Where to Stay During Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Rwanda is the safest country to visit in Africa, one of the cleanest and the best spots for sighting and encountering the human-like primate species of mountain gorillas. Situated in the Northwestern part of the country, Volcanoes National Park is the most popular gorilla trekking destination in Rwanda and covers a total surface area of about 16,000 hectares dominated by Savannah grassland, Afro-montane forests, a wide range of swamps and bamboo forests.

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park involves passing through dense lush forests, hiking steep hilly slopes and tracking mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. The experience is quite challenging but the ultimate experience and very rewarding in the end once the mountain gorillas are tracked.

With its top-notch security system and cleanliness of most of the most accessible spots, Rwanda attracts both domestic and international visitors from all parts of the world yearning to spend their valuable time with the beautiful human-like primate species of mountain gorillas.

Gorilla trekking in the country is the most popular tourism activity and contributes a lot to the economy of Rwanda. Through the central government of Rwanda and the Rwanda Development Board, quality efforts have been made to boost the gorilla trekking sector and the tourism sector in the country.

There are about twelve (12) habituated gorilla family groups in Volcanoes National Park. Each gorilla family group is allocated to a group comprising eight trekkers. All gorilla trekking activities in Volcanoes National Park start off at around 7:30 am in the morning after a simple breakfast and briefing by the park rangers to the trekkers involving what, where and how gorilla trekking should be done and which instructions to follow.

All trekkers are advised to keenly follow the instructions of park rangers and tour guides for they know the easiest accessible tracking trails and the location of mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. The less fit visitors are normally allocated to track nearby gorilla families and not those that have moved for longer distances deep in the dense forests.

All visitors are advised to book their gorilla trekking permits in advance so that the preparations can be made in time since gorilla trekking permits can be hard to secure especially during the peak season of the year.

Part of the money secured from gorilla trekking is meant for supporting community programs and gorilla conservation programs. Gorilla trekking permits in Rwanda are the most expensive compared to other gorilla trekking destinations in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gorilla trekking permits in Rwanda are charged at USD 1500 per person on a daily basis, and this price excludes the porter’s fee and other extra charges. Tour operators in Rwanda can assist in gorilla trekking booking or through the Rwanda Development Board. There are 96 gorilla trekking permits sold out per day for gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park.

There are also several mammal species in the vast park apart from the mountain gorillas including forest hogs, duikers, forest buffaloes, and other primate species including golden monkeys, black and white colobus, red-tailed monkeys, baboons, and more.

The park is also home to about five volcanoes that are part of the Virunga region including the tallest Mountain Karisimbi, others are Bisoke, Gahinga, Muhabura and Sabyinyo making the park one of the best spots for hiking activities while on Rwanda safari tours. Visitors with extra luggage are advised to hire porters for assistance during the hike. Local porters are available and can be hired at USD 10-15.

Loges in Volcanoes National Park

Virunga Lodge

Just across the Virunga volcanoes is Virunga Lodge which offers visitors hiking activities on Karisimbi and Bisoke volcanoes and both golden monkey tracking and gorilla trekking activities. It is one of the best spots to stay while at Volcanoes National Park.

It has a fantastic enough dining room for its visitors and the Diane Fossey map room available. The iconic lodge is just a one-hour drive from Volcanoes National Park headquarters.

Bisate Lodge

Rwandans and most of the visitors consider Bisate as the most luxurious lodge visitors can stay at and explore more of the mighty Volcanoes National Park and offer visitors the most stunning views of some of the Virunga volcanoes such as Mountain Bisoke, Karisimbi and Mountain Mikeno. Aside from its top-notch services, Bisate Lodge gained popularity from being the headquarters of all gorilla trekking activities in Rwanda.

Trekkers opt to spend their quality time at luxurious Bisate due to its proximity to the Volcanoes National Park and provide easy access to all gorilla trekking activities. Situated in the western part of Rwanda and right next to the vast Volcanoes National Park, Bisate Lodge officially opened in June 2017 and lies in the heart of the forest close to Kiningi town.

Birding, nature walking and gorilla trekking are some of the popular tourism activities done at Bisate Lodge. The lodge has high-end rooms with modern-style interiors with stylish architecture tracing its history from the ancient royal palace of the Rwandan monarchy. The lodge’s stunning villas are well-placed and comfortably covered with bamboo thickets.