Gorilla Encounter

One of the most rewarding and exclusive wildlife experiences, is a visit to Rwanda. Africa offers a vast array of incredible options, however, today we just can't go past an encounter with the iconic and endangered Mountain Gorilla.

Come Face to Face with Silverbacks

The path is slippery and this vast wilderness the trek to see the gorillas can take as little as 30 minutes or as long as eight hours, depending on where they are. Yet, every step is worth it. As you navigate the volcano’s slopes, you make your way through a forest of hanging vines, trilling bird songs, giant lobelias and moss-covered trees. Other primates appear in this emerald world too - grey-cheeked mangabeys, golden monkeys, baboons and the world’s largest troop of colobus monkeys, all adding to the carnival of sounds.

Yet as you draw near, everything changes. Silence echoes through the forest as your experienced tracker stops suddenly, listening. You tiptoe closer until there, in front of your eyes, is the bulking frame of a 200-kilo silverback gorilla, so close you could reach out and touch him. He’ll know you’re there, and wise eyes will appraise his curious visitors with nonchalance. With just eight people allowed to visit any family for no more than an hour each day, it is imperative the animals don’t feel crowded or unsettled.

Discover a Touching Bond

Massive and majestic, mountain gorillas also have close family bonds, spending much of their day bonding, playing, resting and nurturing one another. The sight of a mother gorilla lovingly tending her tiny baby evokes a deep resonance. Our affinity to these intelligent, emotional animals is extraordinary.

There are few wildlife experiences quite like an encounter with mountain gorillas. That precious hour spent in their company watching as they play, sulk, eat or doze just as we do, is simply captivating.