New Incentives for Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has announced new gorilla trekking incentives for both African and International tourists in order to boost the country’s tourism amidst Covid-19 challenges.
The new incentives include a gorilla trekking promotional rate of $500 to citizens of any African country who hold official identification documents. For international tourists (non-African citizens) travelling in a group of 100 and more, they will enjoy gorilla trekking at a promotional rate of $500 with the following conditions;
• Guests spend a minimum of 7 days in a country and spend at least 3 nights in any of the National Parks or adjacent hotels
• Dates are not changed except for medical reasons and presentation of medical certificates, including Covid-19 travel restrictions by some countries.
According to RDB, the above offer is valid until May 2021 while the current promotional rates for domestic tourists including East African citizens and foreign residents of Rwanda of $200 and $500 respectively have also been extended to the same period.
RDB stresses that the offer was announced as part of Rwanda’s ongoing strategy to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 on the tourism industry and the economy in general.
It should be noted that Rwanda’s gorilla trekking permit is sold at $1,500 to both local and international tourists under normal circumstances and the therefore the introduction of these new promotional rates will be seen as a great discount to gorilla trekking lovers.
Mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda
Rwanda is one of the only 3 countries in the world with mountain gorillas joined by Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on that list. Rwanda’s mountain gorillas live in Volcanoes National Park in the northwest of the country which is also part of the Virunga Massif, a geographical region shared by these 3 countries well known for protecting the endangered mountain gorillas. Volcanoes National Park has about 10 habituated groups of mountain gorillas which are visited by tourists on a daily basis. The gorilla trekking rules require that each gorilla group is visited by a group of 8 tourists per day who are permitted to spend one hour in their presence in order to promote their conservation.
Rwanda, the best gorilla trekking destination
Despite having the most expensive gorilla permit compared to her neighbors of Uganda and DRC, Rwanda continues to dominate as the best gorilla trekking destination in the region. This is due to different factors including quality services in accommodation, transport, the short distance between the airport and the gorilla habitat (3-hour drive) and the nature of gorilla trekking in the park which is less tenacious compared to the other two countries.
Other tourist attractions in Rwanda
Rwanda is a one stop tourist center with almost all the popular African tourist activities available in the Land of a Thousand Hills, from wildlife to adventure and cultural safaris. In addition to gorilla trekking, other popular safaris in Rwanda include chimpanzee tracking, game viewing, bird watching, canopy walks, adventure tours like mountain climbing and amazing cultural experiences. Rwanda is now home to all the famous Africa “big five” which include lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhinoceros and all these can be found in the country’s largest savannah game reserve of Akagera national Park. Nyungwe Forest National Park in the southwest of the country is the country’s primate tracking destination with a variety of primate species including chimpanzees and monkeys and hundreds of bird species for bird watchers. Other popular activities in Nyungwe include Canopy walks and nature tours. Rwanda’s cultural and historical tours include visits to the genocide memorials in Kigali, market tours and meeting the amazing Batwa pygmies who live around the gorilla habitat of Volcanoes National Park.
For gorilla safaris and other tours in Rwanda, Uganda or around East Africa click here to book or inquire for more information.
