
Frequently asked questions
What does the tour price include?
What is not included, and can I cancel?
What should I know before I go?
The drive from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park takes about 2 hours 30 minutes.
Gorilla groups are allocated at random at the park headquarters, although your guide will request a group that matches your interests.
The trek can last anywhere from 1 to 8 hours, depending on where the gorillas are resting.
The minimum group size is 1 person.
You’ll be dropped back at your hotel in Kigali, or at the airport if your flight is on the same day the tour ends.
