Rwanda Gorilla Trekking
About two and a half hours by road from Kigali International to Kinigi, at the foot of the Virunga volcanoes, and a gorilla family on the slopes above. Rwanda's permit is USD 1,500, and what it buys is a short road.
A starting point, not a packagebuilt around your dates, and how long you want to stay
fromUSD 3,900per personfrom, per person, two sharing, permit included
Volcanoes is two and a half hours from Kigali airport.
Southern Bwindi is about four and a half, plus the border, and USD 700 cheaper.
We will tell you both sides of this. Rwanda's permit is USD 1,500 against Uganda's USD 800. What you buy for the difference is time: Kigali International to the park headquarters at Kinigi is about two and a half hours on tar, where southern Bwindi is about four and a half hours from Kigali plus the border, or about nine and a half from Entebbe.
So if you have three days and no appetite for a long drive, Rwanda is the better trip and the price is honest. If you have five days, or the saving matters more than the hours, we will build you the Uganda version instead and say so plainly.
The trek itself is different ground. Volcanoes is open bamboo and farmland giving way to steep volcanic slope, starting around 2,500 metres. It is harder on the lungs than Bwindi.
Highlights
The itinerary
Kigali to the foot of the Virungas
We meet you at Kigali International. If you have the afternoon, the Genocide Memorial is worth the afternoon and it changes how you read the rest of the country, which is otherwise so orderly that it tells you nothing about where it has been.
Then north on good tar, through terraced hills farmed to the ridgeline, until the Virunga volcanoes line up across the horizon. About two and a half hours, and you are at the foot of them.
115 km, about 2 hours 40
LuxuryLodge in sight of the volcanoes
PremiumComfortable lodge near Kinigi
Volcanoes: the gorilla trek and one hour with a family
Briefing at Kinigi at seven. You are put into a group of no more than eight and assigned a gorilla family.
Then up through farmland and onto the slopes. The ground is volcanic and steep and the air is thin. When you reach them the hour starts.
On foot, from under an hour to most of the day
LuxuryLodge in sight of the volcanoes
PremiumComfortable lodge near Kinigi
Lake Kivu, or straight back to Kigali
If you are flying out, it is about two and a half hours back to Kigali and you will be at the airport in good time.
If you have the days, go west to Lake Kivu instead, about an hour to Rubavu. Visit Rwanda says the lake has no hippos or crocodiles, so kayaking is safe; we stay out of the water. Two nights, then back to Kigali through Nyungwe or the direct way, depending on whether you want to add chimpanzees.
About 1 hour to Rubavu on Lake Kivu, about 2 hours 15 back to Kigali
LuxuryLakeshore lodge with a terrace
PremiumHotel on the water at Rubavu
Permits are released per day, and the best months go first.
Give us an approximate date and we check availability against it. No payment, no obligation.
What your trip includes
Gorilla permit, USD 1,500 per person
Full board throughout
Private 4x4 and driver-guide, the same one all trip
All park fees and government taxes
Airport collection and return, Kigali
What it does not cover
International flights
Rwanda visa
Porter on the trek
Golden monkey permit, USD 100
Tips, alcohol and personal items
Single room supplement
Not quite the trip you had in mind? Every departure is private, so the length and the lodges are yours to change. Tell us what you want.
Rwanda
Kigali is the cleanest, best-connected arrival point in the region and the reason this itinerary works: you land there in the morning and sleep beside the forest that night. Rwanda also has its own gorillas in the Virungas, Nyungwe’s chimpanzees along the canopy walk, and Akagera, the only big-five park in the country.
Altitude, permits and Lake Kivu: what to know before you book
What to bring
- Waterproof jacket and thick gloves
- Long trousers you can tuck into your socks
- Ankle boots with real grip
- Gaiters if you own them, the mud is deep
- Two litres of water
- Insect repellent
- Small notes in cash for your porter
Before you ask
Rwanda or Uganda for gorillas?
Rwanda if you have three days and want the shorter drive: Kigali to the park is about two and a half hours, where southern Bwindi is about four and a half from Kigali plus the border. Uganda if the USD 700 permit saving matters more than the hours, or you want to combine gorillas with the Big Five. We will build either and tell you which suits your dates.
How hard is the trek at altitude?
Harder on the lungs than Bwindi. Treks start around 2,500 metres and climb through bamboo on volcanic ground. If you live at sea level you will feel the first hour. Porters can be hired at the park headquarters for a small charge, and are worth it.
How far ahead should I book?
As early as you can. Send your dates and we check Rwanda Development Board availability before anything else is decided.
What happens if I need to cancel?
Nothing is paid when you enquire. Once you confirm, we buy your gorilla permit from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in your name. If you cancel, whether any of the permit price comes back is RDB's decision under its own rules, not ours. If your dates change instead, tell us and RDB moves the permit to a new date when permits are still available on that date, for a charge of 20% of the permit price. What happens to the rest of your payment is set out in your booking confirmation, and we give you your deposit amount and balance date in writing before you pay anything.
Can I add golden monkeys?
Yes, from age 12. The permit is USD 100, and no more than 16 visitors go to each golden monkey group, by the Rwanda Development Board's rules.
How soon will you reply?
Within one working day, with a route, a price with nothing hidden in it and an honest view on whether Rwanda or Uganda suits what you want.
Tell us roughly when
hello@wildroutetours.com
A trip designer replies within one working day.