1 Day Gorilla trekking Rwanda Tour

This short 1-day gorilla trek Rwanda tour starts in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, and begins early in the morning, leading you to Volcanoes National Park, which is situated in the north-western part of Rwanda.

 

This 1-day Rwanda gorilla trekking tour offers an enchanting opportunity to trek the gorillas in their natural environment in the shortest time possible.

 

This one-day Rwanda gorilla trekking tour is perfect for travelers who are in Rwanda for a short time but have some time to spare for wildlife encounters.

This 1-Day Gorilla hiking Rwanda Tour is perfect if you are in Rwanda for a very limited time but have time to spare for a wildlife expedition.

 

The gorilla trekking tour gives you a unique opportunity to track the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat in the shortest time possible.

 

Airport or hotel pick-up and drop-off are included.

 

Travel with an expert guide rated excellent by past clients.

 

Guaranteed gorilla permit.

Stop At: Volcanoes National Park, Musanze Kinigi, Ruhengeri, Rwanda

 

This 1-day Rwanda gorilla trekking tour will start and end in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Our driver will pick you up from your hotel or lodge (after having breakfast or with a packed breakfast) at 4:30 a.m. to start on your 2-hour journey to Volcanoes National park.

 

The journey to Volcanoes National Park takes an average of 2–3 hours, and on reaching the park offices, you will be briefed by park officers and then assigned to a gorilla group to track.

 

You will then be led into the forest by a ranger guide to track the primates.

 

The gorilla hike in Rwanda may take between 1 and 8 hours, depending on the movements of the primates. However, upon locating the gorillas, you will spend an hour with them.

 

Enjoy the unique adventure, and you can take pictures on your 1-day Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Tour.

After 1 hour, which seems to be like minutes, we trek back out of the forest and then transfer back to Kigali.

 

Travel time: 2 hours

 

Meal Plan: Lunch

Rwanda is one of only three countries in the world where critically endangered mountain gorillas live.

 

Gorilla tracking in Rwanda is often described as “life-changing,” and with good reason. With only an estimated 880 Gorillas left in the world, seeing these gentle creatures in their natural habitat is a truly unique moment.

 

Gorillas make their homes in and among the bamboo-covered slopes of the Virunga Mountains in Volcanoes National Park in northern Rwanda.

 

You can also check out the 1-day Akagera National Park Safari

 

Trek to see them, and you’ll be introduced by your expert trackers and guides to one of the fully-habituated families of mountain gorillas.

 

You can stay with them for an awe-inspiring hour, often crouching just a few feet away, while the gorillas go about their daily lives.

 

Hikes in the mountains can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on the family assigned to your group and their location.

 

The journey back can take just as long, but you are often carried along by the euphoria you feel at seeing the gorillas on the 1-day gorilla trekking tour in Rwanda.

 

Mountain gorillas stay in groups of families with females and silverbacks.

 

Mountain gorillas are highly social and relatively stable, and these gorilla groups are held together by strong long-term bonds between females and adult silverbacks, although the relationship among females is always weak.

 

Mountain gorilla groups are non-territorial; group Silverback always depends on his family for any attack outside of his territory. Mountain gorillas life spans range from 40 to 50 years.

1-day Rwanda’s gorilla trekking begins and ends in either Kigali city at your hotel or at Kigali International Airport.

 

On your 1-day gorilla trek, you will need to wake up early, have breakfast, and then drive to the Rwanda Development Board’s offices in Kinigi, where the gorilla trekking adventure begins.

 

The Devine African Safaris quotation for this 1-day gorilla hiking adventure is cost-friendly since it excludes accommodation prices.

 

This 1-day gorilla safari in Rwanda, taking travelers to Volcanoes National Park, is among the most suitable gorilla safaris for budget tourists since it is affordable.

 

You can check out the 2-day Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Tour

 

Furthermore, visitors are free to take part in the Kwita Inzina Rwanda ceremony for naming mountain gorillas throughout the year. Kwita Inzina takes place in September every year at Kinigi Volcanoes National Park.

 

Meanwhile, another price-friendly 1-day gorilla trekking tour takes you to track mountain gorillas in Uganda on gorilla trekking tours in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The 1-day Uganda gorilla trekking safari is much cheaper compared to the 1-day trek in Rwanda, but the distance to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is lengthy.

 

Uganda gorilla trekking safaris take travelers to either Mgahinga Gorilla National Park or Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and begin from either Kisoro or Kabale Town.

 

The 1-day Uganda mountain gorilla unforgettable experience trip starts in Kigali and the Kisoro Cyanika border at 4 a.m., and then travelers are dropped off at the same venues later in the evening.

 

The 1-day Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Tour starts from Kigali city or your booked hotel at 4 a.m. First, your Devine African Safari guide will pick you up from Kigali or Goma, the Republic of the Congo border, or Cyanika, the Uganda-Rwanda border, then drive to Kinigi Volcanoes National Park for registration and a briefing about the dos and don’ts of trekking in the forest.

 

Secondly, tourists are assigned a mountain gorilla family to trek with, depending on their potential and ability, either on medium or hard treks. Then travelers are allowed to enter the African jungle with armed game park rangers while you search for mountain gorillas in their natural environment.

 

Mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park takes from 1–8 hours to see the gorillas. After spending one hour observing these gorillas, you have your lunch at the Muhabura Hotel or a restaurant, and then you are driven back to your respective border or Kigali city.

 

A 1-day Rwanda gorilla trekking quotation includes lunch, park entrance fees, and gorilla trekking permits that must be reserved prior to your travel date.

 

Rwanda's 1-day gorilla trekking safari includes a 4x4 safari car with an experienced English-speaking guide and bottled drinking water for the entire tour journey from the beginning to the end of the trip.

 

After booking immediately, a small deposit is required on your safari’s price so that we can reserve your gorilla trekking permits before they are sold out.

 

Due to limited gorilla trekking permits, tourists are strongly advised to book with us with a small deposit to secure their gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda.

 

The 1-day gorilla hiking Rwanda itinerary and package exclude air tickets to and from Rwanda, visa fees, and private expenses not listed within our itinerary.

Just like the mountain climbing adventure, mountain gorilla trekking requires the following items during the tracking:

 

Water: Mountain gorilla trekking is tiresome, so tourists need to refill their tanks as the trek goes on. Tourists are advised to pack a few water filtration tablets before embarking on the 1-day gorilla trek in Rwanda.

 

Waterproof boots: Tourists going mountain gorilla trekking may need to pack some comfortable water-proof shoes since it rains heavily during the trek in Volcanoes National Park.

 

Rain jacket: Tourists are advised to carry rain jackets because rain is expected anytime in Volcanoes National Park.

 

Snack: Tourists interested in mountain gorilla trekking should carry some light snacks to give them energy during mountain gorilla trekking in the forest.

 

Trousers and shirts: The Volcanoes National Park forest is covered with thick vegetation undergrowth; therefore, long trousers and long-sleeved shirts are highly recommended.

 

Socks: Travelers planning gorilla trekking encounters at Volcanoes National Park are also advised to pack thick, long, or short socks to avoid insect bites or crawling insects.

 

Gloves: travelers for gorilla trekking should carry gardening gloves since they help grab tree branches and thorny trees during the 1-day gorilla trek in Rwanda.

 

Camera: Please pack some good cameras to capture this once-in-a-lifetime expedition (flash lights are not allowed).

 

Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park is situated in Musanze district in the north-western part of the country. Volcanoes National Park is characterized by swamps, open grasslands, and bamboo forests.

 

This national park stretches all the way from Virunga National Park, which is in the current Democratic Republic of the Congo.

 

When Rwanda and the Republic of Congo gained independence, Volcanoes National Park was reduced to its current size.

 

This park stands in one of Africa’s most mountainous zones, including the five chained Virunga volcanoes: Mount Karisimbi, Mount Sabinyo, Mount Bisoke, Mount Muhavura, and Mount Gahinga.

 

Mount Karisimbi is the highest mountain of all, standing at 4,507 meters above the ground.

 

Volcanoes National Park is bordered by Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda and Virunga National Park in the Republic of the Congo.

 

Volcanoes National Park protects over 200 bird species, including hyenas, forest elephants, buffaloes, and many antelope species.

 

Volcanoes National Park’s key wildlife attractions are golden monkeys and mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are arguably the most charming creatures on this planet.

 

Mountain gorillas resemble and behave like human beings. Mountain Gorillas live peacefully and have organized families headed by a dominant silverback.

 

The dominant adult male gorilla dictates calmly everything that takes place in the family but uses force where necessary.

 

Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park mountain gorilla tracking permit in Rwanda goes for $1500 before factoring in lodges, transportation, and other expenses. Rwanda’s mountain gorilla trekking experience is worth every penny.

 

Tourists are always lucky to see other primate species in the wild, considering that some of these primates don’t exist in zoos. More so, tourists get a chance to contribute towards the conservation of these primates as well.

 

Just like mountain gorillas, golden monkeys are also characterized as endangered, surviving in the bamboo shoots within Volcanoes National Park.

 

African golden monkeys are such cute, playful, and shy primates. Golden monkeys’ enemies are only the African Eagle.

Tourists interested in tracking golden monkeys can choose from our 6-day Rwanda gorilla tour and golden monkeys.

 

Volcanoes National Park was the forefront of a great primatologist, the late Dian Fossey. She developed her base between Mt. Karisimbi and Mt. Bisoke in 1967 after being invited by Richard Leakey.

 

Dian Fossey has helped bring attention to the plight of mountain gorillas that were nearly facing complete extinction due to poaching.

 

Dian Fossey went from concentrating on research to also promoting conservation. Dian Fossey was an active conservationist. She was brutally murdered in 1985.

 

The Rwanda Development Board is in control of Volcanoes National Park and all its activities.

 

Besides mountain gorilla trekking, Volcanoes National Park offers other activities such as hiking the chained mountains, golden monkey trekking, touring Musanze caves, the Iby’iwacu cultural center, touring the twin lakes of Burera and Rhondo, and visiting the graveyard of the late Dian Fossey.

 

Tourists to Volcanoes National Park can also fly for a day or two days just to track mountain gorillas or combine it with the above activities. Volcanoes National Park has several mountain families to choose from, and it is important for tourists to select according to their level of fitness.

 

Mountain gorilla hiking in Rwanda can be so challenging, but the once-in-a-lifetime experience of finally viewing mountain gorillas in their natural environment is beyond what travelers can imagine. An hour with the mountain gorillas in the wild is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.