Trek the endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda
Trek to see the majestic mountain gorillas in the Virunga volcanoes or Bwindi Forest. Spend three nights at one of our award-winning great ape lodges: Virunga Lodge, Rwanda, or Bwindi Lodge or Mount Gahinga Lodge in Uganda.
Your safari will give you a unique insight into the endangered gorillas, their habitats and the communities living nearby. Combine wonderful wildlife sightings with opportunities to participate in conservation and community projects, run by Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust.
Enjoy a fireside chat the evening before your trek with staff from one of our conservation partners, Gorilla Doctors and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, and learn about their conservation work in the park.
As well as seeing the gorillas, you can hike to the rare golden monkey or to Dian Fossey’s grave in the park in Rwanda, or experience the ancient Batwa culture and Bwindi Bar in Uganda.
Rates start from $4,530 per person in low season for this all-inclusive 4-night safari at Mount Gahinga Lodge.
Trekking mountain gorillas in dense African forests is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Groups of eight visit per day, maintaining a 10m distance to protect the gorillas. Treks last 3-8 hours, requiring some fitness, but all levels are accommodated for this unforgettable adventure.
Golden monkeys, with their striking golden fur and playful nature, inhabit the volcanic foothills of Mgahinga National Park in Uganda and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Treks lead through bamboo forests and moorlands, offering a chance to observe these rare primates in their natural habitat.
Guests at Virunga Lodge and Mount Gahinga Lodge can embark on exhilarating climbs of the Virunga volcanoes—Mt. Gahinga, Mt. Sabyinyo, and Mt. Muhavura. Each offers unique challenges and stunning views, with hikes starting early and lasting a full day.
Established in 1967, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is dedicated to protecting and studying gorillas and their habitats, as well as empowering the communities that live near these forests. With a team of nearly 300 professionals working in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Fossey Fund is the world’s longest-running and largest organization focused entirely on gorilla conservation.
Join a veterinarian from Gorilla Doctors for an enlightening briefing on gorilla health and conservation strategies. Learn about their unique One Health approach and life-saving veterinary practices dedicated solely to the conservation of endangered mountain and eastern lowland gorillas.
Located in a beautiful meadow nestled between the Karisimbi and Bisoke volcanoes are the graves of Dian Fossey and some of her beloved research gorillas. For anyone interested in gorilla conservation in Rwanda, or interested in Fossey’s personal story, the trek to her grave is highly recommended. This trek starts early in the morning, can take 6-8 hours and is operated by the National Park.
Experience the vibrant Intore dancers in the afternoon, a local troupe supported by the Volcanoes Safari Partnership Trust since 2004. With 18 performers, they showcase Rwanda’s traditional ballet, ‘The Intore,’ a powerful courtly dance honoring the victory rituals of the Rwandan kings.
In 2014, Virunga Lodge launched the “One Sheep per Family” project, providing sheep to families in nearby villages. The sheep produce manure for crops and offspring for income. With support, hundreds of families in Sunzu, Bugeyo, Kigugu, and Nyagatoki villages have benefited, fostering sustainable farming and community growth.
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Arrive in Rwanda at Kigali International Airport where you will be welcomed by your expert safari guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your safari. Explore Kigali with an afternoon city tour.
Overnight at The Retreat (dinner, breakfast).
Enjoy a city tour and a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial. A visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial is a moving testimony to this country’s past that it has courageously overcome (guests to pay/donate entrance fees directly).
Drive through Rwanda’s magnificent landscape (known as the land of the thousand hills) on your journey to Virunga Lodge near the Virunga volcanoes.
Before dinner join our conservation partners, Gorilla Doctors or Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, for drinks and a fireside chat in the Virunga Map Room to learn about the conservation and health of mountain gorillas and reminisce on your gorilla experience.
Driving time approximately 3 hours.
Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
Wake up early and have breakfast before setting off for gorilla tracking in Parc National des Volcans.
Hike through the enchanting bamboo forest on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes. After a climb of between one and three hours, you will spend one hour in the company of the majestic and gentle mountain gorillas before returning to the lodge in time for a late lunch. Some gorilla families can be more elusive, and tracking can take a full day, especially if it is wet and muddy.
Visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, near Kinigi.
Relax after your trek and enjoy complimentary spa treatments and massages, including the famous Rungu massage at Ikirunga Spa and Sauna.
Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
After enjoying an early breakfast, set off to track the rare golden monkeys through the bamboo forests of the mountains. The monkeys travel in large groups and are as energetic as they are photogenic, often seen playing in the high branches or foraging on the ground for bamboo shoots.
Overnight at Virunga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
Drive to Kigali (approximately 3 hours), transfer to the airport in time for your return flight.
Please book international flights departing after 8pm.
Arriving in Kigali you will be welcomed by your expert Volcanoes Safaris guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your safari. Transfer to your hotel in Kigali.
Overnight at The Retreat (dinner, breakfast)
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Set off for Mount Gahinga Lodge and cross the border into Uganda. Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails on the terrace with stunning views of the Virunga Volcanoes or warm yourself inside by the cosy fire.
Driving time approximately 4 to 5 hours. Please book flights arriving no later than 10am.
Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge (lunch, dinner).
After enjoying an early breakfast, set off gorilla tracking. Trekking through the steep, densely forested hills and then finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged moment.
After a climb of between one and three hours the moment you find the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged one. You will spend one hour in the company of the majestic and gentle mountain gorillas before returning to the lodge in time for a late lunch.
Gorilla trekking requires stamina and can sometimes take a full day, especially if it is wet and muddy.Relax after your day’s tracking experience and enjoy a complimentary spa treatments and massages, including the famous Rungu massage at Gahinga Spa and Sauna. Visit the Batwa Vocational Center and see how the community are earning a sustainable income through craft making.
Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
After enjoying an early breakfast, set off to track the rare golden monkeys through the bamboo forests of the mountains. The monkeys travel in large groups and are as energetic as they are photogenic, often seen playing in the high branches or foraging on the ground for bamboo shoots.
Visit the Gahinga Batwa Village and experience the culture and history of one of Africa’s oldest tribes. Visit their new village and community centre and participate in the Batwa Heritage Tour to gain insight into their traditional life as hunter gatherers in the forest.
Overnight at Mount Gahinga Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
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Leave Gahinga Lodge and drive across the border to Kigali, and time permitting, enjoy a city tour and a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial.
A visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial is a moving testimony to this country’s past that it has courageously overcome (guests to pay/donate entrance fees directly).
Transfer to the airport in time for your return flight. Driving time approximately 3 hours.
Arrive in Uganda at Entebbe Airport where a Volcanoes Safaris representative will assist you to your hotel.
Overnight at Hotel No. 5 (dinner, breakfast).
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Transfer to Entebbe Airport where a Volcanoes Safaris representative will assist you with your 07:00 am or 13:00 pm domestic flight to Kihihi airstrip, where you will be welcomed by your expert Volcanoes Safaris guide who will provide knowledge and assistance throughout your safari. Transfer to by road to Bwindi Lodge to Bwindi Lodge situated on the edge of the impenetrable forest.
Enjoy pre-dinner cocktails and a fireside chat with a vet from the Gorilla Doctors and learn about their daily work looking after the health of the mountain gorillas. Approximate driving time 5-6 hours.
Overnight at Bwindi Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
After enjoying an early breakfast, you set off gorilla tracking. Trekking through the steep, densely forested hills and then finally coming across the gorillas camouflaged in the vegetation is an inspiring and privileged moment. Tracking in the Bwindi forest can be steep and requires stamina as some gorilla families can be more elusive, and tracking can take a full day, especially if it is wet and muddy.
Visit the award-winning Bwindi Bar on the way back to the lodge after your gorilla trek and celebrate with the signature Gorillini cocktail! Bwindi Bar provides hospitality training to young disadvantaged youth from the neighbouring communities.
Approximate driving time up to 2 hours, depending on the location of the gorilla groups.
Overnight at Bwindi Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
Either go for a second gorilla trek (additional permits required, upon payment of supplement and subject to availability), choose from one of the following community and conservation activities:
Take a guided walk in the rainforest to a beautiful waterfall and enjoy a guided birding walk along the Munyanga River Trail. Visit the Bwindi Community Hospital and learn about their gorilla conservation at the Conservation Through Public Health centre. Enjoy a demonstration of our local tea processing cooperation at Bwindi Lodge.
Overnight at Bwindi Lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
Transfer from Bwindi lodge to Kihihi airstrip for your morning or afternoon return flight to Entebbe and connect in time for your international flight.
Approximate Travel Times: Flying 1 to 2 hours; Driving 2 hours.Please book international flights departing after 8pm.
(Breakfast at the lodge)
To make a booking, please complete this form or click here to chat to one of our sales consultants via our live chat. Alternatively, send us an email on [email protected].
