Rwanda
Gorillas · Forest · Savanna
Volcanoes NP at dawn. The volcanic mist burning off as you track silverbacks through bamboo. Rwanda's gorilla experience is Africa's most intimate, and no one in East Africa makes the permit process smoother than us.
Africa's Conservation Success Story
Rwanda Gorilla Safari
Rwanda is a small country sheltering an outsized share of the planet's rarest wildlife. Rwanda's national parks are managed with exceptional conservation rigour. The Virunga volcanoes rise along the northwest border, home to roughly 604 mountain gorillas shared between Rwanda, Uganda, and the DRC — accessed through gorilla trekking permits that cost $1,500 and sell out months ahead. In the southwest, Nyungwe Forest is one of Africa's oldest montane rainforests, covering 1,013 km² and harbouring 13 primate species. In the east, Akagera is one of the continent's most celebrated conservation recoveries: lions reintroduced in 2015, black rhinos in 2017, completing a Big Five absent for a generation. See our guide to gorilla trekking for timing advice. Four parks, four landscapes, all reachable in a single week.
Volcanoes National Park shelters roughly 604 mountain gorillas across 12 habituated families — around half the global total. Each permit costs $1,500 and sells out months ahead in peak season
Each gorilla trek is capped at 8 visitors per family with exactly one hour in their presence. Combine trekking with a Virunga volcano hike for one of Africa's most complete highland experiences
Golden monkeys are restricted entirely to the Virunga volcanic mountains, making Volcanoes NP one of just three places on earth where they can be tracked in the bamboo zone
Nyungwe Forest is estimated at over 25,000 years old and covers 1,013 km² of continuous montane rainforest with 13 primate species and 29 Albertine Rift endemic bird species
Akagera National Park reintroduced lions in 2015 and black rhinos in 2017, completing a Big Five population absent from Rwanda for a generation — one of Africa's great conservation stories
Rwanda's four parks span every major ecosystem and can all be visited within a single 7-day itinerary, making it one of the most time-efficient safari destinations in Africa. Rwanda pairs naturally with Uganda on a combined primate circuit
The Wild Places Inside Rwanda
Rwanda's Parks & Forest Reserves
Volcanoes National Park
Mountain Gorillas · Golden Monkeys
Five of the eight Virunga volcanoes rise to 4,507m in Rwanda's northwest, sheltering 12 habituated gorilla families in bamboo forest and ancient rainforest. Each trek is capped at 8 visitors for exactly one hour with a family, at a permit cost of $1,500. Golden monkeys are tracked in the bamboo zone. Volcano hikes to Bisoke's crater lake and the Musanze Caves extend the experience beyond the gorilla trek.
Nyungwe Forest NP
Chimpanzees · 13 Primates · 300 Birds
Estimated at over 25,000 years old, Nyungwe covers 1,013 km² of unbroken montane rainforest in southwest Rwanda. Thirteen primate species share the canopy, including habituated chimpanzees and Africa's largest Angolan colobus colony of around 400 individuals. Three hundred bird species have been recorded, 29 of them Albertine Rift endemics. The 160m canopy walkway hangs 50m above the forest floor at the Uwinka ridge.
Akagera National Park
Big Five · 490 Birds · Conservation Recovery
Covering 1,122 km² along Rwanda's eastern border with Tanzania, Akagera is managed by African Parks since 2010 and is one of the continent's great rewilding stories. Lions were absent for two decades before seven were brought from South Africa in 2015. Black rhinos arrived in 2017 and 2019, completing a Big Five absent from Rwanda for a generation. Over 8,000 large mammals and 490 bird species now share the park's plains, woodland, and lake systems. A boat cruise on Lake Ihema is among Rwanda's finest wildlife experiences.
Gishwati-Mukura NP
Chimpanzees · Congo-Nile Ridge
Gazetted in 2016 after decades of deforestation, Rwanda's fourth national park protects two montane forest blocks on the Congo-Nile watershed ridge. Twenty habituated chimpanzees share the canopy with golden monkeys, L'Hoest's monkeys, and 60 mammal species. Two hundred and thirty-two bird species have been recorded, with Albertine Rift endemics throughout. Quieter and more community-rooted than the other parks, it rewards those willing to step off the main circuit.
The Creatures You'll Track
Who Lives in Rwanda's Wild
Mountain Gorillas
The Virunga volcanoes shelter roughly 604 mountain gorillas, around half the global total. Rwanda's 12 habituated families are visited by a maximum of 8 people at a time, for exactly one hour. Few encounters anywhere on earth combine this level of intimacy with this degree of careful, deliberate management.
Golden Monkeys
Restricted entirely to the high-altitude bamboo of the Virunga volcanic mountains, the golden monkey is tracked in Volcanoes NP where habituated troops move through the forest at dawn. Their vivid gold-orange colouring against black limbs makes them unmistakable. Rwanda is one of only three places on earth where they can be tracked.
Chimpanzees
Nyungwe's habituated chimpanzee groups range across one of Africa's oldest unbroken forests, sharing 1,013 km² with Africa's largest Angolan colobus colony: around 400 individuals that move through the high canopy in troops that can be heard before they are seen. The 160m canopy walkway provides a view straight into their world.
Black Rhinoceros
Absent from Rwanda for a generation, black rhinos were reintroduced to Akagera in 2017 and again in 2019 as part of one of Africa's most closely watched rewilding programmes. Their survival alongside newly reestablished lion prides is proof of what deliberate, well-resourced conservation can achieve in under a decade.
Read the Season Before You Book
When to Come to Rwanda
Peak season offers optimal wildlife viewing and dry trail conditions. Green season provides lush scenery and fewer crowds.
Jan
Peak
Feb
Peak
Mar
Good
Apr
Off peak
May
Off peak
Jun
Peak
Jul
Peak
Aug
Peak
Sep
Peak
Oct
Good
Nov
Off peak
Dec
Peak
Peak Season: best wildlife & weather
Good Season: great value, greener landscapes
Off peak: possible but wetter
Tailor-Made for Rwanda
Tailor-Made Rwanda Safaris
Bespoke African Safaris Awaits
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Rwanda Permits Sell Out Months Ahead.
Permits Sell Out Months Ahead.
Don't Be the One Who Missed It.
Especially June to September. We secure your permit, match you with the right gorilla family group, and build the lodge selection around it. The sooner you reach out, the better your options.