Gorilla trekking is one of the most popular tours in Africa. The gorilla trek gives tourists a once in a lifetime chance to see the gorillas in their habitat.
Rwanda has been the most popular destination for the gorilla trekking tours. The other destinations where gorilla trekking is done are
Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These three countries are the only places where mountain gorillas are found in the whole world.
Of the three countries, the gorilla trek in Rwanda is the most expensive with a
gorilla trekking permit ticket costing $1500 (one thousand five hundred US dollars or fifteen hundred dollars). Tourists are always surprised by the expensive permit and the next question asked is why the permit costs so much?
Below I explain why the Rwanda gorilla trekking permit costs 1500 and why it is a worthy price
More funds to the community
As a policy in Rwanda, 10% off each gorilla permit sold is channeled directly back into the communities around
Volcanoes National Park where the gorillas live. This money is used in developing the communities through construction of schools and hospital, improving infrastructure, financing income generating activities, etc… Therefore, the higher the cost of the permit the more money goes to the community.
When the communities see the direct benefits from the gorillas, they appreciate their existence and participate in protecting them and their habitat instead of poaching as previously was the case.
More funds for gorilla conservation activities
The high cost of the gorilla permit means more funds are being generated for the conservation activities toward the protection of the gorillas and their habitat. A few decades ago, the mountain gorillas were critically endangered and were on the verge of extinction. By then less than 800 gorillas were left. But with the introduction of gorilla tourism which raised awareness about the mountain gorillas and generated funds the trend was reversed and currently there are more than 1000 mountain gorillas.
With the gorilla population on a steady increase, the gorillas will need more space. Rwanda is therefore taking a very ambitious project to expand the boundaries of the park to accommodate more gorillas. Therefore, the high cost of gorilla tracking in Rwanda will help expand the home of the gorillas.
Rwanda targeting fewer tourists to protect the habitat of the gorillas
Still on the side of conservation, the high cost of the gorilla trek will limit the number of tourists tracking the gorillas, thereby protecting the gorilla habitat from mass tourism.
Making the Rwanda gorilla trek a more exclusive experience
The high cost of the Rwanda gorilla permit means tourist are fewer per gorilla family. This makes the experience more exclusive and more enjoyable for tourist. This is in contrast to the cheaper gorilla destinations where the gorilla groups are full and tourists jostle to see the gorillas.
Making Rwanda a high-end destination
The high cost of the gorilla tracking permit is in line with government ambition of turning Rwanda into a high end destination.
