Rwanda only offers Gorilla trekking experience. As you plan what to include in your bucket list, note that the gorilla habituation experience is only offered at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the southwestern part of Uganda. Rwanda is one of the most famous holiday destinations in the world, with primates notably the gorillas being the main tourist attraction. Well deserved, an encounter with gorillas leads to unforgettable memories.
The other two destinations with gorillas are Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These share the vast Virunga chain of mountains where the Apes dwell. Rwanda is a landlocked country in East Africa neighbored by Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Burundi. Its capital city is Kigali and is one of the smartest and cleanest cities in Africa. There are diverse tourist attractions in Rwanda such as mountain gorillas, stunning landscapes, historical sites like the genocide monuments, and more. The security situation is very ok and is one of the most recommendable destinations to add to the bucket list.
Gorilla Habituation is the practice of introducing wild gorillas to human presence to prepare them for trekking. Following scientific research, gorillas have to undergo habituation to enable them to recognize humans and get used to them while in their presence. The habituation doesn’t remove them from their natural habitat, but rather, enables them not to see humans as a threat. It is also during this time that the rangers, conservationists, scientists, and researchers study and understand their behaviors. In Rwanda, the gorillas are habituated for 2-4 years and then opened for public trekking.
Habituation experience is rather an offer for a tourist to have 4 hours with the gorillas, unlike trekking which takes just an hour. Visitors watch them roam around with their daily chores as they capture pictorial moments for memories. Mountain gorillas share over 98% of their DNA with humans. They are social beings who live in groups called families headed by an alpha male known as a silverback. These males have silver fur on their lower backs hence their name silverback. Mountain gorilla diets are mainly made up of vegetation, fruits, roots, leaves, and small insects.
Where to find gorillas in Rwanda and the Permit Cost
Volcanoes National Park
Located in the northwestern part of Rwanda and is home to about 10 habituated gorilla families. The park’s 160 square kilometer land harbors a quarter of the total mountain gorillas around the Virunga region, golden monkeys, over 200 bird species, and 5 of the 8 Virunga volcanoes. The volcanoes include Mount Gahinga, Bisoke, Karisimbi, Muhabura, and Sabinyo. In the early 1970s, a primatologist called Dian Fossey camped here and did extensive research on these primates thus leading to their popularity. Each gorilla family is tracked by a maximum of 8 visitors.
It takes approximately 2-3 hours from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park. The gates open at 6 am with a pre-trekking briefing commencing at 7 am. A ranger guide then leads the visitors on a 1-8-hour gorilla trek through the lush forest covered by trees and bushes. The activity is very exciting though tedious. Visitors are given an hour to spend in the presence of the gorillas watching them go by with their chores. It is prohibited to use flashlights while taking photos, and no noise, smoke, or any unnecessary movement that may provoke the primates into charging. Gorilla trekking permits at Volcanoes National Park cost USD 1500 per person per trek.
In conclusion, there is no gorilla habituation experience in Rwanda. However, it is in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the southwestern part of Uganda. Gorilla habituation presents visitors with an unforgettable experience of uncovering the life of the apes, their natural habitat.