Rwanda Gorilla Permit Cost – Rwanda Gorilla Tours
This is one of the most important travel information for first-time travelers to Rwanda for gorilla trekking. Each Rwanda gorilla permit cost is US$1,500. A Rwanda gorilla permit is a document issued to any client who needs to go gorilla trekking. It is only after purchasing a gorilla permit that any person of 15 years and above can be allowed to trek gorillas in Rwanda. Each person has to present a Rwanda gorilla permit at the park headquarters to be allocated a desired or random gorilla family to trek. Rwanda is part of the three Africa tour destinations that have mountain gorillas. The country is located in the central-eastern Africa region which makes seeing gorillas an activity that can be combined with different East Africa tours. In Rwanda, mountain gorillas are found only in the Volcanoes National Park (Parc National des Volcans) which is part of the Virunga massif along with two other gorilla habitats. These are Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Virunga National Park in Uganda and Congo respectively. The Rwanda gorilla permit is the highest of all the gorilla permits in Africa but is surely worth it. The cost of the Rwanda gorilla permit was doubled from US$ 750 in 2017 in a bid to promote conservation efforts for the mountain gorillas as well as make Rwanda tourism top-notch. Each tourist should make sure to book a gorilla permit in advance at least 3 months before the desired trekking date since they are in high demand and last-minute booking may bring disappointments. Each person intending to trek mountain gorillas in Rwanda should be above the age of 15. After purchasing a gorilla permit, each individual is expected to report to the park headquarters in Kinigi on the morning of their trek. It is during this time that tourists undertake a briefing and are allocated a gorilla family to trek. Gorilla families are allocated randomly to every 8 individuals, however, in case a person has specific interests they can communicate to the park rangers such that the desired group can be allocated.
For those visiting Rwanda gorillas in 2020, gorilla trekking tour permits have been discounted to US$ 200 for Rwandans and East African citizens residing in Rwanda and US$ 500 for foreign residents. The Rwanda gorilla trekking permits for international tourists, however, haven’t been discounted and are still at US$ 1500. This promotional discount will be inclusive of the Covid-19 test cost that ends 31st December 2020.
