The Process of Rwanda Gorilla Permit Availability and Booking? You need a gorilla trekking permit. This document grants you access to Volcanoes National Park, home to the Mountain gorillas. Rwanda is a prime safari destination for gorilla trekking, boasting 12 habituated gorilla families. The Rwanda Development Board issues these permits, and they make 96 available daily. Because of this limited number, you cannot get last-minute gorilla permits in Rwanda. Therefore, we advise tourists to secure their permits at least 3 to 6 months in advance to ensure booking and securing their chosen dates.

Rwanda is a luxurious gorilla trekking destination. Despite the high cost of the gorilla permit, tourists always demand them, mainly because Volcanoes National Park is just a 2 to 3-hour drive from Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city. Tourists also enjoy the luxurious safari experience and shorter trekking distances. Contact us for more information.

Booking a Gorilla Permit in Rwanda

A gorilla trekking permit acts as a ticket. You purchase it from the Rwanda Development Board through a trusted tour operator to participate in gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park. With a gorilla permit, you spend an hour with the primates in their natural environment. You can book gorilla permits in Rwanda in two ways: through a trusted tour operator or directly from the Rwanda Development Board.

Through a Tour Operator

The process of booking a gorilla permit starts when you identify the dates you wish to trek gorillas in Rwanda. After getting the date, get in touch with your tour operator. Your tour consultant will then check for the availability of gorilla permits on your provided dates via the Rwanda Development Board website. If permits are unavailable for your chosen dates, they will provide you with available dates, and you can choose from them. When permits are available, they will pre-book them for you, and they will request you to make payments immediately due to the high demand for gorilla trek permits.

Once your consultant confirms your payments (you can pay via credit card or direct bank transfer – ensure you inform your bank to deduct bank fees so the withdrawn amount is not less than it should be), they will purchase the permits on your behalf. They will send you a scanned copy and keep the original copy for you until you arrive in the country for your safari.

To purchase a gorilla permit in Rwanda, you need to meet some requirements:

  • You must be 15 years and above.
  • You must pay for the gorilla permit.
  • You must provide information like your full name, passport details, and other necessary information when purchasing the gorilla permit.

Through the Rwanda Development Board

The Rwanda Development Board offers a straightforward process for booking and purchasing a gorilla permit in Rwanda. First, you get your trek dates. Then, you fill in the mandatory forms and check for permit availability. After confirming that the dates are available, you will need to upload the necessary supporting documents, complete forms, and make payments for the permit using the bank details of the Rwanda Development Board.

Note that when you apply for a permit, you need to provide your name, a copy of your passport, an email, a contact number, and any other needed details. You must keep checking the website to see the process’s progress. Once the permit purchase is successful, they will send you a scanned copy, and the permit will be available at least a week before your trek date.

Booking through a trusted tour operator offers an advantage: they help you with the entire process of booking and purchasing a gorilla permit. They also help in procuring other services like vehicle hire, guides, and accommodation, among others. All you have to do is come and enjoy your gorilla trek safari in the country.

Cost of a Gorilla Permit in Rwanda

The Process of Rwanda Gorilla Permit Availability and Booking. The cost of a gorilla permit in Rwanda differs depending on your tourist category. Different categories of visitors include foreign non-residents, foreign residents, citizens from other African countries, and East African citizens. The Rwanda Development Board offers a 10% discount to tourists purchasing permits in bulk (30 and above), and they offer organizations or families traveling together a 15% discount. Tourists who visit Nyungwe Forest National Park and Akagera National Park for two nights after gorilla trekking pay $1050 per person per night.

A gorilla permit in Rwanda costs foreign non-residents who are 15 years and above $1500. Foreign residents with work or residence permits in Rwanda pay $500, and East African citizens pay $200 per person per trek.

The gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda is for a single trek, and only the person who purchased it can use it. You cannot transfer or reuse it. However, if you wish to trek gorillas in Rwanda more than once, you have the option of purchasing multiple permits for different trek dates.

Gorilla Permit Inclusions in Rwanda

Gorilla permits are a bit expensive, but their sale offers significant funding for Mountain gorilla conservation. It helps maintain the national park, improves park services, protects the natural habitat of the gorillas, and pays for park trackers and rangers. It also facilitates habituating gorillas and caring for them when they are sick.

A gorilla permit in Rwanda includes access to the natural habitat of the Mountain gorillas, security for both the gorillas and the trekkers, and an hour with the primates. It does not, however, include accommodation, transport, meals, personal purchases, and other safari activities you might want to combine with gorilla trekking in Rwanda.

Refunds on Gorilla Permits in Rwanda

Rwanda offers various options for refunds, but it processes these under special circumstances. On any other given day, the RDB does not offer refunds on cancellations. In cases where tourists fail to see Mountain gorillas on the trek day because the gorillas have migrated to a different country, they will receive another chance to trek the gorillas the next day or a full refund on the gorilla permit fee. Note that this has never happened, and all trekkers have been able to spot Mountain gorillas on the trek day since the exercise’s introduction in the country. In cases where trekkers have trekked the whole day and are unable to make contact with the gorilla family for unknown reasons, they receive a 75% refund on the permit fee.

Gorilla Permit Cancellation & Refund Policy

It is important to note, however, that you will receive no refunds for flight delays, absences, late arrivals, and trip cancellations without a valid reason. When you make a cancellation, you follow some rules. Below are the percentages of refunds for trekkers who provide a valid reason with proof for their cancellation:

  • You receive zero refunds if you cancel 0 to 8 days before the trek date.
  • You receive a 25% refund if you cancel 9 to 45 days before the trek date.
  • You receive a 50% refund if you cancel 46 to 90 days before the trek date.
  • You receive a 75% refund if you cancel 91 days or more before the trek date.

Cancellation: When you need to cancel, you must first write a formal letter addressed to the Rwanda Development Board Executive, stating your reason for cancellation with clear evidence. After attaching the evidence, ensure you deliver the letter to the RDB head offices and follow up on the issue to find out if the cancellation process was positive or negative. Tour operators can help you with the process, and note that the Rwanda Development Board, not tour operators, makes all refunds.

Are there Last-Minute Gorilla Permits in Rwanda?

The Process of Rwanda Gorilla Permit Availability and Booking. You can procure last-minute gorilla permits in Rwanda. You must obtain these through a licensed and trusted tour operator who usually purchases them from the Rwanda Development Board in bulk, hoping to sell them to trekkers at the last minute. However, you should not guarantee this because of the high demand for gorilla trekking permits. Sometimes, tour operators have available permits from canceled trips, making them viable for last-minute booking and sales.

You should note, however, that during the dry/peak season, it is impossible to get last-minute gorilla permits. To ensure permit availability, you should make reservations at least 3 to 6 months in advance.

The Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Experience

The Process of Rwanda Gorilla Permit Availability and Booking. The gorilla trekking experience starts early in the morning with a briefing. Rangers conduct this at the park headquarters, located at Kinigi, before 8:00 am. All trekkers must attend the briefing, and failure to do so might lead to disqualification from the exercise. During the briefing, which ranger guides conduct, the warden will verify the permits and information of all trekkers to ensure that the names on the passports and the trekking date match. They will also divide you into groups of 8, allocate you gorilla families, and the trek officially begins with each group escorted by an armed ranger and a guide.

The trek can take hours, depending on the location of your assigned family and the physical fitness of the trekkers in your group. When you locate the gorilla family, you spend an hour with the gorillas, studying their behavior, taking photos, and recording videos. After the hour is up, you trek back to the park headquarters, where you will receive a certificate of participation. During the entire trek experience, ensure you follow all the rules and regulations and be patient because the gorillas are still wild animals and move from one location to the next.

Best Time to Book for the Permit and Go for Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

The Process of Rwanda Gorilla Permit Availability and Booking. You should book gorilla permits in Rwanda 3 to 6 months in advance, as this helps with proper safari planning. The best time to go for gorilla trekking in Rwanda is from June to September and from December to February. We consider this the best time because the trails for gorilla trekking during the dry season are not muddy and slippery, making it easy to trek and find the gorillas. A disadvantage of gorilla trekking during the dry season is that it is an expensive time to travel, and large crowds of tourists visit.

The wet season, from March to May and October to November, brings rainfall, and the trek routes are slippery, wet, and muddy, which usually affects gorilla trekking. An advantage of trekking during this period is that discounts are offered during the low season, and it is also the best time for tourists who don’t love large crowds.

Preparing for a gorilla safari in Rwanda is a process, and we at Anthill Safaris are available to help you plan your gorilla trekking safari to Rwanda and help with processing and booking your gorilla permit. Get in touch with us for more information, and our consultants will be ready to help you.