Trekking Porters in Volcanoes National Park
Trekking porters in Volcanoes National Park are so important, especially if you have plans of trekking the endangered mountain Gorillas, tracking the endangered Golden monkeys, hiking the Dian Fossey Gravesite, enjoying forest hiking, bird watching, or Volcano climbing. Trekking Porters are primarily the backbone of trekking in this Park as they make it easier to travelers to maneuver through the densely forested mountain slopes between 2400 and 4507 meters above sea level. Book Now
For visitors, hiking through the slopes of Volcanoes National Park can be challenging, and this is worsened by the heavy backpacks and camera equipment. Therefore, it is the work of porters (who are most times accustomed to the mountainous slopes and dense vegetation because they have lived around the mountains all their lives) and is surprisingly adapted to carrying heavy backpacks. While the option of hiring trekking porters in Volcanoes National Park isn’t mandatory, it is advisable to do so as for visitors, heavy backpacks and camera equipment, combined with the high altitudes are able to make an already difficult day very unbearable.
However, Trekking Porters don’t actually guide thus don’t expect all of them to speak English but will try as much as possible to make your trek easier and more enjoyable. Besides the support provided by porters during gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking, the Dian Fossey Gravesite Hike, Volcano climbing, and birding, hiring them is one of the ways of benefiting from ecotourism thus in the long run they start embracing Gorilla Tourism. What you might not know is that the majority of the trekking Porters in Volcanoes National Park are former poachers who have slowly realized the significance of Gorilla tourism and conservation to their livelihood.
How much does it cost to hire trekking Porters in Volcanoes National Park?
Hiring Trekking porters in Volcanoes National Park goes for only $10 to $20 per porter, and this doesn’t include porter fees, guide fees/tips where necessary, entry fees, and the chosen activity. In addition to paying them for carrying your backpack, water, and camera equipment and holding your hands, you might want to tip trekking porters to appreciate their great service.
Situated in Northwestern Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park is one of the top safari destinations in the land of a thousand hills, providing shelter to over 35% of the estimated 1080 mountain Gorillas. In total, over 12 Gorilla Families have been habituated for trekking in this Park hence a total of 96 permits are sold each day by Rwanda Development Board. A Gorilla trekking permit for this Park costs $1500 per person per trek and has to be booked at least 6 months in advance to avoid last-minute disappointment.
Best time to visit Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park is open throughout the year, but the majority of travelers visit between June and September, or December to February because forest trails are drier and slippery from reduced rainfall levels. If your plans are flexible, you can plan to visit during the off-peak months- March to May or October to November when forest trails are less crowded.
