The mountain gorilla, the world’s most endangered ape, is found only in protected forests in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In Rwanda, the gorillas have long been a big tourist attraction, with the government putting much effort to ensure their survival.
Now the Rwanda Development Board is seeking to make that tourism experience a lot more exclusive.
The authorities have doubled the charges for the viewing of the apes, meaning each tourist will now have to fork $1,500 to see the gorillas.
A new exclusive package for tourists who wish to book an entire family of gorillas was also introduced at US$ 15,000, and will receive exclusive personalized tour guide services.
The new rates are meant to boost conservation efforts, while positioning the land of a thousand hills as a luxury tourist destination.
This high-value, low impact strategy has worked well for other countries, and Rwanda seeks to follow in the same path.
The remote, mountainous border area straddling Rwanda, the DRC and Uganda is the only place in the world where you can see gorillas in their natural habitat.
Thanks to conservation efforts, the population has slowly increased — but there are still fewer than a-thousand of the giant apes in the wild.
Permits to see gorillas in the DRC and Uganda are far cheaper, but Rwandan officials aren’t concerned, saying theirs is a unique experience.
