Gorilla Trekking
No other wildlife encounter in Africa matches the astounding experience of spending time face-to-face with some of the few remaining wild mountain gorillas. For a gorilla trek you need to be fairly fit for the humid, muddy conditions of a rainforest with high altitude hike. Even in the dry season, the rainforest is a challenging environment: it is humid, wet and muddy with some steep slopes and thick vegetation. If needed, you can hire a porter who carries luggage and assists you during steep or muddy terrain at a fee. It is absolutely worth the effort to spend time with gorillas in the wild, but be prepared to exert yourself on the trek. Your professional guide and tracker lead you into the forest’s secret paths, looking for a habituated gorilla family. Once found, approach the gorillas quietly and settle down to observe them from between 7 and 10m away. You will spend up to one hour with the gorillas, watching the adults forage and groom each other while the babies tumble and play. You will be under the watchful gaze of the great silverback patriarch whose soft brown eyes constantly sweep over his family protectively. Witnessing gorillas express typically human gestures and emotions is a truly profound experience! (Please carry drinking water, snacks, raincoat, hiking shoes, camera, mosquito repellent and garden/leather gloves).
Visit the Dian Fossey Exhibition / Karisoke Research Center
Explore the state-of-the-art Karisoke Research Center nestled in the heart of mountainous Musanze, your gateway to the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Armed with a naturalist guide, learn about the endangered mountain gorillas and their natural habitat, thanks to the longest-running field study of primates here! Get an insight into the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International that continues facilitating research practices, tracking, and conservation efforts including anti-poaching patrols for gorillas across the region. Browse the excellent showcase spread across seven sections, which celebrates the life and work of Dian Fossey through historic photographs, notes, and original artifacts from her cabin. See nose prints, footprints, handprints, and skulls of gorillas, listen to gorilla vocalizations and watch several videos from the project’s timeline. Also, view the Virtual Virungas – an interactive 3D model that projects satellite imagery of Virunga mountains on a bed of sand. Interacting with the staff, stroll about, and expect to spot several other animals in the center’s forested surroundings.
