Gorilla trekkingin Rwanda

An hour into the forest, the guide stops, points at nothing you can see, and the undergrowth moves. Then a silverback is eight metres away, ignoring you completely. That is the whole trip in one moment, and everything else is arranged around it.

Volcanoes National Park sits on the Rwandan flank of the Virunga chain, and the forest there runs to bamboo. Mountain gorillas are the reason most people come. Golden monkeys are the other half of it, and a shorter, easier walk.

Kigali is the way in. It is the cleanest arrival in the region, and every gorilla itinerary we run starts and ends there. The Genocide Memorial comes first, on the way through. It honours more than 250,000 people, and it explains the country you are driving across.

Uganda holds Bwindi and the chimpanzees, and the two are usually planned as one route.

Where you’ll stay

Midrange: Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel in Musanze, at the foot of the park, the practical base for golden monkeys, forest hikes and cycling in the countryside around it.

Luxury: Virunga Inn Resort & Spa, twenty deluxe rooms across fourteen chalets in the Northern Province, near Volcanoes National Park, built for quiet.

Practical notes

Draft: awaiting owner verification. Permit rules, prices and quotas change frequently and are confirmed in writing with your quote.

• Gorilla permits are limited and dated. They are booked before the rest of the itinerary, not after.
• Trekking involves a real walk at altitude on steep, wet ground. Tell us your fitness honestly and we will match the group to it.
• There is a minimum age for gorilla trekking. We confirm the current rule when we quote for a family.
• Rwanda and Uganda are separate countries with separate entry requirements. We confirm both for your passport.