You can trek the endangered mountain gorillas of Rwanda in Volcanoes National park on a 1 day Rwanda gorilla tour. The short gorilla trip is the best option for travelers with limited time, especially those who visited Rwanda for meetings, conferences, and events. Over time, gorilla trekking has become popular and a dream come true for most travelers from across the globe. Rwanda, the Land of a Thousand Hills is one of the best places to see these endangered mountain gorillas. Rwanda gorilla safaris take place in Volcanoes National Park Located in North Western Rwanda. The Park is home to over 400 gorillas, which makes it a premier gorilla tour destination in the Virunga Conservation Area. 1-Day gorilla trekking offers you the chance to visit and interact with one of the 10 habituated gorilla families in the bamboo forest National Park. You can choose which gorilla family to trek given your hiking abilities and physical fitness. African Parks together with the Rwanda Development Board and the government of Rwanda work hand in hand to ensure gorilla conservation and sustainable gorilla tourism in Rwanda. Gorilla Families in Rwanda include Susa A, Karisimbi, Umubano, Agashya, Sabyinyo, Hirwa, Amahoro, Bwengye, and Ugenda gorilla families among others. Each family is unique in its own kind and worth visiting. If you have more days in Rwanda you can do a 4 Days double gorilla safari which gives you the opportunity to trek two or three different gorilla families for accurate comparisons
Details of 1 Day Rwanda Gorilla Trek
On this day, you will have an early pick up at 4:00 am from Kigali airport or your hotel in Kigali. Drive for 3 hours from Kigali to Volcanoes National park to catch up with pre-gorilla trekking briefing at Kinigi park headquarters. Upon arrival at the park headquarters. The park rangers will introduce you to the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking, what to do, when, and what to expect. If there are other trackers on that day, you will be out in groups of eight, and each group gave a particular mountain gorilla to trek. If you have any physical challenges and difficulty in hiking, you can inform the ranger guide who will give you a short or medium gorilla trek. You will also enjoy the traditional performances by local dancers warming you up for the trek. At 8:00 am, the actual experience begins! Get your walking stick and start the hike through the bamboo forest looking for the allocated gorilla family. The real-time to spend in the jungle is not known but ranges between 2-6 hours depending on where the allocated gorilla family will be. Gorilla treks in Volcanoes National Park are categorized into short, medium and long subject to the ease of access. After meeting the gorillas, you are allowed to spend an hour in their presence, take pictures, capture live videos and enjoy their social life. Observe how each gorilla member performs a particular role just like in a human home. The trek to see gorillas also gives you chance to meet other wild animals which reside in Volcanoes National park such as golden monkeys, red-tailed colobus, black and white colubus monkeys, African Buffalos Forest Elephants and fascinating birds. Later in the day, transfer to Kigali airport for your departure flight or to your hotel for your other programs.
What to pack for a 1 Day Rwanda gorilla tour?
The fact that you won’t spend an overnight in the jungle, You do not need to pack too much for your 1-Day Rwanda gorilla tour to Volcanoes National park. However, you need to carry some essentials, which ease your trek through the jungle. Some of the things to carry to Rwanda include:
1. Hiking boots/shoes. These should be light, closed, and waterproof to ease your movements through muddy forest grounds. Open shoes are highly discouraged for gorilla trekking
2. Garden gloves. The experience of trekking gorillas entails holding onto the tree branches and bushes some of which are thorny. At one point, you may also touch the ground when climbing up the steep areas. Gardening gloves will keep your hands safe from getting hurt
3. Rain Jacket: Mountain gorillas live in forested areas where the weather is unpredictable. You are therefore reminded to carry rain jackets in the case of rain. The rain gear should be light and waterproof.
4. Hat and sunglasses. These protect your head/hair and eyes respectively.
5. NOTE: You are also reminded to carry enough drinking water, energy-giving snacks, and toiletries.
6. A porter is also recommended if you want to have a less stressful mountain gorilla trekking encounter.
How to book a 1-Day Rwanda gorilla tour?
You can book a 1 Day gorilla tour in Rwanda through Rwanda Development Board, a government body responsible for gorilla conservation and trekking in the country. Alternatively, you can choose any trusted gorilla safari company, which offers tailored gorilla tours in Rwanda. We recommend Gorilla Trek Africa, which ranks as the number one travel agency in Rwanda by trip advisor.
