ENCOUNTERSAFRICA
5-Day Gorillas & Golden Monkeys

Rwanda - Fly-in safari

5-Day Gorillas & Golden Monkeys

Duration
5 days
Countries
Rwanda
Suited to
2-8 guests
Pricing
From USD 11,080

The journey

Rwanda makes gorilla trekking straightforward in a way nowhere else does. Kigali is under three hours from the trailheads on good tarmac, the park is well run, and the lodges are excellent. Virunga Lodge sits on a ridge with volcanoes on one side and Lake Bulera on the other. From there you trek: one hour with a habituated gorilla family, which is all anyone is permitted and more than enough to reorder how you think about primates, and a gentler morning with the golden monkeys found only in this volcano chain. The permit is the single largest cost and it is not discountable outside the green season.

Your camps, day by day

Stay 1

Kigali to the Virunga foothills

Land at Kigali International - small, calm, startlingly orderly - and drive north. The road to Musanze is good tarmac through terraced hillsides cultivated to the ridgeline, with the Virunga volcanoes rising beyond. Two and a half hours. Virunga Lodge sits on a ridge between two lakes, and the view from the deck is why people book it. An evening briefing, and an early night.

Stay 2

Gorilla trek

Leave before dawn for Kinigi park headquarters and the allocation - roughly 96 permits a day across a dozen habituated families, matched to fitness and where each family slept. Then a trailhead, and you walk. It might be an hour, it might be five, on steep wet ground. And then the trackers stop, and there they are. You get one hour. It goes very fast.

Stay 3

Golden monkeys and the lakes

A gentler morning. Golden monkeys are an endangered subspecies found only in this volcano chain, and they are the opposite of the gorillas - fast, constant, bright orange against green bamboo, and a genuine challenge to photograph. The walk is short and mostly flat. The afternoon is free: a boat on Lake Bulera, a village walk, or the deck. Guests wanting a second gorilla trek take it today instead.

Stay 4

Dian Fossey, or rest

An optional hike to Dian Fossey's tomb at the old Karisoke site, where she is buried beside Digit, the gorilla whose killing pushed her into the fight that eventually cost her life. A steep three-hour round trip, and not really about the walk. Guests who would rather not climb again spend the day at the lodge, visit the Musanze caves, or tour a coffee farm on the lower slopes.

Stay 5

Out

A relaxed morning and the drive back to Kigali. If your flight is late enough there is time for the Kigali Genocide Memorial, which is difficult and important and which most visitors are glad to have made room for. Then the airport, and out.

Safari highlights

  • One hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family
  • Golden monkey trek - an endangered subspecies found only in the Virungas
  • Virunga Lodge, on a ridge between Lake Bulera and Lake Ruhondo
  • Gorilla permit included in the price
  • Optional hike to Dian Fossey's tomb at the old Karisoke site

What is included

Included

  • Four nights at Virunga Lodge, per person sharing, full board
  • All meals, house drinks and lodge activities
  • One gorilla trekking permit (USD 1,500 value)
  • One golden monkey trekking permit
  • Private road transfers Kigali to Virunga Lodge return
  • All park transfers to and from trailheads
  • Park entry and ranger guiding
  • Emergency medical evacuation cover

Not included

  • International flights to and from Africa
  • Rwanda visa, USD 50
  • Second gorilla permit if requested, plus USD 2,180 per person including the extra day
  • Dian Fossey tomb hike, USD 75 per person
  • Porters, USD 20-25 per trek - strongly recommended
  • Travel insurance (mandatory)
  • Gratuities

Frequently asked questions

How much does gorilla trekking in Rwanda cost?

This 5-day itinerary starts at USD 11,080 per person sharing, including four nights at Virunga Lodge, one gorilla permit, one golden monkey permit and all transfers. Green-season departures start at USD 7,480. The gorilla permit alone is USD 1,500 per person per trek, set by the Rwanda Development Board. International flights are not included.

Why is a Rwanda gorilla permit USD 1,500?

It is the highest gorilla permit price in Africa and it is deliberate. Rwanda uses price to cap visitor numbers at roughly 96 people per day across all habituated families, and 10 percent of revenue goes directly to surrounding communities. Uganda charges USD 800 for the equivalent experience. Rwanda's argument is that the higher price funds the conservation that brought mountain gorillas back from under 250 animals to over 1,000.

Is there a cheaper time to trek gorillas in Rwanda?

Yes. The Rwanda Development Board discounts the permit to USD 1,050 for treks between November and May, conditional on a minimum two-night stay in Rwanda and an itinerary that also includes Nyungwe or Akagera National Park. Green season means more rain and muddier trails, but the gorillas are unbothered and the forest is at its most beautiful. We confirm current terms with RDB at the time of booking.

How difficult is gorilla trekking?

Moderate to demanding. Treks run from one to six hours each way at altitudes between 2,500 and 3,000 metres, on steep ground that is frequently muddy and dense with stinging nettles. Rangers assess fitness at the morning briefing and assign you to a family accordingly, so answer honestly. Hiring a porter makes a substantial difference and supports local employment. Sedan chairs are available for those who cannot walk it.

How close do you get to the gorillas?

Park rules require a seven-metre distance, though the gorillas have not read the rules and regularly come closer, at which point you back away slowly. You get one hour with the family from the moment they are located. Masks are required at times, flash photography is banned, and anyone with a cold or flu will be turned back - gorillas are highly susceptible to human respiratory infection.

Should I do one gorilla trek or two?

One is enough to have the experience. Two is better if the budget allows. The first hour is overwhelming and most people spend it processing what they are seeing; the second time you know the shape of the day, you are calmer, and you actually watch. A second trek adds roughly USD 2,180 per person including the extra night.

Rwanda or Uganda for gorilla trekking?

Rwanda is easier and more expensive - Volcanoes National Park is under three hours from an international airport on good roads, and the lodges are excellent. Uganda's Bwindi is a nine to ten hour drive from Entebbe or a light-aircraft flight, the permit is USD 800, and the forest is denser and wilder. If time is short, Rwanda. If budget matters more than time, Uganda.