Rwanda. Wild at heart.

The best time to visit Rwanda is during the dry seasons, June to September and December to February, when trails are firmer for gorilla trekking and wildlife gathers near water in Akagera. Rwanda can be visited all year; the wet seasons (March–May, October–November) are greener, quieter and sometimes cheaper.

Three days is enough for a gorilla trek from Kigali. Five to seven days lets you add Akagera's Big Five and Lake Kivu. Ten days covers the whole country, including chimpanzees and the canopy walk in Nyungwe.

A 1-day gorilla trek from Kigali costs US$1,795 per person, including the US$1,500 gorilla permit, transport, guide and lunch. A 2-day Akagera safari starts at US$1,195, a 3-day gorilla safari from about US$2,450, and our 7-day Rwanda Wildlife Safari and Gorilla Expedition (luxury lodges) is US$9,405 per person. We give firm quotes within 24 hours.

Yes. Uganda's Bwindi gorillas are 4–5 hours by road from Kigali, and Nairobi, Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam are short flights away. Popular combinations are Rwanda gorillas plus the Maasai Mara or the Serengeti, and Rwanda plus Uganda for two gorilla treks.

Yes. We plan private trips for solo travellers and can match you with a shared vehicle to reduce costs where possible. Rwanda is one of the safest countries in Africa for solo travel, including for women.

A gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda costs US$1,500 per person per trek for foreign visitors. In Uganda permits cost US$800. Permits are issued by the national park authorities and we book them for you.

The minimum age for gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda is 15 years.

A gorilla trek usually takes between one and six hours return, depending on where the gorilla family is that day. Once you find them, you spend exactly one hour with the gorillas.