Stand Face to Face With a Mountain Gorilla
There are fewer than 1,100 mountain gorillas left on Earth, and almost all of them live in the forests we call home. We’ll take you to them.
Quick facts: Uganda & Rwanda · Treks from 1 to 8 hours · Moderate to challenging · Minimum age 15 · Maximum 6 travelers per group
Gorilla tracking is the crown jewel of any African safari: a few hours on foot through ancient rainforest, following expert trackers to a family of wild mountain gorillas going about their day. A silverback the size of a small car. Mothers cradling infants. Youngsters tumbling through the undergrowth, close enough to hear them breathe.
At Msaape Roots & Routes, we’ve built our whole company around getting you to this moment, and making everything around it effortless. Permits, lodges, transfers, airport pickups, paperwork: all handled. You bring the sense of wonder; we take care of the rest.
What to Expect on The Day.
Your day starts early. After breakfast, you’ll head to the park headquarters for a briefing with the rangers, where you’re matched to a habituated gorilla family and meet your guide.
Then the trek begins. Trained trackers have been with your gorilla group since dawn, radioing back their location, so you’re never wandering blind. Gorillas roam, though, so the hike can take anywhere from under an hour to most of a morning. The forest is steep, green, and gloriously wild.
When you reach them, the clock starts on the most extraordinary hour of your trip. Park rules give each group one full hour with the gorillas: time to watch, photograph, and simply be present a few metres from one of our closest living relatives. Then you trek back out, usually quieter than you went in.
Gorilla Tracking Destinations
We track gorillas across three world-class parks. Tell us your priorities (budget, comfort, fitness, scenery) and we’ll match you to the right one.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Uganda
Volcanoes National Park
Rwanda
