Rwanda’s Wildlife Trail Gorillas and More
Rwanda’s Wildlife Trail: Gorillas and More
Rwanda’s Wildlife Trail: Gorillas and More : Hiking through the misty forested slopes of the Virunga volcanoes of Rwanda for a close encounter with mountain gorillas and golden monkeys? Navigating through steamy rainforests in search of colobus monkeys and chimpanzees? Going on safari in Akagera National park where you can spot the Big Five. Rwanda offers exceptional wildlife viewing opportunities in super-scenic environments.
Gorillas and golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park
Straddling across Rwanda, Uganda and DR.Congo, the Virunga volcanoes are where Rwanda earns its nickname as the “Land of a Thousand Hills.”
The majestic Rwandan Virungas are protected by Volcanoes National Park, the main attraction of Rwanda. Here, hidden among the bamboo forests carpeting the volcanoes, are some of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas.
An up-close encounter with these gentle giants while tracking is the highlight of a trip to Africa for many visitors. A gorilla permit in Rwanda costs US$ 1500 per person, which includes park entry, compulsory guides and guards. A close encounter with a silverback male gorilla can be a hair-rising experience especially if you have only ever seen large wild animals from the safety of a car or in behind bars in zoo. Yet despite their intimidating size, gorillas are remarkably non-aggressive animals, entirely vegetarian and quite safe to be around.
Before leaving to track the habituated gorilla groups, you will be given a safety briefing by park rangers. There are 10 habituated gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park with the largest group having more than 30 members. Some groups are easier to find, while others are harder to reach and require a strenuous three-to-four hour slog. You will most likely scramble through dense vegetation up steep, muddy hillsides, sometimes to altitudes of more than 10,000 feet (3000m). No matter which you group you are assigned to track, you are certain to have a memorable experience.
Visits to the gorillas are restricted to one hour. Visitors are asked to remain more than 15 feet (5m) from the gorillas at all times, but it is not uncommon to see some gorillas trying to interact with visitors – a peerless wildlife experience.
Gorilla permit bookings can be made through a Tour Operator or the Rwanda Development Board tourist office in Kigali. Those visiting on a tour package will have everything arranged for them, while independent travellers can secure permits if they make reservations early on.
While most visitors are understandably driven by the desire to have a face to face encounter with Real Mountain gorillas in the mist, rare golden monkeys, a troop of which have been habituated to human contact, can also be visited. More like chimpanzee viewing than a gorilla encounter, these beautiful and active monkeys bound about the branches of bigger trees.
Golden monkeys, which are subspecies of the wider-spread blue monkey, are distinguished by their gold body coloration, which contrasts sharply with black patches on their extremities. Classified as an endangered species, golden monkeys can only be seen in the Virungas.
To track the golden monkeys you have to get a golden monkey permit costs US$100.
Colobus monkeys. Chimpanzees and Birds in Nyungwe Forest National Park
Nyungwe Forest National Park found in Southwest of Rwanda is the only country’s most important area of biodiversity, with no fewer than 1000 plant species, 13 species or primates, 75 species of other mammals, over 275 species of birds and an astounding 120 species of butteries. Recently Nyungwe Forest was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Despite its huge biodiversity, Nyungwe Forest is little known outside East Africa. Its strongest drawcard is the chance to track chimpanzees, which have been habituated over the years to human visits. Similar to gorilla trekking, you need to be prepared for lengthy hikes that can take up to a couple of hours. However, the vegetation on the forest floor is much less dense than in the Virunga Mountains where the gorillas live, so the walk is generally a little less tiring.
In the rainy season you have a good chance to successfully track the chimpanzees on marked coloured trails of varying levels of difficulty, though in the dry season they have a tendency to head for higher elevations.
While chimpanzees tend to be the highlight here, sightings of troops of other monkeys, including Angolan colobi, are virtually guaranteed. The Angolan colobus is an arboreal monkey that is distinguished by its black fur and long silky white locks of hair. Colobi are distributed throughout the rainforests of equatorial Africa, though they reach epic numbers of Nyungwe Forest.
While they are not as charismatic as chimpanzees, colobi are extremely social primates that form enormous group sizes – one of the two semi-habituated troops in Nyungwe numbers no fewerthan 500 individuals. Finding yourself in the presence of literally hundreds of primates bounding through the treetops can be an exciting experience. Colobi are curious by nature and they seem to almost revel in their playful interactions with human visitors.
Troops of Angolan colobus maintain fairly regimented territories, which is good news of travellers planning a colobus trek, as the semi-habituated group in Nyungwe tends to stick to the colored trails. Generally, the trackers can find the colobus monkey troop in an hour or so.
For birding, Nyungwe Forest is by far the country’s top spot for birdwatching, with some 300 and more species, including 27 endemics. The paved road through the park permits viewing at all levels of the forest, expect mountain buzzards and cinnamon-chested bee-eaters perched along here, plus numerous sunbirds, wagtails and flocks of waxbills. Other commonly sighted birds include francolins, turacos, African crowned eagles, hornbills and Congo bay owls among others.
The Big Five in Akagera National Park
Located in Eastern Rwanda, Akagera National Park is getting increasing popular among safari enthusiasts. Although it can’t compete with its counterparts in Kenya or Tanzania, its scenic landscapes, diverse habitats and rich wildlife are well worth the trips. Thanks to the strict conservation laws, good management, the reintroduction of lions and black rhinos, the reintroduction of lions and black rhinos, the revamping of old camps and the building of new ones, it is now a must-see on any Rwandan itinerary.
The park has three distinct environments; standard savannah as seen in much of the region, and immense swampy area along the border with Tanzania that contains six lakes (great for boat trips) and numerous islands, some of which are covered with forest, and a chain of low mountains on the flanks of the park with variable vegetation, ranging from short grasses on the summits to wooded savannah and dense thickets of forest.
Wildlife in Akagera is varied. Carnivores in Akagera are limited to rarely seen leopards (about 150 individuals) and hyenas as well as the genets, servals and jackals and lions. In 2015 seven lion individuals were flown from South Africa to Rwanda, now there are more than 50 lions in the park. Eighteen black rhinos were also introduced to Akagera in 2017 and 30 white rhinos in 2021.
Other large trophy animals in Akagera are an estimated 90 elephants in the park, which are quite commonly seen. Buffalo are also present in reasonably healthy numbers of about 3000, and there are masses of hippos and crocodiles in the lakes. Antelope and other plain game are well represented, though herds tend to be small and the animals rather skittish.
Commonly sighted animals in Akagera National Park include impala, topi, zebra, waterbuck, rare roan antelope and diminutive Oribi. Maasai giraffes, never native to the park have been introduced and are faring well. Birding is also excellent around the banks of Lake Ihema.
The good thing about Akagera National Park is that you won’t come across too many wildlife-viewing drivers either, which means you can soak up the park’s splendid nature in relative peace and isolation.
