Gorillas on your List?

Then trekking after these great apes in Africa would fall in to the category of MUST DO. Witness the mountain gorillas of Rwanda in the wild! This past February, I had the opportunity to visit these massive, shy, majestic creatures in their natural habitat in Rwanda’s Virunga Volcanoes National Park. It was dramatic, thrilling and poignant all at the same time. My favorite selfie to date is with a silverback I met on this trip.

Not only is it truly special to be able to witness this endangered species so up close and personal, but it is important to know that through the hard work of dedicated wildlife rangers and community education programs, the mountain gorilla populations (790 to date) are currently holding steady.

The good news is that the tourist dollars that you spend are one of the most important sources of income in the fight to save the gorillas. And don’t worry: great strides are taken to ensure that visitors do not have a harmful effect on the animals by allowing only a small group of visitors during a very short period of time to see the gorillas each day.

You may ask… is Rwanda safe? I was amazed to find that the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’ is the most peaceful and absolutely stunning country (and cleanest I might add!) despite the tragic 1994 genocide.

This combo would be hard to beat: Spend 3-4 nights in Rwanda with 2 days of trekking gorillas combined with an incredible safari in Kenya or Tanzania. If you are a primate fanatic, then spend more time in Rwanda trekking for the chimps as well as the golden monkeys..or extend your trip into Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Call me at 888-596-6377 for more details.

Elizabeth Rand

VP of Operations