Gorilla trekking is one of the most daring safari you could ever experience only in Africa. It is only done in three countries on the entire continent and in the entire world, namely Rwanda, Uganda and D.R Congo.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is only done in the Virunga Mountains and these mountains border all the three countries that host mountain gorillas. However the question is, what is the best time for gorilla trekking in Rwanda?
Well, Rwanda can be visited at any time of the year depending on your interests. In addition, even gorilla trekking can be experienced at any time of the year. Due to the relatively rainy seasons in volcanoes national park, a number of travelers often prefer to trek the mountain gorillas in dry season during the months of June to September and December to early February.
The first rain season in Rwanda starts in the late February through March, April and May. And most travelers try to avoid to visit Rwanda during these months for fear of getting stuck in jungles while trekking the mountain gorillas and perhaps the experience being disrupted by torrential rains in these tropical forests. On the other hand, during the rainy season, there is plenty of food for the mountain gorillas on the down slope and much coldness at the upper slopes. And this forces the mountain gorillas to stay at the lower slopes where they find it warmer and access food easily. The advantage of trekking gorillas in these months, your trek won’t take long and most of the trekkers find the gorillas after 1-2 hours and usually finish tracking by 2pm.
Generally Rwanda has a good weather throughout the year, however, the dry season is more preferable, why? During this season it is so easy to view a wide range of wildlife. It is even the best time for gorilla trekking in since there is a minimal chance of rain during the trek and a good hiking terrain in volcanoes national park. However it doesn’t guarantee you to not carry waterproof clothes, rain jackets, tough shoes, etc. when going to trek gorillas during the dry season because the equatorial climate is unpredictable.
Every season has its own advantages and disadvantages. During the rainy season, the mountain gorillas come close to the low slopes and during the dry season they mostly be in the high slopes. Still even if you trek in the dry or rainy season, the experience is the same.
Volcanoes national park has a total of 10 habituated gorilla families. These families are well habituated, to enable them get used to human presence hence making gorilla trekking possible and extremely safe in Rwanda. Gorilla trekking is the only activity that allows you to get face to face encounter with mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
However, the best time to trek mountain gorillas in Rwanda is the dry season during months of June to September and mid – December to February, though it can rain in Volcanoes national park at any time of the day but still in dry season the grounds are drier than in rainy season. Visit Rwanda and adore the remarkable gorilla trekking safari in Volcanoes national park.