Gorilla trekking is still one of the leading exclusive safari activities on the African continent. There quite a handful of queries that have always been raised by potential travellers over gorilla trekking in Rwanda. One of the most pressing questions is whether gorilla trekking in Rwanda is worth the money.
Given that it’s the most expensive gorilla trekking experience on the African continent, you cannot wonder whether it is indeed worth the money. But to answer this question, we need to ask your views on conservation, whether you think Rwanda is doing a good conservation job, and lastly whether you believe that it is the most convenient gorilla trekking destination.
Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Convenience
Kigali, Rwanda, has stood out as the most convenient of all other African destinations. Currently, there are five major airlines that fly into Rwanda on a weekly basis. That is Turkish airlines, KLM, Brussels airlines, Qatar airways, and Salam Air. Then Rwanda air itself has direct international flights to London and Dubai, making it easy to connect to this gorilla destination.
Unlike Uganda and Rwanda, it is very possible to do a 1 day gorilla trekking Rwanda safari without too much hustle. It takes around 2.5 hours to 3 hours to drive from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park. This implies that even if you do not sleep around Volcanoes National Park, you can still spend a night in Kigali and still trek gorillas the following day.
This is not the case with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. For these other two countries, you have to spare a day or two simply to transfer to the gorilla national park, besides the full day of trekking. Generally, this is what is often referred to as the convenience of gorilla trekking in Rwanda.
There could be other things that you could wish to look into in regard to convenience but those have to be shared in a separate article addressing specifically the convenience of gorilla trekking in Rwanda.
Rwanda’s Commitment to Conservation
There are quite a handful of conservation initiatives in Rwanda that have a global spotlight. At the forefront is the mountain gorilla conservation initiative headlined by the Kwita Izina annual gorilla naming ceremony. Once upon a time, mountain gorillas were going extinct, but currently they are among the few species that have been able to move out of the critically endangered category. Though more conservation work is still needed, these gentle giants have been able to surpass the 1000 gorilla population mark.
Is Rwanda gorilla trekking worth the money?
This is often the wrong question to ask. Gorilla trekking is not generally an experience alone. In most cases, when people ask this question, they look at it in light of a football match! Is it worth paying $1500 to watch a football match? This does not apply to gorilla trekking in Rwanda.
First of all the gorilla trekking rate in itself is deliberately prohibitive. Many people would love to encounter the mountain gorillas and the only way to reduce the stress on the animals is to limit the people that access the park not only by limiting the number of people that visit but also the amount of money paid.
Unlike the savannah parks where the entrance is open to an unlimited number of people, the gorilla parks have a limited number of people allowed per day. This implies that the cost that would have been carried by other people visiting the park is borne by the few who visit the national park.
Even when you consider a trip such as a 3 day gorilla trekking Rwanda safari, you will find that you will likely spend one day with the gorillas, and the rest of the days you will simply relax or visit another national park. However, it is also possible to trek a different gorilla family per day. But for the majority of people, they simply do one day and try other activities.
In conclusion, the Rwanda gorilla trekking experience encompasses a lot of things. From transport, security, quality accommodation, convenience, cleanliness, and the encounter with the mountain gorillas themselves. When you compound these things together, you notice that Rwanda remains the best gorilla trekking destination on the African continent, with an experience still unmatched by any of its neighbours.