1 day gorilla trekking tour Rwanda leads you to the hilly areas of volcanoes national park to trek the gorillas.  Gorilla trekking is the most popular activity of any Rwandan tour. Starting from the heart of the country’s capital-Kigali, you will pass by many hills that provide a true reflection to the land of a thousand hills. Rwanda is the best country in which to trek the gorillas. This is because of the easy access to the park which is located an estimated 2 to 3 hours from Kigali. The park borders two other parks which are in Uganda (Bwindi Impenetrable National Park) and DRC (Virunga National Park) all of which are nested within the Virunga mountains. 5 of 8 of these mountains are located within volcanoes national park.

Volcanoes National Park is known to be home to a population of over 400 mountain gorillas, including the 10 families or groups that have been habituated for tourism. Each of these gorilla groups can be tracked everyday within the Virunga forests by a maximum of 8 people using gorilla permits. Each gorilla tracking permit in Rwanda goes for 1500 USD, which is more expensive as compared to other destinations like Uganda (700 USD) and DRC (400.) The gorilla permits are more expensive because more money goes into conservation efforts and benefit of the local population. On your 1 day gorilla trekking tour Rwanda, you will have the opportunity of unveiling all the hidden truths of the forests by yourself. Gorilla trekking takes around 1 to 5 hours depending on the location of the mountain gorillas within the forests.

Besides the mountain gorillas, Volcanoes National Park is also home to the endangered golden monkeys, buffalos, black-fronted duiker among others. For bird enthusiaststhe park is an Important Bird Area and hosts an estimated 200 species of birds, 12 of which are endemics. Depending on your schedule, you can also go for golden monkey trekking and conduct a visit to the Dian Fossey tombs.

The 1 day gorilla trekking tour in Rwanda is ideal for those who wish to venture in wildlife and nature-related activities but have limited time.

General Tips:

• Please note the age limit of 15 years and above for gorilla tracking.
• Book your permits well in advance as only 8 permits are issued per gorilla group in a day. There are 10 habituated gorilla groups in Volcanoes National Park.
• You should be free from infectious diseases such as Flue which can be passed to the gorillas since humans share 98% DNA with gorillas. If you are found to carry an infectious disease you will not be allowed to track.
• Every participant has the chance to hire a trekking assistance (porter) who will help carrying the bags and support whenever it is needed. For the trekking assistant an additional fee of US$ 10 is charged.
• Do not use flash photography.
• Littering in the forest is not allowed! 
• You are required to maintain a distance of 7 metres when you reach the gorillas. In certain  instances the young gorillas may come closer to you out of curiosity to touch you. However, you are not expected to respond because the silverback could respond violently as it tries to protect the young one from you.

What to bring:

• Bring proper walking boots, long trousers and rain gears as you will be hiking through Bwindi Forest.
• Insect repellant is recommended.
• At least 1-2 liters of drinking water per person during the trekking.
• Hiking boots, gloves, rain jacket.
• Camera and extra batteries.
• sunscreen and a sun hat, since the sun may be hot during the day.
• waterproof bags to protect cameras and other equipment when hiking, just in case it rains.