Gorilla Trekking Safari

Gorilla Trekking Safari take place in the morning and depart from the Park Headquarters at around 07:30am. The Gorilla Trekking Safari take place on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes or Bwindi. Rwanda is famous for its gorilla trekking opportunities in the Virunga Mountains. This is where Dian Fossey researched and habituated mountain gorillas in the 1960s. Although Gorilla Trekking Safari is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the country has a lot more to offer. In fact, if Gorilla Trekking Safari is beyond your budget, Rwanda is still worth visiting as an up-and-coming destination offering primate walks, volcano hikes and bird-watching in Volcanoes National Park and Nyungwe Forest National Park, plus boat trips on Lake Kivu in the Rift Valley and a classic safari in search of the Big Five in low-key Akagera National Park. If your dream is mountain Gorilla Trekking Safari, Uganda is the place to go. Rwanda is the only other country in which these gentle giants can be encountered on a trek, and Ugandan permits are a fraction of the price charged over the border. Apart from Gorilla Trekking Safari, there are lots of other things to do in Uganda. The country is home to many primates and Kibale NP offers amazing chimpanzee trekking and habituation experiences. Gorilla trekking safaris can be done throughout the year. The hiking itself can be more arduous in the rainy seasons from April – May and in November, but at an altitude of 2000m and more, it can of course rain here at any time of the year. The most popular times for Gorilla Trekking Safari are during the drier months, between December and February, and from about June to mid-September. Inevitably, securing permits for trekking gorillas over these popular periods can be difficult at short notice, so you should plan well ahead. We will make all the arrangements for buying your permits. Whilst a gorilla trekking safari is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for you, the staff at Volcanoes National Park have been doing this for several years and run a very smooth operation, hence treks to the mountain gorillas are well-organized and clearly structured. On the day of your Gorilla Trekking Safari, you’ll set off very early in the morning to track to the apes from the edge of the forest. Your driver/guide will take you from your lodge (see places to stay in Volcanoes National Park) to the park headquarters in Kinigi village. The guides here speak excellent English and are very good. They will be taking you to a specific group of 'habituated' mountain gorillas, which are used to human visitors, and known well by the guides.