GORILLAS IN RWANDA
Gorillas in Rwanda : Mountain gorillas in Rwanda are only found in Volcanoes national park. The park is situated in Musanze, just two hours from Kigali international airport. The national park borders Mgahinga Gorilla national park in south-western Uganda and Virunga national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Gorillas are said to share a lot of similarities with human beings from intelligence to DNA. Mountain gorillas are large primates that have a life span of 40 to 50 years, the female gorillas give birth to one infant after a period of nine month just like human beings, and breast feed their young ones for two and a half years.
Mountain Gorillas know how to climb but they prefer to live on ground where they construct nests as their shelter and live in groups of up to 30 individuals with females, juveniles, black backs and mature males the silverbacks which dominates the group. The silverback organizes daily activities of the family, offers protection, and settles disputes in the family among others.
Mountain gorillas in volcanoes national park feed on leaves, stems, roots, bamboo, shoots, insects like ants among others and a female gorilla can eat over 15kgs of vegetation per day, can eat over 15kgs of vegetation per day, young ones can consume over 5 to 7kgs a day and a silverback can eat over 30kgs of vegetation a day hence weighing between 180 to 220kgs.
Mountain gorillas can communicate with each other using over 25 different vocal sounds which include grunts and barks sounds used to trace other individuals, screams and roar sounds used for warnings for example when there is danger the silverback uses screams and roars to warn other members in the family.
Gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda
Gorillas in Volcanoes national park can only be seen when one does gorilla trekking which is the most done activity by tourists in the national park where visitors move on foot in the jungle in search of the gorilla families. Gorilla trekking in volcanoes national park allows a maximum number of eight people to trek each gorilla family and spend one hour with the habituated gorillas in their natural habitat.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is done in volcanoes national park. The national park is a home of 10 habituated gorilla families which include Susa family the largest group in the park with 38 members, Amahoro family with 18 members, Agashya family with 27 members, Karisimbi family with 16 members, Sabinyo family with 13 members, Hirwa family with 16 members, Bwenge family with 11 members, Kwitonda family with 18 members, Umubano family with 9 members and Ugenda family with 11 members.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is an interesting and exciting activity that starts early in the morning at 7am at the park headquarters in Kinigi. Visitors first go for a briefing and then allocated Gorilla groups depending on their physical fitness. The park allows a maximum number of eight people per day to trek each gorilla family therefore there are about 80 gorilla trekking permits issued in volcanoes national park on a daily basis where visitors spend one hour in the presence of the gorillas once found.
You can also engage in other activities during your visit to Volcanoes national park in Rwanda such as bird watching, nature walks, mountain climbing, community encounters among others which give you great, interesting and exciting moments on your safari hence giving you unforgettable lifetime moments.
Cost of a Gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda
A gorilla trekking permit is a document that allows a visitor above the age of fifteen to participate is gorilla trekking activity in volcanoes national park and spend one hour with the gorillas in their natural environment.
A single Gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda costs $1500 for all nationalities and it’s the highest gorilla trekking permit in Africa compared to Uganda whose gorilla trekking permit costs $ 600 and Congo whose gorilla trekking permit costs $400. However the high cost of trekking gorilla permits in Rwanda doesn’t stop visitors from going to volcanoes national park, the park still remain one of the best tourist destinations that attracts big numbers of visitors for gorilla trekking.
Gorilla trekking Lodges in Rwanda.
Gorilla trekking lodges in Rwanda include Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge, Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, Mountain Gorillas Nest Lodge, Sabyinyo Silverback lodge, Gorilla Solution Lodge, Hotel Muhabura, Virunga Lodge, Le Bamboo Gorilla Village, Kinigi Guest House among others which offer comfortable shelter, prepare quality meals, cool and quiet environment for relaxation before or after a gorilla trekking activity or hiking.
Conclusion: Gorillas are one of the endangered primate species according to the IUCN Red List and hence it is really vital that we do everything in our power to protect and conserve these majestic creatures for future generations to come. Gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park gives visitors an opportunity to see some of the gorilla families in the park, learn about their behaviors, feeding, enjoy the juveniles entertaining the family by playing with each other in the trees among others.
