Our Journey to Trek with Gorillas
One thing that was a top priority on our 2019 trip to Africa was to see gorillas in the wild! There are a few companies you can book this through, and they will take you to the Bwindi Forest in Uganda to trek and see some of the gorilla groups who live there. These specific groups of gorillas are familiarized with people and you are trekking with professionals, so it makes it safer to get near them.
And here’s a recap of our journey to see them!
Part 1: Rwanda
In order to see the gorillas, we first had to fly to Kigali, Rwanda since it was the most convenient airport to fly to. This was close enough that we could be picked up from the city and drive to the park to see the gorillas from there. To be safe, we gave ourselves a buffer day in Rwanda, in case of flight delays and such. So, for our buffer day in Rwanda, we found ourselves a small city tour to join.
On the tour, we stopped at a tea house, a milk bar (like super fresh milk), a market, Mount Kigali, a local coffee shop, and the Genocide Memorial. We also had a lunch break, with delicious local foods.
Part 2: The Drive to Uganda
The second stage of our journey took us from Rwanda to Uganda. Our driver/guide picked us up from the hotel in the morning and we drove half the day, crossing into Uganda and eventually ending in the Bwindi National Forest. There were a lot of beautiful views along the way, but for the most part, we didn’t make any stops, except the boarder crossing.
We made it to the lodge around lunch time. We got to stay in these lovely huts in the mountain. It was very relaxing and beautiful. The rest of the day, we just hung out around the lodge, enjoy tea & hammocks, and then turned in for the night.
Part 3: The Gorilla Trek
The last leg of our journey was the gorillas! The moment we’ve been waiting for! We woke up, had our breakfast, and made our was to the gorilla trek starting point. We were first greeted with a dance and then they briefed us on how the trek would go. There were a lot of other folks there, and they separated us into three trekking groups. Each would go in different directions and hopefully see different gorilla groups. Because we had a flight to catch that night back in Kigali, we snuck into the group of retired folk for the easier trek. And I when I say “easier”, it definitely was still a challenge: muddy slopes and not well worn trails. I actually slipped and fell at one point. Many of the older people in our group hired aids to help them through the more treacherous parts of the trail.
And then we were off through the Impenetrable Forest to find the Bitukura group of gorillas! We had our armed guides (in case something went wrong), and using scouts and walkie talkies, they successfully guided us to the gorillas. It was so crazy to be so close to them, without any glass between us. It was an experience I definitely won’t forget any time soon.
After our hike, we quickly met up with our driver and made our way back to Kigali. We said our goodbyes and made our way to the airport for the next part of our African vacation.
It was a tough, sweaty hike and I don’t think I will ever get the opportunity to do it again, but I count myself lucky to have had the opportunity to experience gorillas in the wild!
