CORE EXPERIENCES
Standard Permit — $1,500 Exclusive Experience — $15,000 Behind the Scene Package Uganda Habituation Experience Photography & Film PermitsPOPULAR PARKS
Volcanoes National Park Nyungwe National Park Akagera National Park Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Mgahinga Gorilla National ParkRwanda · 7 Days · Conservation Immersion
Built around the Behind the Scene Gorilla Package, a 3-day immersive programme combining private trekking with real conservation access — anti-poaching patrols, veterinary teams, and the research stations most visitors never see. Framed by luxury stays at Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge and One&Only Gorilla’s Nest.
KIGALI
Private transfer to your Kigali hotel.
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
Drive to Kinigi and check into the community-owned Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge.
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
Three days combining private gorilla trekking with anti-poaching patrol time, veterinary team access, and a guided visit to the Karisoke Research Centre area.
VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK
Relocate to One&Only Gorilla’s Nest, with a half-day hike to the Karisoke site where Dian Fossey lived and is buried.
KIGALI
Drive to Kigali for your departure flight.
From approximately $19,800 per person, double occupancy, excluding international flights.
START PLANNING ↗A non-refundable deposit confirms this itinerary and secures the Behind the Scene Gorilla Package with a licensed Rwanda-based operator, given the additional coordination required across park management, anti-poaching teams, research staff, and veterinary personnel beyond a standard gorilla permit. We recommend booking at least six months ahead, and earlier still for peak season (June–September, December–February) given the package’s minimum group requirement of three guests.
The balance is due ahead of arrival on a schedule confirmed in your written proposal. Once booked, we coordinate every element directly — the three-day conservation programme, both lodge stays, and all transfers — so nothing is left for you to arrange separately.
WHO THIS SUITS
This itinerary suits travellers whose interest in mountain gorillas extends beyond the trekking hour itself — conservation professionals, documentary filmmakers, and private groups who want direct access to the rangers, researchers, and veterinarians whose daily work makes Rwanda’s gorilla population growth possible. Given the three-guest minimum, it also suits small private groups or families travelling together who want to share the experience and its cost across more than a couple.
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, part-owned by the surrounding community through SACOLA, and One&Only Gorilla’s Nest, Rwanda’s largest ultra-luxury Volcanoes property, offer genuinely different characters — one small, personal, and directly community-linked, the other spacious and wellness-focused. Splitting the stay between them means this itinerary’s conservation and community themes are reflected in the accommodation choices themselves, not only in the trekking programme.
What exactly is included in the $19,800 per-person price?
The Behind the Scene Gorilla Package for your group, the Dian Fossey Tomb Hike, nights across Kigali,
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, and One&Only Gorilla’s Nest on an all-inclusive basis, your private guide
and vehicle throughout, and all transfers. International flights are not included, and the per-person figure
assumes the package’s cost split across a typical small group.
Why does the package require a minimum of
three guests?
The three-day programme involves coordinating access with park management, researchers, veterinary staff,
and community members specifically around your group — a minimum group size makes that coordination
viable for RDB to arrange on a private basis.
Is this suitable for documentary or film
productions?
Yes, and it’s one of the package’s more common uses — though commercial filming still
requires a separate RDB filming permit in addition to the package itself.
Can we substitute a different lodge pairing?
Yes — we can build this itinerary around any combination of Volcanoes National Park’s ultra-luxury
properties, adjusting pricing accordingly.
How quickly will we hear back after
enquiring?
We respond to every enquiry within 48 hours with a bespoke written proposal covering the exact details,
pricing, and day-by-day plan for your specific dates and group size.
This seven-day structure is a flexible starting template — common adjustments include adding golden monkey trekking, extending either lodge stay by a night, or adding a Nyungwe extension for guests interested in the park’s chimpanzee conservation work as a further comparison. Tell us what matters most to your group and we’ll build a final proposal around it.
A NOTE ON PRICING
This figure reflects the Behind the Scene Package shared across a typical small group, double occupancy at the lodges named in this itinerary during standard season. Group size, peak-season dates, and alternative lodge tiers all shift the per-person cost. We always confirm exact, all-inclusive pricing in your written proposal before asking for any commitment.
Both lodges sit about a two-hour drive from Kigali International Airport on Rwanda’s well-maintained main roads. We coordinate your private airport transfer around your actual flight times on both arrival and departure, and can arrange a helicopter transfer instead for guests wanting a faster, more scenic alternative to the road journey.
The three days of the Behind the Scene Package combine a demanding gorilla trek with two further days of fieldwork alongside anti-poaching and research teams — meaningful, but genuinely tiring across three consecutive days. We recommend building in at least one rest morning either before or after the package itself, particularly for guests also including the Dian Fossey Tomb Hike, to avoid stacking too many physically demanding days back to back.
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