Reviews: Gorilla Trekking Safari

"This was our last trek of the trip and really delivered in every way. Fidel was our guide with 22 years experience and was brilliant.

We requested a medium/ easy trek which Ringo was able to arrange for us.

We trekked for 45 mins through farm land to the edge of the forest. We entered over a wall and found our first silverback quickly, we then followed him through bamboo and nettles towards the rest of his family. It was an incredible hour, we saw a further 10+ gorillas of various ages in close proximity, at times within touching distance.

A truly magical experience." Read more about this whole safari

"We had two days of Gorilla trekking. The start of each day was just as impressively organised as our trek to the monkeys had been.

Our first Gorilla trek was led by Augustin, and our group of 8 people was assigned to the Amahoro group.

The start point was different from yesterday, but again we enjoyed walking through the fields to reach the edge of the forest. As soon as we crossed the boundary wall we were told that the trackers had located the gorillas and that they were not too far away. The walk to reach them probably took about 30 minutes. It was not difficult, as it was mainly on the level and quite open, though with no clear path. We needed to watch our footing going through bamboo thickets and bushes and over the occasional stump.

We found the gorillas in a fairly open depression in the forest covered with lower growing bamboo and scrub, and this is where they remained for the hour we spent with them. The group ( I estimate that we saw about 12 animals) included two silverbacks and others of varying sizes, including some quite small. They were highly tolerant of our presence, and we were able to move around so that everyone in the group had good views.

The gorillas themselves did not move much as they were either feeding or resting. There were some amusing interactions eg a youngster doing his best to disrupt the sleep of his mother, until one of the slightly older males went across and reprimanded him. One of the silverbacks did eventually move and briefly stand to beat his chest at a youngster, which gave a better idea of his bulk, but the second just sat in the middle of a big bush for the whole time.

I have to confess that, although I enjoyed the morning and realised that I was incredibly privileged to be in the presence of these rare animals, I did not go 'WOW', which is my usual reaction to seeing exciting wildlife for the first time (and often for the many times after that!).
Nevertheless we went back to the hotel feeling content.

I am very happy to say that our second day produced the WOW factor in spades! This time we were assigned to the Umabano group and our leader was Rukundo, who was great fun.

We set out from the same place as yesterday, but the weather was much sunnier so we had wonderful views of the volcanoes. A very pleasant walk across the farmland, gradually gaining height, and today we kept going, heading for the lower slopes of the volcano. Excellent views all round.

Eventually we reached the climb over the stone wall to enter the forest, where we were told that the trackers had located the gorillas higher in the forest (not too high, we were promised!). A stiff climb of about 30 minutes up a fairly well defined path did indeed bring us to the first gorilla.

The time we spent with them was fantastic. There were several silverbacks (the group has six), other younger males and females and one quite small. At times they were feeding, or simply sitting, but in general they were moving up the steep slope. We followed them, with the trackers doing a great job of making a path for us through the incredibly dense vegetation. The gorillas were very tolerant of our presence, and sometimes walked very close to us - we all held our breath as one of the silverbacks came right past us.

This group provided us with some entertaining moments. One silverback kept making the most enormous yawns; another rolled around on his back looking very relaxed and comical a younger male (who was sitting eating and with whom the guide had said it was OK to have my photo taken) got up and came right up to me, where he did a twirl and then went off to roll down the hillside. At one stage about half a dozen gorillas, from a silverback to the smallest member of the group were all leaping/rolling down the hillside. We all fell about laughing!

After that the gorillas went out of sight, but we all agreed that we would like to carry on following them. This was an adventure in its own right - there was no path, we just followed our guide and the trackers. We did not have any clear view of the gorillas until eventually we came to a deep ravine which we could not cross, but our reward for all the effort was a great view of the silverbacks climbing up the other side. They made it look so easy - a wonderful demonstration of their strength and agility.

We estimate that from entering the forest we had climbed about 600ft, so the descent was another adventure, going more or less straight down through dense vegetation, following a route made by the trackers.

A most enjoyable morning, with a great feeling of achievement. We felt that today we had seen the gorillas in a true mountain environment." Read more about this whole safari

"Good gorilla family but the fact that the visits are in groups of eight visitors makes for a less interesting experience.

This was my 6th gorilla trek and all the previous ones (Uganda, Gabon, Congo) were in groups of four. Four is a much better group size, especially as you are moving in a forest and have to move swiftly back if the gorillas decide to walk towards you." Read more about this whole safari

"Our primary reason for the trip to Africa was to hike to see the gorillas. We were so looking g forward to this…and we were not disappointed….

A 90 minute hike each way. A pleasant hike with ample rest breaks. The gorillas were fascinating. The one hour that we could spend with them went by too fast.

Please hire a porter. Hiring a porter supports local people. We hired one for each of us. They are very helpful even if you think you can manage on your own.

Overall the hike and the experience of seeing the gorillas is well worth it….you will not be disappointed!!!" Read more about this whole safari

"Experience of a lifetime with very knowledgeable guide from the Volcanoes Park.

The Gorilla trekking are very well organized from the time you check in at the Park Headquarter, allocation of the gorillas family (they honored our request for a short and medium treks) to the trek itself." Read more about this whole safari

"see previous comment" Read more about this whole safari

"This needs a category above excellent, in fact possibly another category above that again!

Getting close to these awe-inspiring animals was a life highlight." Read more about this whole safari

"Trekking with the gorillas was an incredible, surreal experience that I cannot recommend enough. The process is very well organized, the hike was not too hard or too far and we saw Golden Monkeys on the hike. The hike itself was beautiful and our guide was information. Actually seeing the gorillas was incredible... they are so intelligent, wise, playful, adorable, etc. It was a life changing experience." Read more about this whole safari

"See previous:
[Trekking with the gorillas was an incredible, surreal experience that I cannot recommend enough. The process is very well organized, the hike was not too hard or too far and we saw Golden Monkeys on the hike. The hike itself was beautiful and our guide was information. Actually seeing the gorillas was incredible... they are so intelligent, wise, playful, adorable, etc. It was a life changing experience.]" Read more about this whole safari

"Spectacular. This is an unforgettable experience. We had a sensitive and thoughtful guide, who found the gorilla family of nine after an hour and half hike. All members of our group were of the same level of fitness, which the national park guides had made sure of before the trek. At high altitude and in thick bamboo forest, the walk was at time moderately challenging. Once we found the family we were then able to spend an hour quietly observing them eating, resting and playing. It was without doubt the highlight of our Rwanda visit." Read more about this whole safari