A forest hike that ends with an hour in the presence of a habituated mountain gorilla family, on foot, in Uganda, Rwanda or DR Congo.
Gorilla trekking is the single experience most travelers build an entire trip around, and it is the activity we know best. A ranger led group sets out at dawn to find a habituated gorilla family, tracked the previous day by a team of trackers already in the forest.
Once your group finds the gorillas, you are permitted a strictly managed hour in their presence, enough time to watch a troop feed, groom and interact, while keeping disturbance to the endangered species to a minimum.
Bwindi Impenetrable National ParkFace to face time with an endangered species found nowhere else on earth
A permit system that limits each family to eight visitors a day
Ranger led, with trackers already in the forest ahead of your group
Combines easily with chimpanzee tracking or a wildlife safari
Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo all offer mountain gorilla trekking, and each has a genuinely different logistics, price and accommodation profile. Congo's access depends on current conditions, so we plan it only when our on the ground partners confirm it.
Bwindi and the Virunga Massif hold nearly all of the world's remaining mountain gorillas, split across three national parks.
Bwindi Impenetrable National ParkFour trailhead sectors, Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo, each tracking a different set of habituated families through ancient rainforest.
Visit Uganda
Volcanoes National ParkAround 150 gorillas across twelve groups on the Rwandan slopes of the Virunga Massif, a two hour drive from Kigali.
Visit Rwanda
Mgahinga Gorilla National ParkUganda's smaller, quieter gorilla park on the Virunga range, with one habituated family and far fewer visitors than Bwindi.
Visit UgandaGorilla trekking almost always turns up more than gorillas, especially in the forest surrounding the trailheads.
A few of our ready made itineraries built around Gorilla Trekking, or ask us to design your own.
Bwindi, UgandaThe fastest route to a gorilla permit from Entebbe, built for travelers short on time.
Volcanoes NP, RwandaTwo permits, two primates, and Kigali's most important museum on the way through.
Kahuzi-Biega, DR CongoThe least visited leg of the gorilla trekking circuit, run with a specialist local partner.
Treks range from thirty minutes to several hours depending on where the gorilla family has moved. Terrain is steep and often muddy, so a reasonable fitness level and proper boots matter. Porters are available to carry packs and offer a hand on steep sections.
Volcanoes National Park, RwandaTrekking runs year round, but the two dry seasons keep trails firmer underfoot and are when most travelers book.
Gorilla Trekking pairs easily with any of these.
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ExploreDirect time with the communities who call these landscapes home, led by community members themselves.
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ExploreTreks range from thirty minutes to six hours depending on where the family has moved that morning. Porters are available at every trailhead to carry packs and help on steep sections, so a moderate fitness level is enough as long as you are prepared for a real hike.
Yes, with realistic expectations. We regularly book travelers in their sixties and seventies, and porters make a real difference on steep ground. Let us know your fitness level when booking so we can flag it to the park for trail assignment.
It is rare, trackers are usually in the forest from dawn relaying the family's location by radio, but on the small chance a trek comes up empty, Uganda Wildlife Authority issues a follow up permit at no extra cost.
Real footage from our own journeys. See the full channel on YouTube.
Tell us your dates and we will build it into a full itinerary.
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