Rwanda Gorilla Trek
Mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, tightly controlled, deeply personal, and unlike anything else.
An hour with a gorilla family, on the roof of the Virungas.
Rwanda’s gorilla permits allow visitors to spend time with habituated mountain gorilla families on the mist-covered slopes of the Virunga volcanoes. Coming face to face with them in dense highland forest is an encounter that no photograph fully prepares you for.
The experience is deliberately limited: a small group, a single hour in their presence, and a set of rules that exist to protect one of the rarest animals on earth. Rwanda is small enough to reach the park comfortably from Kigali, and the standard of lodging near Volcanoes National Park is excellent.
We are currently developing fixed Rwanda itineraries. The shape below is how a typical trek runs, your version is built around your dates, your group, and how long you want to stay. Reach out and we will put it together.
How a trek runs.
A sample three-day shape. Length, lodge, and the second day’s activity are all decided with you.
Kigali to Volcanoes National Park
Met on arrival in Kigali, you drive north through the terraced hills toward Musanze and the foot of the Virunga volcanoes, a journey of roughly two and a half hours, and a fine introduction to the landscape on its own.
Settle into your lodge near the park, with the volcanoes on the skyline. The afternoon is at leisure, and the evening includes a briefing on what to expect from the trek and how the day is organised.
Gorilla trek, Volcanoes National Park
An early start at park headquarters for the ranger briefing and group allocation. You then trek into the forested slopes with trackers and a ranger, trekking time varies from under an hour to several, depending on where your gorilla family has moved overnight.
When you reach them, you have one hour in their presence: the rule that, more than any other, protects them. It is enough. The afternoon is yours to rest and let the morning settle.
Volcanoes National Park to Kigali
An optional second activity in the morning, a golden monkey trek, the Dian Fossey memorial hike, or a community walk in Musanze, before the drive back to Kigali.
Depending on your flight, there is usually time for a short tour of Kigali, one of the most striking capitals in the region, before your onward connection.
Gorilla permits are limited in number, issued by the Rwanda Development Board, and priced per person. They must be reserved well in advance, especially for the June to September dry season. We secure permits as part of planning, so tell us your dates as early as you can.
Typically included.
Indicative only, your confirmed quotation sets out exactly what is covered.
- Private return transfers between Kigali and Volcanoes National Park
- Lodge accommodation near the park, on the agreed board basis
- Services of your driver-guide throughout
- Bottled water and on-the-ground coordination
- Gorilla trekking permit secured on your behalf (priced per person)
- International flights and Rwanda visa
- Travel insurance
- Optional second-day activities and their permits
- Tips, gratuities, and personal expenses
- Anything not specified in your quotation
What you will see.
Tell us your dates, and we will put a trek together.
Because permits are limited, the earlier you reach out, the more we can do. A combined Kenya–Rwanda or Tanzania–Rwanda journey is also possible.