Africa’s easiest and most accessible gorilla trekking is the main draw card of a Rwandan safari. After arriving at the capital city of Kigali, you are only a few hours’ drive away from the legendary Volcanoes National Park and its habituated but still wild gorilla families.
It was on the bamboo-covered slopes of Rwanda’s Virunga Volcanoes that the late Dian Fossey studied the behaviour of the endangered mountain gorilla for 20 years, followed by the filmmakers who shot Gorillas in the Mist. Now small groups of privileged visitors can experience one of the most memorable wildlife encounters on earth – gorilla trekking through the pristine Virungas rainforest.
Rarely experienced in isolation, a Rwandan gorilla safari combines well with other East African destinations in Uganda, Kenya or Tanzania but there is more to green and hilly Rwanda than meets the eye: it is also home to the primate-filled Nyungwe Forest National Park where there are chimpanzees and fantastic bird-watching opportunities. Akagera National Park, on the other hand, offers big game viewing in a diverse savannah setting.
Lake Kivu is a gorgeous expanse of water surrounded by Rwanda’s gently rolling slopes – in fact, Rwandans call their home ‘the country of a thousand hills’ because of its undulating landscape. Kivu is a great place to enjoy boating, hiking, kayaking and chimp trekking.
Small, compact and easy to travel around, friendly Rwanda has dealt with its past tragedies and offers intrepid travellers and wildlife enthusiasts what is usually a hard-to-gain insight into Central African cultures, wildlife and environments. Simply browse our range of popular tour itineraries and recommended accommodation or contact one of our African Safari Experts for assistance with planning a tailor-made Rwandan safari.
Our top places to visit in Rwanda:
Kigali – gateway to the gorillas
Lake Kivu – part of Africa’s series of Great Lakes and offers an idyllic shoreside interlude – before or after gorilla trekking – in the quaint town of Gisenyi. Spend your days boating, kayaking and unwinding as you soak up the sun.
Kigali Safari
Founded in 1907 while Rwanda was under German colonial rule, Kigali has been the capital of Rwanda since 1962 when the country gained its independence. An attractive city with few large buildings, the city spreads over a number of hills and has a reputation for being clean, safe and friendly.
The city centre is both vibrant and colourful with the main shopping and commercial area set around the five-star Hotel des Mille Collines. Local markets, the Muslim quarter and the genocide memorial in Gisozi are some of the main places of interest.
Kigali’s international airport is accessible via Johannesburg, Nairobi, Entebbe and Dar es Salaam, and is the entry and exit point for visitors on their way to the Volcanoes National Park for a gorilla trek. As the park is only 80km from the capital, many travellers transfer to the park or the nearby town of Ruhengeri straight after arriving for a Kigali safari – although there are several perfectly comfortable hotels near the airport.
Volcanoes National Park Safari
Straddling Uganda, the DRC and Rwanda are the Virunga Volcanoes Mountains, a dramatic, thickly forested range comprising six extinct and three active volcanoes. The Volcanoes National Park is the Rwandan portion of the Virungas Volcanoes range and besides the wealth of extraordinary rainforest life it safeguards, the park protects 300 mountain gorillas – around half the world’s existing
population – and is the scene for what is often described as Africa’s easiest gorilla trekking.
Easily accessible from Rwanda’s capital Kigali, located only 80kms away, the Volcanoes National Park offers several comfortable lodges set in the foothills of the range. Gorilla trekking permits must be arranged before arrival, and potential trekkers should be aware not only of the rigours of hiking through mountainous rainforest but the strict conservation rules governing this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Although gorilla safaris are the main reason people come to this 13 000 hectare park, an encounter with these highly endangered primates is not the only activity on offer. A Volcanoes National Park safari will take you into a forest packed with other creatures which include several types of monkey and some 180 bird species. Head out on guided nature walks or even a challenging hike to experience one of Central Africa’s most bio-diverse destinations.
It was in the Volcanoes National Park that conservationist Dian Fossey spent 20 years of her life studying gorillas, and it is largely thanks to her work that poaching was curtailed in time to save these creatures. The park was made famous by the international blockbuster ‘Gorillas in the Mist’ (1988), filmed on location and chronicling her life’s work.
Experience Gorilla Trekking in Uganda, Rwanda & Congo
No other wildlife encounter in Africa matches the astounding experience of spending time face-to-face with wild gorillas. Trekking takes place in a handful of far flung locations, adding a layer of exotic adventure to these safaris that is hard to match on any other itinerary. The fact that gorillas as a species are on the brink of extinction and treks are a highly restricted activity, encountering wild gorillas is considered a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience.
We’re proud to support trekking tourism that contributes directly to protecting rainforest habitats and conserving both mountain gorillas and western lowland gorillas. Thanks to income derived directly from tourism, the mountain gorilla population has stabilised, which gives us hope for the future of western lowland gorillas now that tourism has started in their Congo rainforest.
What to Expect on a Gorilla Trek
For a gorilla trek you need to be fairly fit, equipped for the humid, muddy conditions of a rainforest hike, and in good health – gorillas are susceptible to human illnesses but don’t have our immunities, which means a common cold can be deadly to a whole family of gorillas and you won’t be permitted to trek if you are unwell. Even in the dry season, the rainforest is a challenging environment: it’s humid, wet and muddy with some steep slopes, plenty of insects and thick vegetation. It is absolutely worth the effort to spend time with gorillas in the wild, but be prepared to exert yourself on the trek.
Your professional guide and tracker lead you into the forest’s secret paths, looking for a habituated gorilla family. Once found, you’ll approach the gorillas quietly and settle down to observe them from between 7 and 10m (22 to 32 ft) away. You’ll spend between 40 minutes and an hour with the gorillas, watching the adults forage and groom each other while the babies tumble and play. You’ll be under the watchful gaze of the great silverback patriarch, whose soft brown eyes constantly sweep over his family protectively. Witnessing gorillas express typically human gestures and emotions is a truly profound experience and one of the reasons that gorilla trekking is such a life changing encounter.
In the Congo, you’ll don a face mask to protect the gorillas from human germs and have an optional fly net to keep the harmless (and stingless) but determined sweat bees from disturbing you. In Uganda and Rwanda, you’ll leave any personal items or bottled water you’re carrying with your porters and approach the gorillas with only your camera. You are not allowed to use a flash and it’s best to use a camera that doesn’t make loud clicks, whirring or other mechanical noises.
About Chimpanzee Trekking
While you may see chimps and other primate species on your gorilla trek, there are several superb chimpanzee trekking destinations, including Tanzania’s Mahale Mountains and Gombe Stream and the forested corners of Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls national parks as well as Kibale Forest.
Chimpanzee trekking is quite different to gorilla trekking. Chimps are often found in easier trekking terrain than gorillas but they are wary of humans and harder to find. Only the habituated chimp families at Kibale Forest offer a similar encounter to gorilla trekking.
Best Rwanda Tours & Safaris
Nearly all of Rwanda’s tours and safaris revolve around gorilla trekking in the fabled Volcanoes National Park but because of the country’s close geographical and ecological ties with neighbouring Uganda, many of Rwanda’s tours encompass aspects of both countries.
Rwanda is not just all about tracking mountain gorillas; other great wildlife destinations such as the primate-packed Nyungwe Forest National Park offer fantastic chimpanzee and birding safaris that combine well with a Volcanoes National Park gorilla trek. In addition, Lake Kivu and Akagera National Park offer everything from beautiful views, excellent hiking and spectacular canopy tours to Big 5 game drives (all of the Big 5 are slowly being reintroduced to Akagera).
Our selection of top Rwanda tours and safaris also include combinations with some of Tanzania and Kenya’s most popular destinations: why not combine a Rwanda gorilla trek with the Masai Mara, Serengeti or even the Spice Island of Zanzibar?