Gorilla Trekking at Volcanoes National Park
LOCATED IN
Volcanoes National Park
The Virunga Mountains straddle the borders of Rwanda, Uganda, and the DRC, and are home to around 480 mountain gorillas. More than half of the world’s entire population live in here. The rest live in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
In Volcanoes National Park, twelve gorilla groups are now habituated for tourism and offer one of the world’s most awe-inspiring natural experiences. To be in the presence of these gentle giants at such close quarters is truly a once in a lifetime experience.
The Gorilla trekking experience usually takes the best part of the morning. You’ll have the rare opportunity to observe the famous Rwandan mountain gorillas! Tracking the gorillas through the forested slopes of the Virungas is a magical experience.
Although the immense size of the silverbacks might be overwhelming, these 400-pound creatures are actually extremely accommodating to human presence amongst their family. The guides might even teach you a few words in ‘Gorilla’ so you can greet them and show that you are, in fact, friendly!
Logistics of Gorilla Trekking
The day of the trek usually begins with an early start at your hotel and then a drive to park head-quarters at Kinigi. Here, park officials assign you to a gorilla family and you meet your gorilla guides. After being briefed on the very strict conservation protocols, you head over to the specific starting point for your walk, where teams of porters/assistants are available for hire. Remember, you are trekking for around 2,500m and so any help is welcome. we strongly recommending taking a porter/assistant, to assist you with the muddy terrain as much as to help carry your day pack.
Groups are limited to eight guests. The initial trek is usually through rural Rwanda’s open fields of potatoes and pyrethrum, until you reach the rough wall boundary of the park itself. From here, your guide will be in communication with the trackers and you will begin the hike through the forest to meet the gorillas. Your permit allows you one hour with the gorilla family, after which you say goodbye to your trackers and hike back down to meet your awaiting vehicle.
Note on Fitness
Generally we recommend being in good physical shape so that you can trek with ease. You are hiking at altitude and so your lungs will feel it. They try to match the group’s fitness levels to each troop’s proximity to the head-quarters. So if you are not so fit, please indicate this to your guide and then you may have a shorter walk.
But gorillas can be on the move, so there is no guarantee of a shorter walk. And secondly, in my personal experience, you may feel slightly sad if you only have to hike for 30 minutes before encountering your troop. So if in doubt, do some good training hikes prior to your trip so that you are up to hiking for longer.
FYI: We hiked for 1½ hours each way which I felt was a good distance. we were all pretty tired when we got back. Others at our hotel had to hike for over 2 hours and they found it tough-going.
Some gorilla families, however, are more elusive, and tracking can occasionally take a full day, especially when it is wet and muddy.
