Out of all the people in the world only 60 can go gorilla trekking each day in Rwanda’s
Volcanoes National Park. So it’s a pretty exclusive experience and by now you’re working out that you need to get in quick if you want to do it — especially if you want to do it from Bisate!
Of the twenty gorilla troops in Rwanda, it is possible to visit ten. Some live a long hard trek away near the summits of the volcanoes. Others, more considerate, prefer to live on the lower slopes perhaps an hour or two away.
Anyone with reasonable mobility can do this and the guides allocate less mobile people to the more accessible gorilla families. You have all day to find them so there’s plenty of time to enjoy your rainforest surroundings and savour the anticipation of your encounter.
Suddenly your guide will signal you to stop and be silent. Your heart leaps to your throat as you realise that you are close to a family of gorillas. The powerful silverback watching intently, females chewing bamboo, babies playing and tumbling about like kids the world over. Amazing!
Your hour among the gorillas passes in a blur of emotion, frantic photography, awe-struck contemplation and whispered conversation as you drink deeply from this privileged experience.