Walking with the Great Apes of Rwanda
Walking with the Great Apes of Rwanda, Rwanda’s great apes mainly consist of gorillas, chimpanzees, and monkeys. These apes are a major attraction for visitors to Rwanda yearly. Walking into the homes of the great apes is one of the best ways of exploring what resides in the Rwanda wilderness. Rwanda offers adventurous walks into the homes of the great apes in Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe Forest National Park, and Gishwati Mukura National Park. The great apes of Rwanda are regarded as critically endangered species, so the government lays strategies to protect them and their homes. The apes include Mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, and different monkey species including, golden monkeys, L’hoest monkeys, mona monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, crowned monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and blue monkeys among others. However, in this write-up, the emphasis is on mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park and chimpanzees in Nyungwe National Park.
Volcanoes National Park is Rwanda’s major park that provides travelers an opportunity to observe the captivating but endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Mountain gorillas are mainly found in three countries, Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Volcanoes National Park lies in the northwestern part of Rwanda covering approximately 16000 square kilometers. The park’s biodiversity comprises afro-montane forests, bamboo forests, savanna grasslands, and extensive wetlands that are home to different wildlife creatures. it is also made up of five of the eight volcanoes that make up the Virungas and they include Mount Bisoke, Karisimbi, Muhabura, Sabinyo, and Gahinga.
Walking with the Great Apes of Rwanda, Though many travelers visit Volcanoes National Park to see the mountain gorillas, the park is also home to different wildlife species including buffaloes, spotted hyenas, golden monkeys, bushbucks, duikers, and several bird species.
The act of walking among the great apes in Rwanda is commonly referred to as trekking and the most thrilling wildlife experience in Volcanoes Park is gorilla trekking. Gorilla trekking is a comprehensive, tiring but memorable life experience that brings you closer to the great apes in their natural habitat. Since the mountain gorillas are found in these three close countries, one can opt for a broader experience and cross to Uganda or DR Congo for a similar excursion. In Uganda, travelers can cross to Mgahinga or Bwindi National Park, and in Congo, visit Kahuzi Biega National Park. No matter which parks you travel to for your tracking activity, the experience is equally rewarding.
The gorilla tracking experience in Volcanoes National Park
Walking with the great mountain gorillas in Rwanda starts with a briefing from the park authorities and rangers at around 7:30 am. During the briefing, participants are divided into groups of eight members and assigned to a particular gorilla family and this is done according to fitness levels. The less fit hikers are assigned to groups close to the starting point. At 8:00 am, the park rangers lead the group to search for the gorillas. Volcanoes National Park has 12 gorilla families so whichever group you are allocated to, the experience remains amazing. Gorilla tracking can take between one to six hours depending on the location of the gorilla group you are assigned on the trekking day. While with the gorillas, it’s important to listen to instructions from your guides, always stay calm, and avoid making unnecessary movements.
Mountain gorillas are always playful and quite curious, use the one hour you are allowed to stay with the gorillas profitably, watch them and observe their behavior, and don’t forget to capture flashless photos and short videos for the memory of your adventure.
Note: If you have much luggage, it is advisable that you hire a porter. Porters are always available at the starting point. The fees for services of a porter. range from $15 to $20. If you consider trevelling with parents or any elderly, inform your tour agent to provide you with detailed guidelines of the trek and the packing list for the elderly and to also inform the park guides in advance to allocate you to a shorter trek.
Another group of popular apes in Rwanda are Chimpanzees that are commonly found in Nyungwe Forest National Park. Nyungwe forest is a long stretch of montane rainforest that is considered the largest in Africa. This forest covers approximately 970 square kilometers lying in the southwestern part of the country, apparently covered by afro-montane forests, bamboo, grasslands, and wetlands. Nyungwe forest is blessed with several animal species with chimpanzees as the leading attraction, monkey species, cerval cats mongoose, leopards, and bird species.
Chimpanzees are other human cousins, very intelligent, and can live up to 60 years. In Rwanda, chimpanzees are commonly found in Nyungwe National Park (Nyungwe forest and Cyamudongo forest) and Gishwati Mukura National Park.
Chimpanzees are quite different from gorillas. Chimps are stubborn, and noisy and always move from one tree to the other. Tracking chimpanzees requires one to be fit enough to follow the primates for long periods as they make quick movements both on the ground and on top of trees before settling down.
Chimpanzee tracking experience in Nyungwe National Park.
Chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park begins with a briefing at 6:00 am. The briefing takes place in either Uwinka, Gisakura, or Kitabi park centers. Trekkers need to wake up early enough for breakfast and prepare to start the activity. Since the forest is large, the only way to find the chimps is to try and reach them before they head out for the day. A group of trackers go into the forest early enough before the trekkers locate the chimps before communicating to the lead ranger /guide about where to find them. Chimpanzees tend to move deep into the thick forest reducing the chances of seeing them. The trackers and rangers are very experienced and knowledgeable about the chimp communities and where to find them. It is much easier to spot the chimps in Cyamudongo forest because it is smaller and easier to cover by foot in a short time.
The tracking exercise takes between 2 to 6 hours or longer. After following the chimps for a while, they may settle down and allow you to observe them more closely as you take photos.
Cost of a gorilla and Chimpanzee tracking permit.
All one needs to know is that Rwanda is a very organized country that systematically issues gorilla and chimpanzee permits to individuals of 15 years and above who are ready to participate in the gorilla and chimpanzee trekking excursions. These permits are obtained from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB). A gorilla trekking permit costs$1500 for nonforeign residents, $500 for foreign residents, and $200 for Rwandan citizens and other East African country citizens.
In the low season of May and November, Rwanda offers discounted permits by 30% that is a permit costs $1050. However, this discount applies to visitors who pre-book two nights in Akagera National Park or Nyungwe National Park or one night in each park while on the same trip.
A chimpanzee tracking permit costs $250 per person.
The permit fees mentioned above are inclusive of the park entrance fees, the guided trek, and the one hour to spend with the gorillas or chimpanzees. It does not include other costs like tips to porters and guides, transportation, and meals.
Best time to go tracking gorillas and chimpanzees in Rwanda.
Whichever time of the year, you choose to visit Volcanoes National Park for gorilla trekking, the activity is always a success. However, most travelers prefer visiting the primate parks in the dry season from June to mid-September and December to February. These months are characterized by little, or no rainfall, and the hiking trails are not slippery. The same dry season applies to chimpanzee tracking but with chimp trekking, trekkers should be ready to move for more hours following the chimps as they always move from one tree to the other as they search for food.
A primate trekking safari can be combined with a wildlife viewing in Akagera National Park. Your tour company should provide a detailed packing list and guidelines for both gorilla and chimpanzee trekking for a successful safari.
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