A visit to a mountain gorilla family is a life changing experience. Mountain gorillas are highly intelligent, good natured, and fascinating to observe. The silverback’s powerful presence is awe-inspiring, yet his calm demeanor clearly earns him the title, 'gentle giant'. People are equally struck by the tenderness and care that mothers show their young. And then, of course, there are the juveniles who spend most of every waking hour at play and never cease to make visitors smile. We believe your time with Virunga’s mountain gorillas will leave you feeling changed for the better. All treks are led by park rangers and usually depart from Bukima patrol post. Treks usually require 1 to 3 hours of hiking in each direction, depending on where the mountain gorillas spent the previous night and the difficulty of the terrain.

There are only just over 1,000 individuals left in the entire world, with about a quarter of these living in Virunga National Park. To safeguard the health of Virunga’s gorillas, visitors will be required to wear surgical masks (provided) when in their presence. If you don’t feel well, have a fever, diarrhea, or persistent sore throat – you will not be permitted to go on the trek. Mountain gorillas are extremely susceptible to human illnesses, so it is imperative their exposure to human respiratory viruses and other common ailments is strictly avoided.