Is There Gorilla Habituation in Volcanoes National Park?
Is there gorilla habituation in Volcanoes National Park? Rwanda doesn’t have gorilla habituation experience in Volcanoes National Park to reduce the effects of mass tourism in this park. Compared to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, the size of Volcanoes National Park is smaller. For conservation reasons, gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking are the activities the park can support for now. Besides, all mountain gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park are habituated, while others are put aside for research.
So, back to the question of whether there is gorilla habituation in Volcanoes National Park, the answer is no. Volcanoes National Park does not offer a gorilla habituation experience. Volcanoes National Park is among the few national parks in the world that harbor mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas, as their name suggests, are highland dwellers tucked away in the montane rainforest vegetation. The mountain gorillas are a critically endangered primate species. This is because they are only found in the Virunga conservation area of East Africa and not anywhere else in the world.
About Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park is located in Rwanda’s Musanze district, located in the northern region. Volcanoes National Park is situated close to the border with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is one of the oldest protected areas in Africa, after it was gazetted in 1925 during the colonial era. The park stretches over 160 square kilometers of a vast landscape of various terrains, flora, and fauna species. Part of the Virunga conservation area, Volcanoes National Park, hosts five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Massif. The volcanic mountains in Volcanoes National Park include Mount Karisimbi, Mount Bisoke, Mount Gahinga, Mount Sabyinyo, and Mount Muhavura. Among the mountains in the Virunga Massif, the park prides itself on hosting Mount Karisimbi, the tallest mountain at an altitude of 4,507 meters.
Most Popular Safaris
4 Day Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari
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5-day Uganda Gorilla & Wildlife Safari
12-Day Uganda Gorillas, Chimps, & Wildlife Safari
7-Day Rwanda Primates and Game Drive Safari
5 Day Chimpanzee Trekking in Rwanda & Lake Kivu Safari
3 Day Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Tour
2-Day Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safari
3 Day Akagrea National Park and Lake Kivu Safari
Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda hosts 15 gorilla families, including Amahoro, Agashya, Umubano, Susa, Sabyinyo, and others. These gorilla families need enough food to support their existence, and if more people are allowed to visit, they may trample on the foliage. Naturally, mountain gorillas are vegetarians, so they need enough to support their bodies during the day and night.
Uganda is currently the only country offering a gorilla habituation experience, and the cost of the Uganda gorilla habituation permit is the same as the gorilla trekking permit cost for Rwanda. At the moment, the gorilla habituation permit for Uganda is $1500, where four hours are allowed with the semi-habituated gorilla family, while the exact cost is levied on the Rwanda gorilla trekking permit, where one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas.
This makes it hard for Rwanda to charge a higher cost for the gorilla habituation experience, yet its neighbor, Uganda, charges a different permit cost.
How To Book Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Permits?
Suppose you do not purchase your gorilla permit directly from the Rwanda Development Board. In that case, we are ready to help lift the burden of gorilla safari planning off your shoulders at Anthill Safaris. We understand the hassle you go through to save for your African holiday, and we aim to give you the best experience on your gorilla safari.
Upon receiving your Rwanda gorilla safari inquiry, our safari consultant checks availability per your details, such as safari dates and the number of people traveling. Knowing the ages of people in your company is important, as the age limit for gorilla trekking is 15 and beyond.
When availability is favorable, our consultants get back to you, but we advise clients to purchase their permits as soon as possible. This is because the availability of gorilla permits gets scarce, especially during the peak season, that is, June to September and December to January, when demand is high.
For identification purposes, forward some personal details like your full name as presented on the passport, nationality, date of birth, passport expiry date, and others
How Much Is The Gorilla Safari in Rwanda?
Rwanda gorilla permits cost $1500 for foreign nonresidents, $500 for foreign residents, and $300 for East Africans.
Within the cost of a Rwanda gorilla trekking permit are the ranger guide fee, park entrance fee, security, one hour with the mountain gorillas, mountain gorilla conservation, local community support, and certificate, to mention but a few.
Exclusions in the cost of the Rwanda gorilla permit: Tips, accommodation, transport, snacks, and any other personal belongings
What is the age limit for Gorilla Trekking In Rwanda?
The authorities set the gorilla trekking age limit at fifteen years and over because the rugged terrain of Volcanoes National Park often requires you to hike steep slopes or trek deep into valleys to find the mountain gorillas.
Visitors must religiously follow gorilla trekking rules; however, a child under 15 may struggle to abide by them, and any violation could agitate the mountain gorillas.
How Long Is The Gorilla Trek In Volcanoes National Park?
The length of the gorilla trek in Rwanda may take two hours or more, depending on the prevailing factors in the forest. Finding the mountain gorillas may depend on factors like prevailing weather conditions of the day, the location of the mountain gorilla feeding point, the death of a gorilla family member, and others.
Park staff advise tourists to remain patient and open-minded toward the forest’s other exciting features during the gorilla trek, rather than focusing solely on finding the mountain gorillas.
Finding the mountain gorillas may make you forget what you may have gone through searching for these primates. Meeting the mountain gorillas is a dream-come-true experience worth every investment of your time and money.
Are the mountain gorillas of Volcanoes National Park aggressive?
The mountain gorillas are serene primates despite their scary appearance. When you meet the mountain gorillas, you realize how vulnerable they are. This doesn’t mean you provoke them because they have feelings, too. Mountain gorillas may thump hard on their chest, walk on one foot, pull grass around them, and so much more when agitated.
Upon noticing this, you do not have to panic, but wait for directions from the ranger guide after establishing the cause of the matter. If the root cause is not visitors but family feuds, power struggles, or much more, follow the ranger guide’s advice to capture and enjoy the drama.
When departing from the mountain gorillas,d o so stealthily without causing any altercation with the mountain gorillas.
What are some of the tourist activities in Volcanoes National Park?
Although Volcanoes National Park does not offer gorilla habituation adventures, the park has incredible and exciting tourist activities that are worth checking out. These activities fit any visitor’s bucket list and include some of the following.
Gorilla trekking
Volcanoes National Park is a top gorilla destination that hosts over 300 gorillas. Hence, gorilla trekking is the major tourist activity in the park. Gorilla trekking involves moving through dense vegetation, searching for these primates in their natural habitats, and, upon their location, spending an hour in their presence. This incredible experience gives you a one-on-one encounter with the endangered mountain gorillas.
Volcanoes National Park has over 10 habituated gorilla families that can be trekked at any time. Visitors can take pictures as they watch the primates feed, play, and groom their young while in their presence. The gorilla trekking adventure experience takes approximately 3-5 hours, including the hour spent with the gorillas. However, this trekking time depends on where the gorillas are located. Gorilla trekking is an experience that has attracted visitors from far and wide due to its unmatched experience.
Golden monkey trekking
Among the major tourist activities in Volcanoes National Park, golden monkey trekking comes second after gorilla trekking. Similar to gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking takes about 2-4 hours to look for the monkeys and spend an hour in their presence upon finding them.
Golden monkey trekking starts as early as 7 am at the park offices of Kiningi. This trekking adventure is not as demanding as the one with the gorilla trek. This is because golden monkeys dwell in the bamboo plantations at the base of the mountains in the park. Hence, this area is regularly flat, which eases the trekking process. Golden monkeys also eat as they leave bamboo shoot leftovers; thus, ranger guides use their leftovers to track them. Trek the golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park and have a glimpse into the life of these primates.
Hiking
Volcanoes National Park offers hiking experiences that take you through the five volcanic mountains of the Virunga Massif. As mentioned earlier, Volcanoes National Park harbors five of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga Massif. It is because of these mountains that the park gets its name.
The hiking experiences take you through the different mountains, but the most notably hiked mountain is Mount Karisimbi, which is the highest in the park. Hiking in the park takes 5-7 hours, depending on the mountain. While on the hike, visitors also encounter different primates like colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and blue monkeys, and if you are lucky, you can also encounter mountain gorillas and golden monkeys.
Birding
Birding adventures are also highly popular in the Volcanoes National Park. The different ecological systems in the park play a huge role in hosting several bird species. Volcanoes National Park is recognized worldwide as an important birding area because it harbors over 600 bird species. These species range from endemic resident birds to migratory birds that come to the park in different seasons.
Volcanoes National Park harbours 17 of the 24 Albertine endemic bird species. There are designated birding trails in the park that ease the birding experience by leading visitors straight to the habitats. Birding in Volcanoes National Park is guided by experienced guides with ample knowledge about most of the birds in the park. Some of the birds to look out for include African jacanas, bar-tailed trogons, long-crested eagles, hammerkops, African finfoot, black bee-eater, Abyssinian ground hornbill, standard-winged nightjar, marabou storks, secretary birds, etc.
Dian Fossey hike
Visitors from across the world flock to the park for a Dian Fossey hiking experience. Dian Fossey was a renowned primatologist and conservationist who fought hard for the conservation of mountain gorillas. She started up a research center in the park called Karisoke at the foothills of Mount Kasirimbi and Mount Bisoke. Visitors on this hike can tour her last projects and experience her life in the park as they pay their last respects to the mother of mountain gorillas.
Other Rwanda safari activities
Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park.
Although Rwanda is generally a small country, eco-tourism is one of its offerings as it jealously conserves its forests where animals like chimpanzees thrive. Nyungwe National Park is the only home of chimpanzees in Rwanda, and it currently hosts a semi-habituated community. On the outskirts of Nyungwe National Park is Cyamudondo, home to another chimpanzee community.
You must secure a chimpanzee trekking permit from the Rwanda Development Board to be given access to human cousins. Two chimpanzee trekking sessions happen in Nyungwe National Park each morning and afternoon, but a maximum of 6 tourists are allowed to visit each chimpanzee troop. This is a way to minimize disturbance, as human presence disrupts the chimpanzees’ day-to-day life.
Canopy walk over Nyungwe National Park.
You can do the canopy walk to view the Nyungwe forest canopy from the suspension bridge. This 90-meter-long bridge is the only one of its kind in East Africa. While standing over the forest, you get a beautiful view of Nyungwe forest, some of its dwellers, and stunning features. It’s a relaxing adventure worth adding to your Rwanda safari itinerary.
Game Safaris in Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park is the only habitat where you can enjoy game safaris in Rwanda. The 1994 Rwandan genocide and its aftereffects severely affected this park. While many wild animals fled, others died (or hunters killed many of the wild animals).
During the game drives in Akagera National Park, you may spot giraffes, leopards, waterbucks, zebras, bushbucks, cape buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, and impalas, to mention but a few.
Taking a boat trip on Lake Ihema within Akagera National Park is relaxing as you may watch several water birds and enjoy the stunning scenery, to mention but a few.
Kigali City Tour
How can you depart Rwanda without knowing more about its clean city? While on the Kigali city tour, you may visit the Rwanda genocide memorial, Butare National Museum, Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, and the Kandt house and enjoy Rwanda’s coffee’s tasty and incredible aromas.
The Kigali City Tour gives you an in-depth view of the city and lets you feel the genuine heartbeat of Rwanda.
Rwandese Cultural Experience
The Rwandese take pride in their unique culture, which permeates most of their activities—especially if you attend an Intore dance. The loud beats from these long drums and a crested crane nuptial dance move speak volumes about the joy of being Rwandese. During the intore dance moves, traditional songs are accompanied by the Lulunga, a harp-like instrument with eight strings. The Hoe dance from northern Rwanda is the finest example of traditional dance moves.
In most craft shops in Rwanda, you may purchase the Imigongo. This is a unique cow dung painting, but the Nyakarimbi offers better opportunities for this when you visit, because this is the source of most Rwanda crafts. Rwandese love making crafts; you can witness this from the different craft shops you visit.
Is Rwanda Safe For A Visit?
Rwanda is safe to visit. Since the 1994 genocide, Rwanda has enjoyed peace as various monuments and memorials regularly remind the people of their past.
In Rwanda’s National Parks, well-trained ranger guides conduct most safari activities to protect wildlife, habitats, and visitors. Also, other Rwandan security agencies are on the ground to keep law and order.
As a tourist, you must be the first security for yourself by not moving in the wilderness without an escorting ranger guide. The wilderness has several occupants that may be harmful to you. Refrain from carrying your precious items, as you may attract the wrong
