Rwanda Safaris – Gorilla Tours & Wildlife Experiences

Rwanda safaris include gorilla tours in Volcanoes, chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe and wildlife safaris in Akagera national parks.  At Africa Adventure Safaris (AAS), we offer customized, exclusive  and authentic wildlife safari experiences in East and Central Africa at great discounts. It is our greatest desire to offer you an affordable luxury and memorable gorilla safari and other wildlife experiences. We are very keen on price-sensitive travelers as we observe optimum standards of a safari. Our tour guides are handpicked based on their local  community and wildlife knowledge informed by decades of firsthand experience. Our incredible local connections compel us to go overboard and beyond the guide book to offer an authentic safari experience (refer to our tripadvisor reviews)

2023 Rwanda Safaris: Gorilla Tours & Wildlife

We offer gorilla tours in Rwanda’s   Volcanoes National park, home to the highest population of mountain gorillas in the Virunga Conservation Area. The park shelters 10 gorilla families which are ready for trekking at $1500 per permit.  African Parks together with Rwanda Development Board are responsible for gorilla safaris in Volcanoes National park. The gorilla groups in Rwanda include Agashya, Hirwa, Amahoro, Karisimbi, Umubano, Sabyinyo, Pablo, Titus and Susa A gorilla families. Volcanoes National park spreads over 160 square kilometers . However, RDB is expanding the park by 23% which is 37.4 square kilometers which will create more room for the increasing numbers of mountain gorillas.

In Uganda, gorilla trekking takes place in two national parks. These are Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National park. Uganda gorilla permit prices depend on the traveler’s nationality. Each permit costs $700 for foreign non residents, $600 for foreign residents and UGX250,000 for East African citizens.

Bwindi Forest which is home to the world’s total gorilla population is divided into  four regions (Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga & Nkuringo). You can trek in any one region or book our 4 Days Uganda double gorilla safari gives you chance to trek two different gorilla families in two regions of your choice.

Bwindi gorilla safaris also comprise of gorilla habituation experience which allows you four hours in the company of the endangered gorillas.  The 2-3 years gorilla habituation experience costs $1500 allowing visitors to spend 4 hours with the wild primates. You can also visit to trek Nyakagyezi gorilla family in Mgahinga Gorilla National park

Congo gorilla safaris involve trekking mountain gorillas in Virunga National park and Eastern lowland gorillas in Kahuzi Biega National park. A permit to trek gorillas in Congo costs $450 which make this country the best option for budget travelers. You can also do Mt Nyiragongo hiking experience to extend and make your Congo safari a lifetime experience.

We offer rescue services in case of any eventuality while on a gorilla tour experience or any other wildlife tour ensuring a peaceful and memorable gorilla tracking experience. Africa Adventure Safaris is at your service to reserve gorilla permits as well as customizing suitable gorilla safari packages to Rwanda, Uganda and Congo at a discount!  We pride ourselves in employing experienced staff with indigenous knowledge about wildlife, people and general tourism ideas in Uganda, Rwanda, Congo and the whole of East Africa.

Refer to our travel reviews on gorilla safaris in Rwanda, DR Congo and Uganda.

Africa Adventure Safaris runs fly-in safaris for  visitors with limited time and those who do not want to drive for long hours.  We arrange domestic flights connecting to all national parks in Uganda and Rwanda easing access making travel as fast as possible. Our flying safaris include:

1 Day Uganda Gorilla Tour 

This entails a chartered flight from Kajjansi airstrip in Entebbe to Kihihi airstrip near Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park. The 45 minutes flight to Kihihi eases your connectivity to Bwindi Forest saving you roughly 10 hours of driving from Entebbe.  After trekking, travelers can fly back to Kampala for a departure flight to another destination or just chill at their hotel in Kampala.

1 Day Uganda Gorilla Trek from Kigali

On this trip, travelers fly into Kigali Rwanda and then connect to Uganda via any of the land borders. Cyanika border in Kisoro district easily connects to Rushaga sector home to the highest number of gorilla families (Mishaya, Nshongi, Kahungye, Bweza, Busingye). On the other hand, Katuna border in Kabale district easily connects you to Buhoma sector in the northern region of Bwindi Forest. In Buhoma, you can trek Mubare, the oldest gorilla family in the whole of Bwindi Forest which was habituated in 1991 and opened for trekking in 1993.  Other gorilla groups in Buhoma include Habinyanja, Rushegura, Katwe and Binyindo. The 1 Day Uganda gorilla trek begins very early at 3:3000am with a pick up  from Kigali and transfer to Bwindi Forest

4 Days Kidepo Flying Safari

This is another popular flying safari in Uganda. Kidepo Valley National park is the most remote game park in Uganda and hence the least visited. However, the 4 Days flying safari simplifies  this long distance. On the first day of the four days, you fly to Kidepo and do an evening game drive, Day 2 is for full day game viewing and community tour, Day 3 is for nature walking and game viewing while Day 4 is for flying back to Entebbe.

Top Safaris in Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo (Gorilla Safaris & Wildlife)

Gorilla Trekking
Mountain gorilla trekking is among the most done travel activities bringing a high number of travelers to Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Traveling to see mountain gorillas in their natural habits is rated as a once-in-a-lifetime experience that most travelers yearn to do again and again. The gentle giants live in the jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park and the Virunga Conservation Area shared by Volcanoes, Virunga, and Mgahinga gorilla national parks in Rwanda, Congo, and Uganda respectively. Every traveler must have a valid gorilla ticket as a pass to trek gorillas. A single gorilla permit costs $1500 in Rwanda, $700 in Uganda, and $450 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The choice of where to trek mountain gorillas is upon the client but each gorilla destination offers a unique experience.

Combined gorilla safaris for example the 9 Days Uganda Rwanda gorilla safari, which cuts across different gorilla national parks are recommended for those who have enough time. If you have more time in Uganda, you can do a gorilla habituation experience which allows you to spend four hours with the wild gorillas undergoing training. Uganda Wildlife Authority is currently issuing 4 habituation permits on a daily basis at $1500 for each permit. The experience takes place in the Rushaga sector, south of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park.

Game viewing

Africa Adventure Safaris also offers guided game-viewing trips in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania. The morning, day, and night game drives in the open savannahs of Africa offer you spectacular views of various wild animals.  The top destinations for game viewing in Uganda include Murchison Falls National park which is the oldest and largest park in the Pearl of Africa sheltering a high concentration of wild animals seen roaming in the wilderness. Queen Elizabeth National park is the second largest park in Uganda and home to the endangered tree-climbing lions which live in Rushaga sector south of the p[park. Explore the big five game in Akagera National Park.

Located in eastern Rwanda, Akagera is the only savannah Park in the Land of thousand Hills, a must-visit for anyone visiting this beautiful country. Kidepo Valley Park in Uganda is the least visited destination in Uganda which rewards travelers with a true feeling of the African wilderness. Traveling to Tanzania, you will enjoy the annual wildebeest migration experience in Serengeti National Park. On your African game safari, expect to see a variety of wild animals such as elephants, buffalos, lions, leopards, rhinos, waterbucks, giraffes, impalas, warthogs, kobs, wildebeests, hippos, zebras, okapis among others. Game viewing in most parks is normally accompanied by a boat cruise and a community visit to the nearby local communities

Golden monkey trekking
A visit to see golden monkeys is a remarkable experience, an addon to mountain gorilla trekking and other wildlife experiences in Uganda and Rwanda. Scientifically known as  (Cercopithecus kandti), the Golden monkey is a specie of the old world monkey that survives in the Virunga mountain regions in Mgahinga Gorilla National park Uganda, and Volcanoes National park in Rwanda. Travelers who have visited golden monkeys before rate this primate encounter as a “lifetime” experience. The endangered primates are known for their active and playful behaviors which make their encounter. You will need a golden monkey trekking permit which costs $100 inclusive of the park entrance fee, conservation fee, and government taxes. The permit allows you to be with the endangered golden monkeys for an hour counted from the time you see them. Golden monkey habituation experience allows you more hours (half a day) with the wild monkey undergoing training.

Chimpanzee Trekking

Chimpanzee trekking rewards you with an up-close encounter with Man’s closest relative.  The experience ranks second to mountain gorilla trekking and it brings quite a high number of travelers to Africa. Sharing over 89% of human genes, chimpanzees are the closest relative to human beings hence worth visiting. Kibale Forest National park in Uganda is the top destination for chimpanzee trekking in Africa. The rain forest is known as the “primates capital “of Africa due to the high number of primates inhabiting there.  In addition to chimpanzees, Kibale forests shelters other 12 primates which include Vervet monkeys, Blue monkeys, Vervet monkeys, Red tailed monkeys, Grey-cheeked monkeys, Olive baboons, L’Hoset monkeys, Red and black colobus monkeys among others.

Nyungwe forest national park in southwestern Rwanda is another popular destination where chimpanzee trekking takes place.  The other places where you can see chimpanzees include Karizu forest, Ngamba island, Kyambura gorge, and Budongo forest both in Uganda. The chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale Forest offers you a 4-hour encounter with the endangered primates. The experience is normally accompanied by other activities such as nature walks, bird watching and community tours among others.

Bird watching tours
Are you a birder and looking to explore different bird species? Africa Adventure Safaris offers customized birding trips across Africa. Join our guided birding safaris to  Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo exploring the notable bird species some of which are rarely found anywhere else in the world.  The top birding spots in Uganda include lake Victoria, Mabamba swamp, kazinga channel, Budongo forest, and Entebbe botanical gardens. Rwanda birding trips are well done in along the Akagera River, the shores of Lake kivu, and Nyungwe forest national park. In Congo, birding is done in Garamba national park, Okapi national park, Bwindi Lulimbi, and Lendu plateau. Expect to see various bird species such as the Shoebill stork,  African darter, Yellow-billed stork, Common bulbul, yellow-billed kite, red bishop, grey crowned crane, pied crow, Egyptian goose, hamerkop, Grey heron, African grey hornbill, pied crow, and cattle egret among others.

Mountain Climbing
We offer you customized mountain climbing safaris in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our mountaineering trips take you to the summit of snow-capped Margarita, the highest peak of Mount Rwenzori located in western Uganda. Our mountaineering trips also entail hiking volcanoes in the Virunga Conservation area. The most hiked volcanoes in the Virunga Massif include Mt karisimbi which is the tallest volcano standing at 4,507 meters above sea level situated in the borders of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The iconic volcano can be hiked in two days with an overnight on the mountain slopes.  Mount Nyiragongo located in Virunga National park is an active stratovolcano that last erupted in 2021. The summit of Nyiragongo Volcano shelters the world’s largest lava lake which makes it a natural wonder. Other mountains to hike t include Mt Elgon, Mt Muhabura,  Mt Bisoke, Mt Gahinga, Mt Sabyinyo, and Mt Mikeno among others.

Cultural encounters
In addition to wildlife, Africa Adventure Safaris offers guided cultural tours to explore and learn about some indigenous tribes in Uganda and Rwanda.  The most visited local tribes include the Batwa pygmies and the IK people in northern Uganda. The Batwa cultural trail in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a not miss on your Uganda safari. In this experience, the Batwa guides lead travelers into Mgahinga Forest to learn about the traditions, norms, and customs of these short people.  The Batwa will demonstrate their forest activities such as hunting, fruit gathering, picking flowers, and medicinal herbs, and visiting Ngarama cave. The gorilla guardian village in Rwanda introduces you to the traditions of  Rwanda. Travelers take part in local activities such as peeling matooke, preparing local foods, babysitting, brewing local beers, and many others.

Watch: Game drive tour in Murchison Falls National Park

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