Gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park

Gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park – Rwanda Africa Gorilla Safaris

Gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park – While you plan your Rwanda Gorilla safari to Volcanoes National Park, we bring you the detailed travel guide to ensure a smooth and memorable Gorilla encounter. Read and understand Gorilla tracking to Volcanoes National Park to avoid any disappointments. These include among others:

What to expect the day you trek Gorillas in Rwanda

Carry your Gorilla permit with you as you leave your hotel that morning and make sure you have packed all the necessary gears like gloves, trekking boots, long-sleeved wear, rain jackets, snacks and packed lunch, walking stick very necessary among others, this is what you should expect the day of your Gorilla tracking excursion in Rwanda.

Carry your passport with you as you head to the park headquarters for an early morning pre-tracking briefing by park officials. Your Gorilla permits will be crosschecked with your passports to verify that you are the rightful owner of the Gorilla permit. At this moment, you are expected to be ready with your packed lunch since no one is certain about the time you will take to see these Gorillas.

A cup of tea/ coffee is served as you are being entertained by the local traditional Kinyarwanda dancers to give you a good start of a strenuous yet exciting day before the ranger guide gives you tips on how to conduct yourself on this trek.

After a quick briefing on safety measures and what to expect during the day, you will be grouped in groups of 8 people maximum and each group is assigned one gorilla family to trek. Rwanda has 10 Gorilla families, hence 10 groups of 8 people each are the ones allowed to track on a particular day.

Gorilla tracking in Volcanoes national park – Assigning the groups highly depends on the fitness and age of the guests. For example, those above 45 years and the ones with less fitness are assigned the ‘easy to find’ Gorilla families which do not wander far away from the trailheads. However, even those with special interests about specific groups may inform their guides to help them negotiate with rangers before assigning the groups such that they may be assigned those specific groups too.

Being wild animals in their natural habitat, what may be regarded as easy to find may not necessarily be, as the animals may wander far as they search for food and therefore, it is not a guarantee that they must be near or easy to find. Even those which are allocated to the physically fit and energetic tourists that are always regarded as strenuous to track maybe easily tracked on a particular day which makes the total experience interesting and unpredictable.

Each Gorilla tracking group consists of the main guide and two scouts who carry AK-47 guns, one walking in front and another behind the group. The reason for armed scouts is for protection in the forest against wild elephants or angry, wild gorillas. The scouts are trained to fire shots into the air first in order to scare away the animals but this is only done on rarest occasions when all other options like hiding away from such dangerous animals have been done. We’ve never heard of any case where such animals attacked the tourists and the scouts had to fire bullets through on many occasions, they advise to hide or remain still until the animals go away. However, the policy of the National Park is to be safe rather than sorry.

Gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park – Your group will also have a pair of trackers who will have been sent out in the early morning (prior to your arrival in the park) to find the location of your specific gorilla family and to assess where they may be headed. Trackers communicate the gorilla’s movements to the guide so that he can decide on the best approach to meet the gorilla family.

If you do not trust your fitness, please endeavour to let your guide know such that he may help you to hire a porter at the park gate. A porter is hired at a cost of USD15 but most people give more with a tip on top of that.

Tracking to find the Gorillas

The overall length of your hike to the mountain Gorillas is unpredictable depending on how far the Gorillas have moved to be wild animals. It may take as little as 30 minutes to find your Gorilla family and as long as five to seven hours.

The forest is verdant, humid and somehow light and there are no discernible trekking paths. The terrain is full of hills and steep volcano slopes where you will be required to pull yourself up steep grades by grasping onto branches, plant roots, bushes and more. Follow the lead of the guide as to the best path and form to take. If you need a break, let your guide know.

It is also advisable that you carry with you some energy giving snacks and bottled mineral water to quench your thirst and give you more energy.

Actual Encounter with the Gorillas

Once your group finds the Gorilla family the clock starts ticking. You are advised to stay quiet, move slowly and avoid sudden movements in order not to irritate the Gorillas. Instead, sit down and avoid looking directly into the eyes of the Gorillas as this may also irritate them thinking that you want to fight them.

It’s not a problem to look a Gorilla in the eye, but if he begins charging at you, hold your ground but lower your eyes to indicate that you do not want a confrontation but rather you are submissive. Prepare your cameras and get ready to take as many photos as you want but please remember to remove the flashlights and sounds.

The Gorillas may be feeding on the ground resting, moving around or up in the trees playing about in the branches. Try to get yourself the best view for photographs and learn all their behaviour. Follow them in case they are moving but at a recommended distance which should be no shorter than 7 meters. The most important thing is you staying near your guide and following his instructions always.

For all Gorilla tours, trackers guide you through the jungle clearing the brush with their machete so you can get a clearer and closer look at the Gorillas. It is incredible how graceful and peaceful these animals are, especially considering their incredible size. You’ll be amazed when you see the silverbacks (mature males) get up and move around showing control over the territory.

For tailor made Gorilla safaris and tours in Rwanda and Uganda, contact Great Adventure Safaris and get all the detailed information about booking the Gorilla permits and all you need to plan your Gorilla trip to Uganda or Rwanda.