Mountain Gorilla Treks in Virunga National Park
A visit with a mountain gorilla family is a life changing adventure. Mountain gorillas are highly intelligent, good natured, and fascinating to observe. The silverback’s powerful presence is awe inspiring, yet his calm clearly earns him the title gentle giant. The people are equally struck by the tenderness and care that the mothers show to their young ones. And then there are the juveniles who spend most of every waking hour at play and never cease to make the visitors smile. We believe your time with Virunga’s mountain gorillas will leave you feeling changed for the better.
All treks are led by park rangers and usually depart from Bukima Patrol Post. The gorilla treks usually need 1-2 hours of hiking in each direction, depending on where the mountain gorillas spent the past night and the difficulty of the terrain.
In order to safe guard the health of Virunga gorillas, visitors will be required to wear surgical masks provided when in the presence of gorillas. The children must also be 15 years of age or older to go on a gorilla trek. Time with the gorillas is strictly limited to only one hour. In case you don’t feel well at the time of tracking, you can always cancel. The mountain gorillas are extremely susceptible to human diseases. The gorillas have died after being exposed to human respiratory viruses and other common ailments. The mountain gorilla trekking permits cost $400 per person for the international tourists and $150 for the adult Congolese nationals.