Rwanda Gorilla Permit Price For Foreigners, Foreign Residents And East Africans
The cost of a Rwanda gorilla trekking permit is $1500 for non-resident foreigners, $500 for residents, and $300 for citizens of East Africa. The Rwanda Development Board oversees all activities in the Volcanoes National Park, including the sale and regulation of gorilla licenses.
Only the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda’s northwest is suitable for gorilla trekking. Other primates found in the park include the grey-cheeked mangabey, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, golden monkeys, and blue monkeys.
What The Rwanda Gorilla Permit Cost Incorporates
Security during the 24-hour trek, park admission fees, an hour spent with the mountain gorillas, ranger guide fees, gorilla conservation assistance, community support, and a certificate of completion are all included in the price of a Rwanda gorilla permit.
The selling of gorilla licenses raises money to maintain the sustainable life of mountain gorillas, one of the most endangered primate species in the world. With these funds, further research is conducted, drugs to treat sick mountain gorillas can be purchased, and much more.
What Does the Rwanda Gorilla Permit Cost Not Include?
Porter costs are among the expenses not included in the Rwandan gorilla permit price. A porter is someone who lets you move freely in the outdoors without anything dragging you back by carrying your equipment and bags. When you’re exhausted, the porter pushes you. They do all of this for a nominal fee, which they use to fund their daily expenses, such as purchasing food, school supplies, and medical care, to name a few.
Tips, lodging during gorilla trekking, transportation, and any other personal belongings are not included in the price of the Rwandan gorilla permit.
katland Safaris can assist you in creating a Rwanda gorilla package that fits your vacation schedule and your preferred activities.
Many service providers, including resorts, driver guides, vehicle rentals, and other facilities that enhance your stay in Rwanda, have excellent relationships with us. If needed, we might work out a price for you, but only with your permission. We provide safari packages for Rwanda in every possible category, including budget, mid-range, and luxury safaris.
How Do I Reserve Gorilla Permits for Rwanda?
The Rwanda Development Board or a tour company can arrange for Rwanda gorilla permits.
Decide on a day that works for you to go gorilla trekking in Rwanda and how many gorilla permits you want to buy. This makes it easier to stop retreating while looking for gorilla permits. To reduce disturbance, just eight gorilla permits per gorilla family are made available for public booking each day.
We ask that you buy your gorilla permit as soon as possible if there is a positive availability for your day, since they sell out quickly due to great public demand. Since obtaining a gorilla permit is the only method to demonstrate your sincerity about going on a gorilla safari, gorilla permits are reserved in advance.
Keep in mind that gorilla permits in Rwanda are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
What Is Rwanda’s Gorilla Permit Count?
There are 15 gorilla families in Rwanda with 96 gorilla licenses available for public reservation.
To fully enjoy the gorilla trekking experience, you must abide by the rules. It’s possible that mountain gorillas have become accustomed to people. Don’t provoke them, though, because they still have natural characteristics.
Can I Make Payments in Advance for a Rwanda Gorilla Permit?
The ideal option is to pay for your Rwanda gorilla permit in full, but you can also buy it in 30% and 70% payments, respectively. Those who purchase gorilla permits 90 days prior to the gorilla trekking date and remember to top them up 90 days prior to the gorilla trekking date are covered by this.
If you forget to top up before your ninety days of gorilla trekking, you will be punished.
How Can My Rwanda Gorilla Permit Be Rescheduled?
You are prepared to go on the gorilla trekking adventure when you get the gorilla permit, but unanticipated events can force you to change your plans.
How to obtain a rescheduling of a gorilla permit in Rwanda
Request a date change for your gorilla permit in writing to the Rwanda Development Board. Indicate the day you would like it relocated and the reason for the change. If you have any supporting documentation, include it with your request to reschedule your gorilla permit.
Your gorilla permit is moved in accordance with your request after it is approved, based on the current availability status for your new date.
Note: Rearranging the gorilla permit incurs fees from the Rwanda Development Board.
When Can I Purchase a Gorilla Permit for Rwanda?
Permits for Rwandan gorillas are available year-round. However, most tourists buy their gorilla permits at least six months to a year in advance if they want to travel during the busiest safari season, which includes June, July, August, September, December, and January.
The fierce competition for gorilla licenses around the world is the reason for this, as each gorilla family is only allowed to have a maximum of eight permits.
Because you have to check their availability, purchasing a gorilla trekking permit at the last minute on the spot or waiting for resells is exhausting.
Last-minute gorilla permits are more likely to be available in March, April, May, and November, which are the slowest safari seasons in Rwanda.
Discounted Rwanda gorilla permits are occasionally offered by the Rwanda Development Board, though this is not always the case.
To be safe and prevent last-minute disappointments, buy your Rwanda gorilla permits in advance.
How Much Time Does It Take to Gorilla Trek in Rwanda?
Due to various changes in the forest and among the mountain gorilla groups, the duration of gorilla trekking in Rwanda is still being calculated.
Sometimes it takes two hours for gorilla trekkers to find the mountain gorillas, and other times it takes three-quarters of the day. It can be difficult to hike and find mountain gorillas when they are feeding on the hillsides, particularly during the intense wet season.
It can take some time to find the gorillas since they might split up after a family dispute.
The other members of the gorilla family are compelled to follow the daring silverback’s pastime in order to approach or venture farther into the jungle.
Because mountain gorillas are free primates and are not confined to specific areas of the forest, you must exercise patience when on a gorilla trekking expedition.
How Much Does a Gorilla Safari in Rwanda Cost?
The cost of a Rwandan gorilla permit is prohibitive for all travel budgets, whether they are luxury, mid-range, or low-cost. Additional elements that affect Rwanda safari prices include
The duration of the gorilla safari in Rwanda
The number of days on the Rwanda gorilla safari increases with the trip’s price. In Rwanda, you can go on a 2-day gorilla safari, a 3-day gorilla trek, and more. Lodges and other service providers charge by the day, therefore the more days, the more expensive it is.
Time to Reserve a Gorilla Safari in Rwanda
Low-season gorilla trekking safaris may offer some savings on gorilla permits, lodging, and other service providers, while peak-season reservations for Rwanda gorilla safaris are expensive due to strong demand.
The Count of Extra Activities That Can Be Included in Rwanda Gorilla Safari
Gorilla trekking can be combined with additional activities such as game drives and boat cruises in Akagera National Park, chimpanzee trekking and canopy walking in Nyungwe National Park, a tour of Kigali, and a cultural experience in Rwanda. The cost of gorilla trekking increases with the number of activities you include.
Count of Participants in the Gorilla Trekking Tour
The cost per person for gorilla trekking decreases as more people join you because you may split the cost of transportation, gas, driver guides, and other safari facilities.
All of the expenses involved in the gorilla safari package are borne by you as a lone traveler.
Is a Rwanda Gorilla Permit Worth the Price?
The Rwandan gorilla trekking permit costs $1500 per person per trek, which may seem expensive, but the opportunity to see the mountain gorillas makes it worthwhile. Among the world’s leftovers are the mountain gorillas in Rwanda. Only Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are home to mountain gorillas.
In order to raise money for gorilla conservation and lessen hostility between people and mountain gorillas, the gorilla permit sale was implemented.
Research on mountain gorillas, medical care, ranger guide salaries, a fund to assist the local community with their initiatives, and much more are all funded by the proceeds from the selling of mountain gorilla permits.
You contribute to the sustainable conservation of mountain gorillas when you buy a gorilla permit.
Do Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda Act Aggressively?
Habituation is a prerequisite for opening a gorilla family for gorilla trekking. The technique of acclimating a family of wild mountain gorillas to human presence without changing their character is known as “gorilla habituation.” Depending on how they handle it, gorillas might take anywhere from two years to more to become habituated.
As they continue to nibble at the vegetation, the mountain gorillas may appear to be unconcerned when you first meet them. Being with them makes you realize how calm and fragile they are in spite of their size.
How old can you be to go gorilla trekking in Rwanda?
For several reasons, gorilla trekking in Rwanda is only open to those who are at least 15 years old.
Because the mountain gorillas wander around in the large forest, it is still difficult to pinpoint the best time to locate them. A child under the age of fifteen can get too exhausted to continue the gorilla trip.
Because of their enormous size and black, hairy bodies, mountain gorillas appear frightening at first glance. The sight of these enormous primates may be too much for a child under the age of fifteen, and they may scream. The mountain gorillas are frightened by unfamiliar sounds.
Mountain gorillas may spend a portion of the day on the slopes and plateaus that make up Volcanoes National Park’s often ragged topography; to approach them, you must be reasonably fit. Hiking to the mountain gorillas might not be possible for a child under the age of fifteen.
Things Not to Do While Trekking with Gorillas in Rwanda
Because mountain gorillas are wild animals that must fend for themselves rather than rely on human supplies, please do not feed them.
In order to prevent the mountain gorillas from contracting human-transmittable diseases, a clean mask was implemented following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Because mountain gorillas are extremely vulnerable to human viruses, offer to stay behind if you contract a contagious illness like the flu, a cough, or COVID-19. Approximately 96% of their genes are human.
It is prohibited to leave trash in the forest, especially non-biodegradable trash. The forest in which mountain gorillas live is changed.
When looking for mountain gorillas, keep your voice low or remain silent as you can frighten them. They have a strong conscience when it comes to wilderness intruders.
When you find the mountain gorillas, don’t imitate them. You might not be aware of what you’re saying.
Stay at least 300 meters away from the mountain gorillas if you want to eat or smoke. This will lessen the likelihood that they will take advantage of you.
To lessen the possibility of getting infected by the mountain gorillas, keep a distance of approximately 8 meters from them once you have located them. If they come at you, silently back off.
Once you have located the mountain gorillas, you are permitted to spend one hour in their presence. They are accustomed to spending that amount of time in human presence.
Avoid using flash when taking pictures to avoid starting a stampede in the forest. The mountain gorillas are frightened by unfamiliar events in the jungle.