Are You Humans? | Eye to Eye with Gorillas, Rwanda + Uganda

Meeting face to face with mountain gorillas is one of the **most overwhelming experiences in the world of safaris**. Encounter of jungle beast, only a few feet away can be scary, but there is no need to panic! They are actually quite calm animals, **laziness ambassadors by excellence.** This time we will take you off the beaten trail and bring you inside equatorial wilderness, **African adventure Eldorado**, as we search for gorillas, while trekking across Uganda rain forest. Observing the mountain gorillas in their habitat is an amazing spectacle; you will notice the **social dynamics, hierarchy** and most touching of them all, the **gorilla mothers and their babies**, since they live in family units of 30 to 40 members. The timing spent with them is **mesmerizing and hypnotic, it is impossible to stop looking at them**. They pretend to ignore you, from time to time they cross their gaze with yours, and that is when you realize that the differences between humans and them are minimal. Their eyes speak as the human gaze does, with the movements of the lips we can know if they are smiling, worried or angry, the gestures of the hands are almost identical to ours. **Humans and Gorillas share 98% of DNA.** The KING of the Jungle, the silver back, is **one of the most beautiful creatures on earth**… he is imposing, majestic, elegant, strong and gorgeous. His sudden appearance can leave you breathless, shivering… but do not worry, he will ignore you - green leaves are tastier for breakfast. There is a lot of action in the group: **eating, playing, fighting, grooming each other, rolling on the floor, hitting the chest... it is endless**. The baby gorillas will rock it in a proper show of naughtiness… they will make you laugh. Those cute cubs have so much curiosity for humans, so be ready to witness a show of funny and noisy games to catch your attention. Following the rangers advice, choose a good spot, look around and get the best shots of lifetime memories! At the beginning, we will **traverse through the jungle aka impenetrable forest**. The length of the trek is entirely dependent on the gorillas, sometimes the guides can track them down in less than two hours, other times it takes much longer. **Mountain gorillas are nomadic**, travelling in families and staying in an area just long enough to clear it off food. They also don’t follow a clear path, you’ll realize when tracking them, they like to meander. On your first sighting, you may see mothers holding their babies, juvenile gorillas playing, or dominant silverbacks keeping an eye out for their family! Rounding out the trip, we’ll venture back into the human realm with a day in **Kigali, the capital of Rwanda**. With a dark recent past, due to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi people, today the city stands as a symbol of resilience. We’ll visit the **Kigali Genocide Memorial** to learn about the horrific event that tore the country apart, and honor the more than a million lives lost. An unimaginable tragedy, but walking Kigali’s streets, in its **busy cafes and markets offering beautiful handmade goods**, we’ll see a renewed sense of unity and hope. **Let's go!** **Day 1: Arrival and drive to Bwindi National Park, Uganda** Meeting at DXB Terminal 2 at midnight for direct flight to Kigali, Rwanda. Arrival and immigration formalities at Kigali International Airport, where we’ll obtain our East African visas. Coffee on the way and head to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. The journey to Bwindi includes the border crossing, covered by our visas. On the way, we’ll have spectacular views of Rwandan and Ugandan mountain terraces in an area called “the Switzerland of Africa”. Late afternoon arrival, with leisure time to walk and explore the nearby villages. Dinner and overnight at our lodge. **Day 2: Mountain gorilla trek and return to Kigali** Early morning start and a short drive into the heart of Bwindi National Park to set off on our gorilla trek, one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on Earth. Our excursion will last anywhere between 2 and 3 hours, as our experienced ranger guides lead us in search of these majestic creatures. Along the way they’ll tell us stories and interesting facts about jungle’s flora and fauna and the lifestyle of the gorillas. After we’ve had our fill of gorilla encounters, we’ll head back to the lodge for lunch and then make the drive back to Kigali. Dinner and overnight in Kigali. **Day 3: Kigali** After breakfast, we’ll hit the streets of Kigali, visiting the Genocide Memorial Museum, Hôtel des Mille Collines, Nyamirambo Women's Center, Parliament and Kandt House Museum. Later we’ll have time for a look around the market for souvenir shopping, before heading to dinner. We’ll be dropped off at the airport around 10pm to catch our flight back home. Bye-bye Africa! **Level of Difficulty:** Easy to moderate, including jungle trekking. **Duration:** 3 days, long weekend only. **Room & Meals:** Comfortable lodges/hotels - double sharing. Meals in the lodge included, meals on transfers and in Kigali - excluded. **Cost:** **8,150 AED** incl. flights until AUG 14. **Specifically Excluded:** Any expenses related to visas, meals on transfers and in Kigali. **Visas:** **Rwanda:** Every passport is entitled to an Eastern African visa on arrival or eVisa (for both countries). **Yellow Fever Vaccination certificate required for border crossings.** See yah with the gorillas x Trekkup Crew [Whatsapp 050 4848238](https://wa.me/971504848238 "https://wa.me/971504848238") Find all trekkups at [linktr.ee/trekkup](http://linktr.ee/trekkup "http://linktr.ee/trekkup")