The gorilla was two meters away, close enough that I could smell the vegetation on his breath. He was a silverback named Guhonda, forty-two years old and four hundred kilograms of muscle and fur. He looked at me with an expression that was neither curious nor hostile, simply aware. Then he yawned, revealing canines the length of my thumb, and settled back against a tree trunk to chew on a branch. I had paid one thousand five hundred dollars for this permit, and the encounter had lasted exactly fifty-seven minutes. It was worth every cent. But the guidebooks do not prepare you for the parts that matter most.
The Hike Is Harder Than They Say
The trek to find the gorillas starts at dawn in Volcanoes National Park, at an altitude of 2,400 meters. The trail is not a trail. It is a path cut by machetes through bamboo forest, stinging nettles, and mud that sucks at your boots. The elevation gain is not extreme, but the altitude makes every step harder. I was assigned to a group tracking the Sabyinyo family, and our hike lasted four hours, including two hours of straight ascent through mud that reached my knees. I am in good shape, and I was exhausted. The guidebooks mention that the hike can be strenuous, but they do not convey what it feels like to crawl on your hands and knees through bamboo thickets at three thousand meters while your porter carries your backpack and encourages you in Kinyarwanda.
The Permits and the Money
A gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda costs one thousand five hundred dollars per person, the highest price in the region. Uganda charges seven hundred dollars, and the Democratic Republic of Congo charges four hundred. The Rwandan government justifies the price by limiting the number of daily permits to eighty and by investing the revenue in conservation and community development. The permit includes the trek, an hour with the gorillas, and a certificate. It does not include transportation, accommodation, or tips. I tipped my guide twenty dollars, my tracker fifteen dollars, and my porter ten dollars. Tipping is expected and appreciated. The guides and trackers earn modest salaries, and the tips make a meaningful difference.
The Conservation Reality
Mountain gorillas are one of conservation's rare success stories. In 1981, there were only 254 individuals left in the wild. Today, there are over one thousand, and the population is growing. Rwanda's model of high-value, low-volume tourism is credited with much of this success. The revenue from permits funds anti-poaching patrols, veterinary care, and community projects that give local people an economic incentive to protect the gorillas. I visited a community project near the park where former poachers now work as porters and craftspeople. A man named Jean-Baptiste told me he had stopped poaching in 2005, when the park began hiring locals. He now earns more as a porter than he did selling bushmeat, and his children attend school.
What to Bring and What to Know
Bring gardening gloves to protect your hands from nettles and thorns. Wear long pants and long sleeves, regardless of the temperature. Bring a waterproof jacket and pants, because the weather changes quickly in the mountains. Hire a porter for ten dollars, even if you do not think you need one. The porters are local men and women who earn their living this way, and they will carry your bag and help you through the difficult sections. Most importantly, respect the rules. Keep seven meters from the gorillas, do not eat or drink near them, and do not use flash photography. These rules exist for the gorillas' protection, and breaking them can result in the immediate end of your trek.
