The first moment I set my eyes on the silverback and his family was a truly a breathtaking experience. You just can’t believe your eyes. I will never forget looking down from a cliff and seeing gorillas in the wild.

We trekked in the thick vegetation for 3 hours which was beautiful as we passed villages and saw how the locals live in the area. The walk is certainly for fit people and the length of the walk depends on where you go to see the gorillas on the day. Some people only walk for 30 minutes while other routes are longer, like mine was.

Top Adventure Tours to see the Gorillas:

12 Day Best of Uganda Adventure

28 Day Gorillas, Parks and Beach Trek

55 Day Cape Town to Nairobi Adventure

55 Day Cape Town to Nairobi Adventure (Comfort)

Make sure you carry at least a 1 litre of water as I didn’t have enough but my guide was so kind and offered his water. It is important to wear comfy trainers (not new ones as they will give you blisters and get ruined in the thick bush). Long trousers are necessary and a long, thin sleeve top. It will be hot and humid and depending on the time of the year you could be walking in the rain. Comfy long socks which you must tuck your trousers into so that red ants don’t crawl up your legs, or you can wear gaters.

When you get to the gorillas you will be asked to sit down and you will spend an hour with them. When I was there a big mom came over to see us with her baby. It was just amazing and our guide told us to look down and never in the eyes. While we were sitting there a gorilla toddler (probably 8 months old) came running up to us and started beating on his chest like Tarzan. Such a show off!

It was honestly one of the best experiences in my life. They were just so huge and so gentle, and I was amazed that they allowed us to witness an hour of their every day life.

Just to let you know the permit (currently in 2016 – 750 USD ) goes to the park and the preservation of the gorillas. Minimum age is 16 but I recommend 18 to be the minimum.