Adventure SafarisSolo TravelersWildlife SafarisGorilla Trekking Safaris

Gorilla Trekking Safaris

Encounters with mountain gorilla families in the Virunga Volcanoes and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park...

Scroll for more

Overview

Cedarberg-Sanctuary-Gorilla
The rare and elusive Mountain gorillas live in small family groups in the high-altitude cloud forests of equatorial central Africa. They live in only two areas. One is the Virunga Volcanoes which straddle Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The other is the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest  in Uganda. We offer gorilla trekking safaris to both the Virunga and Bwindi rainforests.

Their numbers declined dramatically in the last few decades of the 20th century. This was mainly due to the erosion of their habitat. However, since they have been protected, their numbers have increased by over 40% since 1989. So now there are over 1,000 mountain gorillas roaming wild.

Gorilla Trekking Safaris & Conservation

Gorilla trekking tours, with small numbers of people, play a vital role in this form of wildlife conservation. It allows for a carefully managed and minimally-intrusive encounter between you and a few gorilla families. Ever since the mountain gorilla research of Dian Fossy, the pioneering primatologist, people want to emulate her close encounters with these most charismatic apes. These gorilla family are somewhat habituated to humans, but the encounter is still very carefully regulated.

Gorilla trekking terrain

So the gorilla tracking permit prices are deliberately very high ($1500 in Rwanda and $800 in Uganda). As this vital revenue is what enables environmentalists to preserve the remaining unique montane and bamboo forest. The forest would be destroyed, if not for the gorilla trekking fees and the tourism dollars which go to the local communities. They would be forced to plough up or burn the forests to create more land for subsistence farming.

Why it's worth the price!

Gorilla Trekking Tours in search of Mountain Gorillas

Despite the high fees, people snap up the gorilla tracking permits many months ahead. For the committed world adventurer, devoted photographer or wildlife lover, there is nothing to beat the thrill of an encounter with a male 'silverback' gorilla. An hour passes in a flash but you won't forget your time with them. Perhaps it is the fact that mountain gorillas are notoriously hard to capture on camera? Or the challenging trek to get to them? It all combined to reinforce what an incredible privilege it is!

Back to Wildlife Safaris main page...

Download our Free Safari Planning Guide

20 pages of Useful Tips: Best time to Travel, Safari Costs, How to Get Around, Special Interests and more... Get our Free Guide
Find me the best in for
Amazing holiday in SA
"Thank you for the most amazing holiday in South Africa. The three lodges were all selected with great care and each had a different atmosphere. All transfers worked entirely smoothly and we were even met on arrival at Johannesburg airport to be escorted the few yards to the airport hotel! Cedarberg really came into their own when BA messed up the outgoing flight (twice) and Ginny spent her enti ..." - Mr Mike Ricks, UK
Everything was perfectly organised
"Mari did an incredible job planning our holiday. Not only did Mari communicate extremely well throughout the whole process, but the trip was beyond our expectations " - Mr Yeats, USA
We honestly had the trip of a life time and it was a magical time for our whole family.
"We honestly had the trip of a life time and it was a magical time for our whole family. From the animals in the Serengeti to the palm fringed perfect beaches of Zanzibar it was two weeks we will never forget. We had a superb guide and saw the big 5 on safari which was really special. Thank you so much Milandi. " - Jos Palmer
Thanks for setting up the most glorious flowers trip for us!
"From start to finish we experienced fantastic service from Cedarberg Africa especially from Sonja. The itinerary was perfect, accommodation was great and the suggestions of things to see were very useful. We especially liked the variety of accommodation you set up from glamping to some awesome 5 star establishments. Thank you. We have already provided your company details with other frie ..." - Davies & Edwards family
Cedarberg & company have been amazing!
"Cedarberg & Co have been amazing! Professional, knowledgeable and very helpful. We had put everything together in about a week. Communications are of high standards. All plans worked. " - Mr Roland, UK
 
staff image

Natasha Jantjies

AFRICAN TRAVEL SPECIALIST

Hi I'm Natasha, I'm here to help you plan your ideal holiday experience GET IN TOUCH