Rwanda Safari: The One Thing Everyone Wishes They'd Booked Twice
by Richard Rwabutogo
The trek back down is when it hits you. You just spent an hour with mountain gorillas and now you want to go again. Immediately.
Permits are sold out. High season bookings happen months in advance. Even if you had time, there are no permits available.
This is what nobody tells you about Rwanda gorilla trekking: one trek creates a problem it can't solve.
Why Primates Are THE Rwanda Safari
If you've done game drives in Tanzania, Kenya, or South Africa, skip Akagera. Rwanda's Big Five park exists, but it's not why you fly here.
Mountain gorillas live two hours from Kigali International Airport. Chimpanzees trek in Nyungwe's montane rainforest. These are the experiences you can't get anywhere else—at least not like this. Uganda's gorilla treks are steeper, harder terrain. Rwanda built accessibility into conservation.
Your Rwanda safari isn't about checking animals off a list. It's about sitting with your closest living relatives while they ignore you, communicate with you, or walk past close enough to touch.
Everyone who tracks gorillas says the same thing: the guides will actually say it to you. "We have Big Five here, but if you've been on game drives anywhere else in Africa, don't bother."
The primates are why you came. Everything else is optional.
Why Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Needs Two Days
Gorillas are rainforest animals with their own schedules. Morning feeding, midday rest, afternoon feeding. Trackers time your arrival for active periods, but gorillas don't follow scripts.
One day you get a family of 22 in an open area—babies playing, silverback watching, constant movement. Next day, different family: the dominant male isn't moving, so nobody moves. You spend your hour watching them rest. Both are real gorilla behavior.
This is why photographers and serious trackers book two treks minimum. Different families, completely different dynamics. The Susa family—two silverbacks, over 20 individuals, typical big family. The Umubano family—six silverbacks, one female, one baby. Six males competing for dominance.
Same mountain, completely different experience. You can't predict which you'll get.
Caption: Mountain gorilla family with babies playing in bamboo forest Volcanoes National Park
Rwanda Safari Photography: What Gear Works
Low light. Moving subjects. Close quarters. Gorilla trekking tests your gear differently than game drives.
For gorillas at Volcanoes:
- 400mm f/2.8 is ideal—close enough for portraits, fast enough for cloud cover and dense forest
- 100-400mm or 100-500mm works if you don't have primes
- 70-200mm is too short unless it's your backup
- Wide angle (16-35mm) only if you have three cameras—gorillas walk past you, but it's rare
You're shooting at f/2.8 or wider when clouds roll in. The forest gets dark fast. If you only have one lens, take the 100-400mm or 100-500mm. Versatile enough for tight portraits and pulling back for context.
For chimpanzees at Nyungwe:
- 100-500mm minimum—chimps stay in the canopy, you're shooting up
- They move fast, cover distance, you're often tracking them through dense forest
- 70-200mm is too short here
Don't overthink it. Hire a porter ($10 minimum)—they carry your gear, help you on slippery sections, hold your hand when terrain gets steep. Even if you're fit, even if your bag isn't heavy. It's their job, they're proud of it, and it makes your trek easier.
For complete Volcanoes National Park details—including all 12 habituated gorilla families, volcano hiking options, and what makes Rwanda different from Uganda's gorilla trekking—visit our Volcanoes National Park guide.
Nyungwe and the Chimpanzees
Nyungwe Forest is Rwanda's other primate experience. Chimpanzee trekking, 13 primate species total, including a troop of 500+ Rwenzori colobus monkeys—black and white, fluffy, babies pure white.
Chimps are harder than gorillas. They cover ten times the distance in a day. You're tracking them through steep terrain, often running to keep up as they move through the canopy. When you find them, they're usually high up—you're photographing upward, neck tilted, trying to catch them between branches.
The payoff: watching chimps navigate fruiting trees, vocalize across the forest, move as a coordinated group. It's louder, faster, more chaotic than gorilla trekking. Less intimate, more dynamic.
Nyungwe also has the Igishigishigi canopy walk—70 meters high, one of the longest in Africa. You're walking above the forest canopy for bird watching and views. Not essential, but worth the 90 minutes if you're already there.
If you have a week in Rwanda: two gorilla treks at Volcanoes, chimp trek at Nyungwe, golden monkey trek. That's the Rwanda safari worth the flight.
Caption: Chimpanzees in tree canopy Nyungwe Forest National Park Rwanda safari
When to Book Your Rwanda Safari
High season (June-September) means $1,500 gorilla permits and packed lodges. Low season (November-May excluding Christmas week) drops permits to $1,050—if you book 2+ nights at Akagera or Nyungwe first.
That's $450 saved per person. For two people: $900. The requirement makes sense anyway—you're experiencing Rwanda's three parks instead of rushing straight to Volcanoes.
Weather predictions don't matter anymore. Rwanda's traditional dry/wet seasons broke down. It rained through June, July, and September in 2025—supposedly the driest months. The "rainy season" forecasts are meaningless now.
What does matter: Rwanda sits at high elevation with near-perfect year-round climate. When rain comes, it's usually brief morning or evening showers, not all-day downpours. You continue your trek either way—gorillas don't cancel for weather.
Book permits 6-12 months ahead for high season, 3-6 months for low season. If you want to experience Kwita Izina (gorilla naming ceremony, first Friday of September), book a year ahead—permits disappear fast during Rwanda's biggest conservation event. You can Book Your Gorilla Permits directly through RDB Visit Rwanda website or Contact Rwanda Safari for free bookings, no commissions added.
For complete timing breakdown including events, discounts, and month-by-month planning, see our Best Time to Visit Rwanda Guide.
Practical Planning
Book gorilla permits months ahead. High season fills fast. Two treks minimum, different days. Parks assign groups based on fitness the night before—you won't trek the same family twice.
Arrive Kigali the night before. The 3-4 hour drive to Volcanoes is windy and steep. Motion sickness is common—bring medication if you need it. Spend your arrival day at the genocide museum. Understanding Rwanda's history matters.
Porters ($10 minimum) aren't optional. They carry gear, stabilize you on mud, push you up steep sections. It's legitimate work.
Pack: hiking boots with grip, long pants, socks over pants (fire ants), layers for altitude, small denomination US bills (new notes). Guides, rangers, porters all get tipped.
Rwanda is safe. You'll leave camera equipment in the car without thinking twice.
Caption: Dian Fossey with mountain gorillas Volcanoes National Park Rwanda pioneering gorilla research and conservation
The Rwanda Safari Everyone Should Take
Two gorilla treks at Volcanoes, chimpanzees at Nyungwe, golden monkeys if time allows. Not Akagera. Not cultural tours. The primates.
Most people book one gorilla trek. By the time they're hiking back down, desperate to book another, permits are gone.
