The eco luxury gorilla expeditions will take you to such a destination where eco tourism is the number one activity to promote gorilla survival in their natural jungles. Volcanoes National Park is the most eco luxury park where you can go for gorilla expeditions. Dian Fossey an American primatologist established a research centre with great need to find ways to save and protect gorillas from abuse and extinction pioneered saving mountain gorillas in Africa. She setup a gorilla study site at Karisoke, located in Rwanda, between Karisoke and Bisoke mountains.
She put in a lot of effort to fight against poachers who were at a high rise. It was poachers who later murdered Dian Fossey who was buried at her Karisoke centre but her message on saving endangered mountain gorillas caught the world attention and the concerned governments on the great need to practice proper eco tourism to save the mountain gorillas of Africa.
Till today a lot of effort has been invested into mountain gorilla conservation with all problems, which were affecting gorillas addressed. Gorilla numbers have gone up from less than 250 gorillas to over 1000 gorillas surviving in central and east Africa.
She is really an eye opener to the conservation of mountain gorillas making gorilla trekking a leading tourism activity in Rwanda. With the foreign exchange earned from gorilla safaris, funding conservation projects would be easy to manage.
Rwanda government introduced an annual profit-sharing scheme, where 5% of income earning from gorilla tourism is ploughed back into the disadvantaged local communities surrounding the national parks to help in local project development programs so as to improve their living standards like construction of roads, water and sanitation, health unites and low treatment costs.
you’ll need a resort that’s as breathtaking as the gorillas themselves. Take a tour through the top hotels for gorilla trekking in Rwanda, from opulent lodges that fit effortlessly into the forest canopy to eco-friendly getaways with spectacular views of the surrounding peaks. Each one provides a once-in-a-lifetime interaction with these gentle giants and the natural splendour that surrounds them.
That aside, Rwanda has some of the best luxury lodges in case you are planning a luxury gorilla trekking safari such as One & Only Gorillas Nest, Sabyinyo Silver back Lodge, Bisate Lodge, Virunga Lodge.
When you choose to sleep at Sabyinyo, you will have to pay a conservation fee which helps in the gorilla conservation. Just by staying here, you contribute to wildlife conservation and community empowerment initiatives. You will feel the power of resilience all around you.
Engage in community empowerment activities with SACOLA, the Sabyinyo Community Livelihood Association and learn how Sabyinyo pioneered Rwanda’s impactful mountain gorilla tourism. The fee you pay in these projects help to change people’s livelihood give the gorillas chance to stay in their natural habitats without encroaching on them.
You will have the opportunity to see mountain gorillas after paying for the permit at $1500. The price for the gorilla permits involves part to conserve the apes as well as paying the people work within the gorillas. 10% of the revenue from the permits is channeled towards local communities, to build schools and health centres, as well as roads. There is a compensation fund for local farmers should any gorillas damage their crops, which helps to ensure peaceful co-existence. Therefore, gorilla trekking safari experience provides employment for many locals, from rangers and trackers to porters, drivers and staff at tourist lodges.
This will take you early in the morning for briefing at the park headquarters for the do and don’ts when in the jungle. You need to be fit for you to be allocated a family to trek out of the 12 families. In a group of 8 people, you will head to the starting point taking between 30 to 6hours to find the gorillas. Once located, you will take one hour with the gorillas as you take photos, watch them feeding, playing, breast feeding and many more.
Once you are done, descend to the park headquarters for your certificate then to the lodge for lunch as well as relaxation.
After lunch, you can visit the Dian Fossey tomb where Dian Fossey a conservation head for gorillas was buried. Visiting the Dian Fossey tomb and gorilla cemetery located near her former Karisoke Research Camp/centre between mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke is a must.
It is a great way to pay homage to one of the greatest mountain gorilla researchers. You will learn about her work with the mountain gorillas in the remote mountains or Rwanda and also contribute towards the very work that she started in 1967.
The annual Kwita Izina gorilla-naming ceremony is a special time to visit the Volcanoes National Park, with guided tours leading up the main event providing an opportunity to meet park staff and conservationists, attend cultural evenings and a celebration in Musanze. There’s music, dancing, and discussion about Rwanda’s great strides in gorilla conservation, and the great challenges that remain.
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