Gorillas are defined as great primate apes with huge developed brains but no tails. In the whole of Africa, these amazing primates can only be found in three countries that’s Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Rwanda and finally beautiful Uganda the Pearl of Africa. Furthermore, they are trekked in protected areas known as national parks and in Rwanda you can locate them in volcanoes national Park the only one in the whole country, Virunga massif that is Virunga National Park and Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo then finally Mgahinga and Bwindi forest impenetrable National Park found in Uganda.
They live in families/ groups and each consists of about 30-35 individuals. Trekking is always early morning and it starts at the park offices where you represent your trekking permit and be grouped. Only eight people are allowed to trek a group of gorillas in only three hours which is permitted where you are given one hour in search of gorillas, one hour in presence with them while enjoying taking photos, learning their behaviours, their life of living and more others about these apes. Another hour is to retreat to the starting point and meet your safari driver guide to embark on your journey back to the lodge making it three hours for the trek.
In addition to the above, these three hours can be fully enjoyed mostly during the dry season when gorillas can move distance from one place to another in search of food, during patrolling, encounters and hunting. They feed on leaves, shoots, roots, pith and most of the time meat to change their diet. All these are observed while in the presence of gorillas during the dry season
A gorilla permit is an authorized document or card that allows you to visit mountain gorillas and spend one hour in their presence with them. Permits can be booked personally directly through the Rwanda development board (RBD) which is a government body in charge of tourism in Rwanda. You can email them or call directly through their phones for more help or book a permit with the tour company that you are willing to travel with.
For further notice, most people ask themselves whether gorilla permits can be discounted but the fact comes in this article will help you know more about gorilla permits. From the start when gorilla trekking started in Rwanda it once happened in 2020- 2021 when the government of Rwanda offered a discount on permits from 60 to 80 per cent. But after the pandemic, the government had to stabilize its permit payments to the normal and it has never been discounted. Other tourism attachments can be discounted but still during a low season like lodges/ hotels, car rentals and others but not permits.
In other words, the dry season is the best time for gorilla trekkers to get quickly a group to trek compared to the rainy season when the weather is so cool that does not allow them to move for long distances. Gorilla trekking during the dry season comes more interesting and enjoyable since all trails leading you to gorillas are dry hence making trekking more easier and colourful. Not only gorillas can be spotted but hey are other amazing primates you may come across during your walk in search, for example, varvet monkeys, red-tailed monkey, squirrels and many more.
However, the dry season normally appears two times a year that is; from December to February though it rains but not heavily still the gorilla parks are fairly approachable. Another season occurs from June to July and the period is more of sun though it can rain any time in the year.
Those planning to have a safari to Rwanda remember to carry rain gear like jackets, boots, and umbrellas because the weather is unpredictable any time might change, energy giving snacks like biscuits, cookies and so on since trekking consists of some short hikes, good hiking shoes, binoculars to view distant objects, cameras to shoot photos and your back bag packer to carry your gadgets.
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