1 Day Gorilla Trekking Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park)
1 Day Gorilla Trekking Rwanda is one of our short Rwanda gorilla tours, kicking off from the Capital (Kigali) very early in the morning and continues to the spectacular Volcanoes National Park in the extreme North-western side of the country. This 1 Day Gorilla Trekking Rwanda wonderful trip offers opportunities of trekking the endangered Giant Apes in their natural environment within the shortest time possible. This makes it an ideal kind of tour for visitors limited by time or those trekking gorillas in Rwanda on a budget.
Volcanoes National Park is part of the extensive Virunga Conservation Area and havens to about 12 habituated gorilla groups, which can be trekked on a daily basis with each group being trekked by only 8 visitors.
Detailed Itinerary 1 Day Gorilla Trekking Rwanda
Our 1-day Gorilla Trekking Rwanda safari kicks off and concludes from the City of Kigali. Our professional safari guide will meet and pick you up from your place of residence at about 4:30 am for the road trip to the Park. This Park is only 116 kilometers from the Capital through a smooth tarred road with beautiful views of the countryside and rolling hills from which the country derived its name “land of a thousand hills”.
This thrilling journey lasts between two and three hours and you will be at Kinigi Park Headquarters on time for a briefing by Park Officials and later be assigned to one of the extraordinary Gorilla Groups to trek and spend time with. Before starting the trek, you will first get into the vehicle for a transfer to the trailhead and this takes about 20 minutes.
The actual gorilla treks in Volcanoes National Park last anywhere between half an hour and 6 hours, depending on the location of the mountain gorillas. However, this seems like a lot of time but expect to see other primates, birds, butterflies, and other mammals that call Volcanoes National Park home.
Upon finding them, you will spend the allotted one-hour taking photos, observe their human-like behavior, and record videos. After your wonderful time in the presence of one of the most sought-after animals on Earth, trek back to the starting point to meet your driver for a transfer to Kigali. This marks the end of our extraordinary 1 day Gorilla Trekking Rwanda.
Our package includes;
- A valid Gorilla Permit ($1500).
- A comfortable drive by a 4WD Vehicle.
- Park entrance fees.
- Services of a full-time English-speaking driver.
- Driver allowances.
- Relevant Government taxes.
- Bottled water.
- En-route Lunch.
- Airport transfer.
This package excludes;
- Accommodation in Kigali or within the Park.
- Visa fees.
- Laundry fees.
- Medical and Travel Insurance.
- Air tickets.
- Telephone fees.
- Tips and gratuities.
- Optional activities are not included in the itinerary.
What to carry or wear for the 1 day Gorilla Trekking Rwanda
Regardless of it being a short tour, don’t forget to wear a long-sleeved shirt, a hat, long pants, sunglasses, and sturdy hiking boots. Also carry enough drinking water, non-flash camera, rain jacket, gardening gloves, a waterproof backpack, energy-giving snacks, insect repellant, toiletries (especially wet wipes, lip gloss), and first aid kit among others.
About Volcanoes National Park
For about 160 square kilometers, Volcanoes National Park can be considered a small Protected Area but what it offers will obviously take your breath away.
This Park was gazetted in 1925, making it one of the oldest Parks in the African Continent, and is home to at least five of the eight Virunga Volcanoes (Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Sabyinyo, and Gahinga).
The slopes of these volcanoes also offer shelter to unique animals-golden monkeys, bushbucks, elephants, giant forest hogs, duikers, and vervet monkeys besides mountain gorillas, over 180 bird species including the Rwenzori Mountains and Albertine Rift endemics. Besides gorilla treks, other adventures in this Park are volcano hikes, bird watching, hike to the Dian Fossey Tomb, Golden monkey tracking, and many others.
Best time for gorilla trekking in Rwanda
Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda is conducted throughout the year although each season comes with different benefits and experiences. The dry season-June to September and December-February offers less challenging treks because the forest floor is drier and trails are less muddy/or slippery.
The wet season comes with shorter but more challenging treks because the forest floor is wet hence trails are muddy and slippery but because there is plenty of food for the Giant Apes, treks become shorter during this season than in the dry season.