Gorilla trekking is one of the few tourism activities around the world that observe a limit on the number of people that participate in the interaction with wildlife. Unlike game drives where you have everyone that pays access the park, in gorilla trekking, they have a maximum of 8 people visiting a gorilla family for a maximum of one hour a day.
Rwanda has a total of 12 habituated gorilla families. Two habituated gorilla families have been set aside for research purposes while 10 habituated gorilla families are open to tourists. This implies that Volcanoes National Park Rwanda welcomes a maximum of 80 people per day.
With this limited number of people, the conservation burden that other parks often distribute among tens of thousands of visitors; in gorilla trekking; this conservation and management burden is distributed among less than 30,000 visitors in a year. This has seen the gorilla permit price continually revised over the years.
A permit that once costed less than $500, now costs $1500 per person. However this cost no longer applies to everyone the way it used to be before the covid-19 pandemic. Today the permit rates are divided into four categories; East Africans, Africans, Foreign residents and foreign none residents.
Foreign none residents are charged $1500 per permit. East Africans are charged $200 per permit. Africans are charged $500 per permit, and the same rate is offered to foreigners who are residents in Rwanda. In order to qualify for this category, you must own a Rwandan work permit as a foreigner.
There was fear that after the 2023 promotion, foreign residents would be switched back to the former rate of $1500 per permit. But with Rwanda growing into one of the business hubs of East Africa, it is welcoming a number of expats. In order to tap into the expats market, the country is extending its $500 permit promotion for the foreign none residents in Rwanda.
It is important to note that there is no special distribution of gorilla permits per category per day. There are no special reserved permits for foreign none residents, rather permits are given on a first come, first serve basis. For instance, if 40 East Africans reserve the permits for a given day in advance, only 40 permits will remain to be shared among foreign residents, other Africans and foreign none residents.
Rwanda does not declare permits unavailable in hope of selling permits more expensively to the foreign none residents. However, the country is aware that whoever goes gorilla trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes Park becomes a gorilla tourism ambassador wherever they go. And for this reason, it sells the permits openly on a first come first serve basis.
The $500 permit promotion for the foreign none residents is expected to last up 31st December 2024. For purposes of clarity, this implies that it is possible to secure a foreign resident gorilla trekking permit for a period between today and 31st December 2024. The promotion does not apply to buying 2025 foreign resident gorilla trekking permits before 31st December 2024.
Beyond celebrities and scientists, ambassadors and representatives from various international spheres are joining the chorus advocating for gorilla conservation through firsthand encounters. U.S. Ambassador Peter H. Vrooman lauded the trek’s contribution to conservation, while Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary-General of La Francophonie, highlighted the economic benefits for Rwanda.
Valentin Rybakov, EU Ambassador, led a delegation, solidifying the EU’s commitment to Rwandan wildlife. These treks by global figures transcend personal experiences, becoming powerful statements supporting gorilla conservation and community development, echoing the importance of collective action for a brighter future for these gentle giants.
Besides the above mentioned foreign residents in Rwanda, there are also a number of foreign none residents that have a positive review about their gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda. These include but not limited to Kevin Hart, Leonardo DiCaprio, Prince William and Kate Middleton, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, Ellen DeGeneres, Dian Fossey among several other international notable names.
