Age limit for mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda
What is the age limit for mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park Rwanda? Mountain gorilla trekking happens to be the most done activity in Rwanda and this is done in volcanoes national park. Rwanda is not the only place to trek mountain gorillas but also Uganda in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga national park and the last is Virunga national park of DR Congo. Mountain gorilla trekking in all these countries has the same age limit but, in this article, we are focusing on Rwanda.
Mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda can be done only in the volcanoes national park which is in Musanze district in the northwestern part of the country. The trekking of these mountain gorillas is done at any time of the year among the 10 fully habituated mountain gorillas that are open for trekking. Mountain gorilla families available for trekking in Rwanda include Agashya, Susa, Umubano, Karisimbi, Busingye, Hirwa, Kwitonda, Amahoro, and Sabyinyo.
Trekking any of the 10 fully habituated mountain gorilla families in volcanoes national park requires a valid gorilla trekking permit and this can be purchased from Rwanda Development Board. Rwanda gorilla permits are purchased at a fee of $1500 per person per trek and if you are interested in booking in the dry season, we just advise you to book in advance since only 80 permits are available for trekkers every and people who want to trek in the season are many
Age limit for mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda
If you are intending to visit Rwanda for a gorilla trekking safari and you are of different ages, you need to know that the trekking permits for mountain gorillas are sold to children above the age of 15 years old. This is why you are asked for your passport details during the booking to confirm the age and see if you qualify for the gorilla trekking permit.
Tourists intending to visit volcanoes national park are advised to send their passport details when booking gorilla trekking permits and those below 15 will be denied the passport. There are a few cases where a child below 15 years of age will be allowed to purchase a gorilla trekking permit and these are two. The first case is when the child will be 15 by the time of gorilla trekking the second case is when the child is below 15 but expresses maturity and they are strong physically.
Why was the age limit set for mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda?
The age limit was set for people in Rwanda reason being children that are below the age of 15 years are considered to be still young and are not to be active and obey rules and regulations like the adult ones. Mountain gorilla trekking takes trekkers to higher elevations so the children might get tired and slow down the speed of trekkers since they can’t be left by themselves, the children can move away from the group and get lost in the jungle, and they might fail to obey rules around mountain gorillas yet these gorillas are habituated but wild.
When the mountain gorillas charge, it might be difficult for the children to keep peaceful and they might fail to follow instructions so the gorillas might end up attacking the group of trekkers. The children can also not keep the 7-meter distance away from mountain gorillas and they might also feed the mountain gorillas which is not allowed. They might also mock the mountain gorillas and this is not good because when they charge, they can fight the trekkers.
Gorilla trekking involves trekkers maintaining low voices around a gorilla family and for the children they can even shout which are not allowed and this will automatically agitate the mountain gorillas. The other reason as to why children are not allowed to trek endangered mountain gorillas is because they are disposed to transmitted diseases such as flu and cough and these can easily be passed to mountain gorillas and the fact that they are vulnerable they can get sick.
Apart from young children not being allowed to trek mountain gorillas, even those above the age of 15 might not be allowed to trek mountain gorillas when they are infected with transmittable diseases such as cough and flue. This is because mountain gorillas are vulnerable and get these days easily.
How to book a gorilla trekking permit for Rwanda?
As long as you are above the age of 15 years you can book the gorilla trekking permit for Rwanda in 2 ways and these include booking by yourself or booking using a local tour operator. Tourists can book the gorilla trekking permits by themselves when they send an email containing dates of travel to the Rwanda Development Board which will first check for the availability of the permits and then send you an email containing details of how you can pay and once they have got the money, they will get you a permit.
If you are intending to visit Rwanda for mountain gorillas and you are above the age of 15 years old, you can contact Africa Adventure Vacations limited so that we book a permit for you. You will be required to send us an email containing the dates you want to travel and then we shall use these days to check with the Rwanda Development Board the availability of permits.
When the permits are available, we shall ask for your passport details to confirm the years and then we shall send you different ways of payment and when we receive the money, we shall go-ahead to book a permit for you. tourists most especially those planning to visit volcanoes in drier months are advised to book their trekking permits in advance of 3-4 months so that they avoid inconveniences since only 80 permits are available every day.
What is the appropriate time to encounter the mountain gorillas of Rwanda?
All persons above the age of 15 years can encounter mountain gorillas at any time of the year but there are months that are better and these are the drier months. The drier months in volcanoes Rwanda do occur in December to February and June to September and are characterized by little or no rainfall that leaves the trekking trails dry, the grass short for a good view of animals, and the roads to the park passable.
Tourists can as well visit volcanoes Rwanda in the rainy season of March to May and October to November because the parks are open. During the above months, the budget travelers do benefit because there are huge discounts on accommodation facilities. The only problem that people who trek in the rainy season face is heavy rainfall which leaves the trekking trails muddy and slippery, the vegetation tall giving unclear views of park animals, and the road leading to the park impassable.
