Gorilla trekking and primate safaris
Face to face with the unforgettable
Imagine… trekking for hours on end through dense, otherworldly forests; climbing ever-higher on a magical quest. Muddy, exhausted and elated, you finally stop when you come face to face with mountain gorillas.
Nothing can prepare you for a close encounter with these gentle giants. Sitting with a silverback and his family is a privilege that few people will ever have the opportunity to experience – and something that will stay with you always. It’s intimate, thrilling and profoundly moving.
It’s also incredibly precious because these magnificent animals are so endangered. In 1981, the experts told us there were only 254 mountain gorillas left in the world. Thanks to exceptional conservation efforts, the number now stands at around 1,000. It’s obviously a healthier number, but it still means mountain gorillas are on the Critically Endangered list – and only two classifications away from completely extinct.
Gorilla trekking is a uniquely African experience, but it’s only possible in a handful of places.
As mountain gorillas can only survive in the wild, your only chance to see them is to visit them in their natural habitat – the mountain forests of equatorial Africa – namely, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Getting here may take more time, effort and money than a traditional safari, but it’s totally worth it: this is one of the ultimate wildlife experiences on the planet.
And that’s just the mountain gorillas. Africa is home to an outstanding number of other primate species, including western lowland gorillas in Republic of the Congo, lemurs in Madagascar, gelada baboons in Ethiopia and chimpanzees in, primarily, Tanzania and Uganda. To see primates in the wild is to see a highly social animal world filled with playing, vocalising, grooming, eating and sometimes fighting!
If you’re passionate about primates, forget the typical game drive and go for a safari with a difference. You’ll never feel so alive.
“The more you learn about the dignity of the gorilla, the more you want to avoid people.”
– Dian Fossey
Let’s talk about making your dream trip a reality.
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