Trekking With Mountain Gorillas In Rwanda

Since watching “Gorilla’s In The Mist” when I was a young child, I have always dreamed of seeing mountain gorillas in the wild. An endangered species that humans have poached to the brink of extinction, despite them sharing so many of our own characteristics, seeing mountain gorillas has become one of the ultimate bucket list experiences and the industry now both protects the animals and supports the local communities where they live.

Getting There:

The mountain gorillas live in an area that borders Rwanda, Uganda and The Congo. The accessibility is most developed and professionally supported for tourists in Rwanda - providing the best access and conservation program that reinvests the tourism revenue back into supporting the population of gorillas.

Volcanoes National Park is around a 4 hour drive from the capital city of Kigali. International flights from many cities, including Dubai arrive at Kigali and we flew with the national carrier, Rwandair, which is an amazing airline and also provides internal domestic flights to other destinations within Rwanda. The planes are modern & clean, and the fares from Dubai were beyond reasonable.

We used a local tour operator, Uber Luxe Safaris, to handle all our on ground logistics for our entire stay in Rwanda. They facilitated everything from PCR testing, airport pickup & internal transport, to arranging our gorilla trekking permits. There are some logistics involved in experiences like the gorilla trekking and to ensure a smooth process a provider like Uber Luxe Safaris makes everything much easier.Add text here...

Arranging Your Gorilla Trek:

You will need to apply for permits to enter Volcanoes National Park and participate in a gorilla trek. The daily program is very professionally organised, with only one group allowed to spend time with any gorilla family each day.

In the busy season, spaces for permits get booked well in advance. Due to Covid, it is not as busy, but pre-covid peak season could sell out, so booking early is essential.

The most efficient process is to have a logistics operator such as Uber Luxe Safari facilitate your trekking - they know all process and guides, so can handle any minor issues.

The treks cost USD1500 per person, so it is important that everything runs smoothly.

At the time of writing (December 2021), there were still a number of procedures in place relating to Covid-19. Our negative PCR results were required prior to entering the national park. Masks are needed to be worn at the conservation centre and anywhere close to the gorillas - they could be taken off during the trek towards the gorillas. Group numbers were limited to 6, instead of 8. There is some concern that Coronavirus, like many respiratory viruses of humans, could be transmitted to the gorillas due to the close relationship of our DNA. Even prior to Covid-19, there were restrictions on people joining the treks if they had any symptoms of respoiurtory infection.

Once your PCR results are checked, your permits verified and your briefing complete, your group will drive from the Conservation Centre to the nearest entry point of the national park yo where your gorilla family is. From there, it is all on foot. How far and how challenging the trek is, depends largely on where your gorilla family is located and how much they move while you are trying to find them. Our trek went from an estimated 1 hour hike, to over 2 hours through dense forest trying to keep up with the gorillas as they moved from one place to another. The terrain can be quite challenging, especially if it is wet. The treks should not be described as “easy” or “beginner” and guests shouldn’t expect to be driven to see the animals. This is genuinely an adventure activity. There are guides and porters to assist anyone who needs it, including carrying backpacks or physically assisting those requiring support. If you know ahead of time that you are going to have difficulties hiking, this is something you should make your guides aware of the day before so that they can try to assign you to a group that is easier to reach.

Once you reach the gorillas, the one hour feels like 10 minutes! You can’t take your backpacks, food etc - these will be left with a porter while you spend time with the gorillas. So make sure everything you need in terms of camera equipment is ready to be carried in your hands.

As mentioned, expect to wear face masks due to Covid-19 precautions and these are required once you get close to the gorilla family.

The thing that I personally found so amazing was just how close you are to these animals in their natural habitat. There is an incredible “human-like” curiosity about the way they look at you. For the most part, they go about their day without concern that you are there and you truly feel like a “fly on the wall”. It is almost impossible to describe the actual experience of spending time amongst a family of gorillas and I would never do it justice. Ultimately it is something I would recommend everyone doing at least once.

The guides are constantly monitoring the behaviour and sounds of the gorillas. They predict or react to any movement and give quick instructions to move in such a way to avoid interactions. Some gorilla experiences will be relatively static in open spaces, others, like ours, will be in more dense vegetation with the gorillas constantly moving, feeding, playing. It is critical to stress that experiences like these are nothing like a zoo - you are entirely in their world! They can move when and where they wish and everybody's experience will be totally unique. 

For photography it can be challenging as the gorillas are often moving or obscured by vegetation. My advice would be to try as much as possible to find a good spot where you can remain relatively still and focus on a small number of gorillas at any time. It is difficult not to get overwhelmed and the hour goes by really quickly. Sometimes you need to also just put the camera down and appreciate the experience!

I received many questions about being scared with the gorillas so close. Despite being very close, at no time did we feel threatened or in danger. The guides are fantastic and constantly making sure both guests and gorillas are protected. Many of the photos also appear closer due to zoom lenses. In general you will be roughly 10-20m away from the gorillas.

You can also do treks for other primate species in Volcanoes National Park, including the Golden Monkeys. We were fortunate enough that on our way back, we came across a large family of golden monkeys walking across the path and then jumping through the trees.

The experience itself is very difficult to summarise in words - it truly is something that needs to be done to fully appreciate. Whilst it is not a cheap exercise by any means, it is certainly worth it! It is also worth mentioning that money from the trekking is used extensively in the conservation projects and supporting the local communities.

The industry that has been created around the mountain gorillas is quite incredible and largely responsible for their continued survival. We spent a lot of time (especially during our trek) speaking with guides about the industry. Many porters that work for treks are actually reformed poachers. To stop local people from poaching gorillas for overseas buyers, the government empowered the locals by providing them consistent employment in tourism. Additionally, by working in the industry, money from the treks goes back into their local communities and the local people see the enormous benefit that the mountain gorillas bring. They are now extremely proud and passionate about protecting the gorillas and Rwanda hasn't seen any poaching of mountain gorillas for over 20 years! This has resulted in a steady increase in the wild population and it is considered one of the success stories of protecting a species from extinction!

Learning the history of mountain gorillas and how close they came to extinction, gives you a renewed appreciation for the experience pop being able to sit and watch them in the wild. It is a credit to the people of Rwanda that they are able to successfully turn around what was previously an enormous problem and create an industry that benefits both the people and the animals.