Gorilla trekking tour is the most amazing experience I have ever had; you arrive early and are allocated your guide and particular gorilla group that you will trek to see. (Be prepared for a little bit of a wait while things are organized). You then board your safari vehicle and are taken to the beginning of your trek this in itself is an adventure and can be quiet some distance and involves some very uneven roads.

Before the trek you are asked if you wish to hire a porter- please do so, you are providing income to some of the men in the local villages and for a minimum of $10 they are well worth it. Though I paid considerably more due to the amazing assistance that they gave me.

You start your trek and a sense of anticipation is all around. We were required to trek for nearly 4 hours before we met up with the trackers who had been out well in advance of us keeping up-to-date with the location of out gorilla group. We stopped for lunch a little way from the gorillas then left the porters behind whilst the trackers took us to the gorilla location.

The first sight of a mountain Gorilla almost brought me to tears. We were lucky enough to be allocated the Isimbi group which included a 2 week old baby. Whilst watching the gorillas is prepared to move around as your trackers will endeavor to get you the best sightings and as view of as many of the gorillas as possible. Bear in mind that Gorillas do not always sit out in the open and may be in trees or in the undergrowth so photo opportunities may not always be the best but you do get to spend an hour with these amazing creatures so you should get some amazing pictures anyway.

One of our trackers was an photographer so when I was happy to sit in awe of these animals just gazing at them he took my camera and carried on taking photos for me. Everybody on the trip from the trackers, porters and your guide seemed to genuinely want you to have an amazing experience. Take thick trousers and a pair of gardening gloves as the stinging nettles and brambles can cut through your trousers and your hands. Though this sounds bad it isn’t a deal breaker but be prepared.

Also get yourself fit. I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been and steep slopes, hot weather and altitude really took its toll. But whenever I struggled our group stopped enabling me to get my breath back and then when we started again my porter would take me by the hand and pull me up the steeper parts of the slopes. Although the price is considerable it is worth every penny a truly amazing experience and one that will stay with you forever.