Rwanda : RDB announces Gorilla permit charges

Gorilla family is said to live like human beings

Rwanda Development Board has confirmed plans to implement changes to current gorilla permit pricing.

The prices have been increased by 50percent and this will take effect from June 1st, 2012 save for prior bookings made before this date.

This increase comes at a time when there is significant growth of the gorilla population as well as an increasing demand for gorilla tourism.

“We are very committed to sustain our efforts in conservation so that we protect their environment as well as the rich biodiversity that exist in our national parks”, Rwanda development board chief executive officer John Gara revealed.

Rwanda’s gorilla conservation efforts have shown significant success, that today, there are ten gorilla families which accommodate a maximum of eight tourists per day each, a number that has almost doubled over the last five years.

The gorilla permit prices are as follows:

According to the head of Tourism and Conservation at RDB Rica Rwigamba, there is a sustained increase in interest for gorilla trek as well as recognition that good conservation can truly contribute to growth of these species.

Mountain Gorillas are the only increasing gorilla species population, which is evidence that responsible tourism and environmental conservation go hand in hand.”

A contribution of 5percent to the communities surrounding the national parks under the revenue sharing programme is an activity that RDB is also committed to and this increase will also proportionally impact on this initiative.

Tags: Rwanda