Chances of Seeing Gorillas in Rwanda Offers 98% Success Rate

Rwanda offers about 98% chances of you seeing gorillas in the wild. The success rate of seeing gorillas can be attributed to different factors, including pre-trekking sessions by trackers to locate gorilla families, and also conservation efforts by the park authorities.

Gorilla trekking is a unique adventure that Rwanda is most popular for, and mainly involves visiting already habituated families of mountain gorillas. It is one of the most organized adventures involving early planning and booking to ensure that everything is settled before the actual visit to the mountain gorillas.

The pre-tracking sessions of the gorilla families involve ranger trackers to embark on the search for the gorillas before the visitors officially start their trek/walk. The ranger guides and trackers keep in touch from the moment to set off from the briefing to the forest.

The trackers direct the guides where the groups are present, and this is one of the factors that has contributed highly towards the higher chances of seeing gorillas in Rwanda and other destinations.

Visit already habituated gorilla groups –gorilla tourism is mainly conducted on multiple gorilla groups that have been opened to the public/tourism. These gorilla groups undergo full training, whereby they become familiar with human presence.

What About the Remaining 2%

During the gorilla trekking session, visitors have a 98% success rate of seeing gorillas in Rwanda. The 2% that remains mainly is due to the key factors that influence the entire adventure. Among the significant factors with an impact on the chances of viewing gorillas in the wild are visitors’ fitness levels and the specific location of the families.

The fitness levels role toward the Chances of Seeing Gorillas in Rwanda

Visitors with plans to go on a gorilla trekking safari require a significant level of fitness to be able to enjoy a round adventure. To locate mountain gorillas in the jungle, you should be fit since the entire trek can take about 2-6 hours. This involves navigating via the forest, and perhaps you can bump into steep slopes or slippery areas.

Where to go to see gorillas in Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park is where mountain gorillas are trekked in Rwanda. The Park is situated in Musanze district, Northwestern Rwanda, and is approximately a 2-3 hour drive from Kigali. Volcanoes National Park is part of the Virunga region in East-Central Africa and is currently inhabited by a total of 13 gorilla groups –these are open primarily for trekking.

The Park’s diverse gorilla groups include the Umubano group, Agashya gorilla family, Susa A, Kwitonda gorilla group, Hirwa, Amahoro family, Bwenge, Muhoza, Kwisanga, and Noheli.

What to expect

• Trekking time: The duration of the trek can vary from as little as 30 minutes to as long as six hours, depending on the gorillas’ location that day.
• Seasonal variations: Chances of seeing the gorillas are high year-round, but trekking may be easier during the dry season (June to October and December to March) as the trails are less slippery and the vegetation is shorter.