The ranger and trackers slash their machetes through a thicket of nettles as we follow them up the verdant jungle hillside of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. We are not on an established path of any sort, rather just forging straight uphill through the undergrowth of this dense rain forest.
Suddenly they stop and hush our group of five hikers. The ranger cuts a branch aside and just like that we are looking into the face of an enormous silverback mountain gorilla. The animal ignores us as he daintily plucks a leaf off a stem and then moves onto his belly to scratch an itchy spot on his back, gestures that nod to how much DNA (98.4%) we share. It’s incredible to witness this massive creature at such close range.
That range becomes even closer as the gorilla gets up and lumbers on his knuckles towards us. We are instructed to huddle together, look down at the ground, and make the submissive grunting noise we learned at the trailhead as he brushes past us on his way to find more tender stalks. These are true close encounters.
We get to spend an hour in the presence of this family of nine. It’s awe-inspiring to be so near such powerful animals and witness them go about their lives. We are definitely the visitors on their turf and our ranger is there to help interpret sounds and actions. (The big guy beating his chest and roaring is apparently just trying to get some attention, but the pregnant female is one to watch out for.)
It’s magical to take in. And the best thing is that our being here actually makes us part of an incredible conservation success story.
Why It Works
The magic is not accidental. The entire gorilla trekking program is very tightly regulated. Only 96 permits are issued each day for the entire park, split into 12 groups capped at eight people. Each group is allowed a strictly timed hour with a habituated family.
Early in the morning, welcomed with coffee and tea, trekkers meet at the modern, outdoor park headquarters and are divided into groups in an exceptionally well-organized and professional process. Rangers consider fitness level, age, and expressed preference when possible, since some gorilla families range higher up the slopes while others remain closer to the park boundaries.
Our trek was 2.5 hours of uphill climbing to find our family (and another 2 hours back down), while others only hiked for 30 minutes on more level ground to encounter theirs. The rangers know where each family was the evening before, so have an idea where they might be, but these are wild animals who follow their own whims. If they climb up the mountain that day, you do too.
The revenue from those limited permits—which at $1500 per person is a sizable investment—flows directly back into conservation. Funds support anti-poaching patrols, veterinary teams, habitat protection, and continuous monitoring of each habituated family. The results are measurable: mountain gorillas, once on the brink of extinction, have rebounded to a population now exceeding 1,000 individuals across Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Just as critical is local buy-in. A percentage of the revenue is allocated to area communities for schools, clinics, and infrastructure projects. The porters who carry visitors’ backpacks come from surrounding villages, ensuring that local households benefit directly from the health of the gorilla population.
What Made It Special
Obviously spending time with the gorillas is a highlight, but we were equally delighted by the joy of being in Rwanda. Everywhere you look there is evidence of a country that has rebuilt itself from an unimaginable past. The people are warm, resilient, and proud, greeting you with smiles and laughter.
Along the roadside, a parade of humanity files by in colorful textiles, a riot of color and movement that makes the 3-hour drive from Kigali to the mountains pass in a blink. Children walk to school in their perfectly pressed uniforms, women carry goods on their heads with effortless balance, and bicycles loaded with impossible burdens of potatoes or bananas fly down hills.
And then there’s the landscape itself. Rolling hills carpeted in tea plantations and banana groves give way to mist-shrouded volcanoes rising above plots of tended farmland. After a rain, the entire country smells like a high-end spa with scents wafting from the ubiquitous stands of eucalyptus.
Tips and Tricks
Rwanda is one of Africa’s most politically stable nations. While the country’s predictability, safety, and forward momentum create a sense of security and hope, its GDP is quite modest. There are some easy things you can do to help make an impact with the people you come across.
Come with gear you are okay leaving behind. Hiking shoes, backpacks, technical outwear and the like are hard to come by here. Leaving anything like that with your porter or driver will make their day.
Bring a few deflated soccer balls that you can inflate when you get there. You will see kids playing soccer with all sorts of homemade balls. Imagine the smile on a face when you give them an actual soccer ball.
Build in some extra days for additional trekking or wildlife viewing.
Hike to Dian Fossey’s grave at her original research camp. Near Fossey’s grave is a small cemetery where she buried gorillas, including her beloved silverback Digit and others that died due to poaching and injuries. You can also visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund to learn about Fossey’s impact and current conservation efforts.
Visit the Golden monkeys. These hilarious primates move in lively troops. Hiking to see them is shorter and easier than gorilla trekking, but is pretty darn entertaining none-the-less.
Climb a volcano. The park is made up of five volcanoes, each with its own character and challenge. Karisimbi and Bisoke are the most popular for hikers. Karisimbi, the highest at 14,786 feet, is a two-day trek through dense forest and misty alpine zones. Mount Bisoke, crowned by a turquoise crater, is a shorter trek but no less striking. It’s a one-day hike we wish we had had time for.
Logistics
The most important piece of your puzzle will be landing one of the 96 trekking permits issued per day. For most visitors to Volcanoes National Park, gorilla trekking permits and transportation (both from Kigali and within the park) are arranged through your lodge. Many lodges reserve permits months in advance, especially in the high seasons (June–September and December–February), so you just have to see if they have permits (or can get them) for the dates you want to go.
Most accommodations offer transport from the lodge to the park headquarters in Kinigi as well as to the particular trailhead for your assigned family. This is important because some of the trailheads are up to an hour away on roads that require high clearance vehicles.
Lodges range in price from the expensive to the obscene. Two midrange lodges that we can recommend are Ingagi Lodge and Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel. There are a host of five-star accommodations like Wilderness Bisate and One&Only Gorilla’s Nest that are amazing, but beyond what we wanted to spend.
Ratings
Scenery / Experience: ★★★★★
This was truly our top wildlife experience, and we have done some other amazing things.
Activity Difficulty: Variable
This all depends on what gorilla group you get and if they have moved up the mountain. The park does a good job of trying to match those who need an easier hike with a gorilla family they hope will be close by. Hiring a porter for $20 plus a $5 tip is a must, even if you don’t need it, because it helps local employment. And believe me, if it’s pouring rain on your way down a slippery muddy slope, having an arm to lean on is a huge bonus.
Logistics Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
It’s not fast, but it’s definitely a compelling experience getting to Volcanoes National Park. You fly into the capital Kigali, Rwanda, which we reached via Qatar, and then take a fascinating drive 3 hours to the park area. It’s pretty easy to set up your transportation and permits through your lodge, it’s just a long way from the United States.
Cost: ★★★★★
This is expensive. There is high demand and limited supply, so the price keeps going up. It is currently $1500 per person for a gorilla trekking permit and the rumor when we were there was that it is going up soon. Even a mid-range hotel is around $400 a night and transportation with a driver $250 per day. For us, it was worth it.
Great article! I loved reliving my experience through your excellent description. Seeing the gorillas was one of the true highlights of my travels to over 50 countries. Your article is informative and personal.
What an amazing experience, Becky & Bryan! Loved seeing Rwanda through your eyes - beautiful descriptions. This exact trip (including bringing the deflated soccer balls) is now on my bucket list. Thanks for sharing!