Gorillas of Virunga and Bwindi
The most intense and spectacular gorilla tracking we have plotted for you. You will experience so many beautiful, special and moving moments this trip that you would almost forget that you are in Rwanda. The country that not so long ago was the scene of large-scale genocide.
Park National de Volcans
The Park National de Volcans where you will have your first encounter with the mountain gorillas is named after six volcanoes of the Virunga mountain range that marks the border with Uganda and Congo. You will pass through the tropical mountain rainforest on the flanks of these volcanoes. The tours are arduous and sometimes long, but your encounter with the mountain gorillas more than makes up for all efforts. The magic of these peaceful great apes is indescribable. And this is just the beginning! The area is also home to another rare primate species: the golden monkey. And if you stand still for a moment, you can enjoy the fairy-tale vegetation, including giant lobelias, hanging mosses and senecios.
Looking for Gorillas in the Mist
A relatively simple climb will take you to the top of the Mt. Gahinga, which you reach via Lake Mutanda. The 3,400-foot-tall Mt. Gahinga is the smallest of the six volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains. The crater of this volcano is quite shallow, the exuberant flora including the Alchemillia, Lobelia and Senecio that grow on the marshy soil, is therefore clearly visible. Bwindi Impenetrable Forrest National Park (Uganda) is home to about 360 mountain gorillas (half the world's mountain gorillas). Chances are you will see these special great apes again. Here, too, you will have to make some effort, you will walk through the dim forest (the trees of up to 60 meters high hardly let light through), on slippery paths on the way to an experience that you now know is indescribable. Although, with each new sight of these peaceful great apes, your heart skips again...
Tips & Tops Gorilla tracking Rwanda and Uganda:
- Accompanied by guides, park national de Volcans also allows you to take various walks or climb multiple volcanoes
- In the evening from your lodge overlooking the Virunga Mountains, enjoy the impressive encounter with the mountain gorillas
- Spending time with gorillas in their natural habitat
- In the capital Kampala (Uganda) you can also visit the Kibulimoskee or the Impala Hill
- Visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial gives you a better understanding of Rwanda's recent past
- Following in the footsteps of Dian Fossey, who spent years studying mountain gorillas' behaviour
- Katuna, on the border of Rwanda and Uganda is an important trade centre
- A walk through bamboo forest, the habitat of 'golden monkey' and gorillas on the way to the top of the Mt. Gahinga
