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Dian Fossey Tomb
Tourists are advised against making erroneous, incomplete or false applications. Such cases may include among others, applying for the wrong product, uploading a false ID /Visa and uploading an expired ID/ Visa. Please be advised that verification of tourist documents is done at park entry gates. Tourists who made erroneous, incomplete or false applications WILL be denied entry to the park regardless of whether they paid and acquired a system-generated permit.
In case of any doubt about your application and supporting documents please send your supporting documents to RDB Tourism Reservation Office on email reservation@rwandatourism.com.
Rwanda Development Board accepts no liability for erroneous, incomplete or fraudulent applications
Tourist Permit Fee
| Visitor Category | Fee for Adult | Fee for Student / Child |
|---|---|---|
| Foreigner | $ 75 | - |
| Foreign resident in Rwanda | $ 60 | $ 45 |
| Rwandan citizen | RWF 4000 | RWF 2000 |
| East African citizen | $ 55 | $ 45 |
| East African Foreign resident | $ 65 | $ 45 |
Requirements
Reporting times at Visitor Information/registration Centres at Park entry is 07h00 in the morning.
Foreign Residents in Rwanda and East African countries need to have a minimum of four consecutive months' residency status/work permit in their passport or diplomatic card to qualify for the Rwandan/East African Foreign resident status.
A Diplomat who has a Residence visa can be allowed to use the applicable resident rates for his spouse and legally accepted children even if the spouse and legally accepted children do not have the resident visas (reside outside of Rwanda).
Reporting East African residents need to provide EAC ID Cards or Passports.
A Tourist with one Rwandan parent and a tourist with a Rwandan spouse will be considered as Rwandan as long as Immigration and Emigration Director General confirms it.
Restrictions
The minimum age for Dian Fosey’s Tomb hike is 15 years.
Processing Time
A Tourist Permit will be automatically issued by this system upon completion of the application process.
Application Process
The Application process is as simple as picking an available slot in the product of your choice, filling mandatory forms, uploading requisite support documents and paying the applicable fees.
Applications are made with full details of the client (names and passport email and phone number) at the time of payment.
Bookings and Reservations are done on a first come first served basis.
Rwandan nationals are expected to pay full amount at the time of booking.
The trek starts at 07:00am from the Park Headquarters in Kinigi, from where visitors will have to drive / be driven to the start point for the trek.
The trek involves a 30 minutes drive from the park headquarters to the trail head to access the Karisoke research camp where visitors walk for 10 minutes to the park boundary.
The walk from the park boundary to the research center where the Dian’s grave is, takes about an hour to 1 hour and half hours and affords good views of forest hogs, forest elephants, a variety of primates and bird species.
The trek to the Karisoke research camp takes around 3 - 4 hours and takes you through some of the most beautiful stretches of Hagenia - Hypericum forest in the Volcanoes National Park.
This hike is an incredible experience physically, emotionally and intellectually. It is so inspiring to learn about someone who was so dedicated and left a legacy that exists even today. The hike involves moving through the forests and hiking up the slopes and therefore requires some relative degree of fitness and patience.
Dian Fossey was an American primatologist and anthropologist who committed her life to the conservation of the Mountain Gorilla by conducting an 18 year comprehensive study about the fateful ape.
Dian Fossey is portrayed in Gorillas in the Mist, a 1988 American drama film directed by Michael Apted and starring Sigourney Weaver. Her anti-poaching patrols led to the arrest of many poachers who were sentenced to jail and some are still serving their sentences. Dian was murdered in 1985 in her tent at her research institute by unknown murders where she was found lying in a pool of blood in the early morning of December 27, 1985.
Fossey is buried at Karisoke, in a site that she herself had constructed for her deceased gorilla friends. She was buried in the gorilla graveyard next to Digit, and near many gorillas killed by poachers. Memorial services were also held in New York, Washington, and California.
Go hike the Dian Fossey grave as a tribute to her great work of protecting the Volcanoes mountain gorillas which today are still existing and your able to come see them. Very advisable to go do the tomb hike the day after your gorilla safari in the Volcanoes Forest.
Trekking to the Dian Fossey Tomb is one of the most sought-after safari activities carried out while visiting Volcanoes national park for a gorilla trip.
For those interested visiting Dian Fossey’s original scientific base Karisoke, a trek is available from the Volcanoes National Park headquarters. Karisoke scientific base was established by Dian Fossey in the saddle area between two volcanoes; Mt Visoke and Mt Karisimbi (from which the name Karisoke is derived). The camp site stands at an altitude of around 3000m (over 9000 ft) and was abandoned during the unrest of the 1990’s. All that remains today is the graveyard where several of Dian Fossey’s favourite gorillas were buried. Dian Fossey is also buried near the graves of her beloved gorillas.
At the site you will find the house from where Dian Fossey was mysteriously murdered in 1985 but the more peaceful is the place where she was buried just next to her favorite gorilla friend, Digit and about 20 other mountain gorillas either killed by poachers or suffered death for other reasons.