DARYL & SHARNA BALFOUR FIRST VISITED MOUNTAIN GORILLAS IN THE THEN ZAIRE, NOW DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, BACK IN 1991. SINCE THEN DARYL HAS PHOTOGRAPHED AND LED SAFARI GROUPS IN ALL THREE OF THE MOUNTAIN GORILLA RANGE STATES OF RWANDA, UGANDA AND DRC, AS WELL AS TO SEE LOWLAND GORILLAS IN GABON AND THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO. AS A RESULT OF HIS EXPERIENCES, WILDPHOTOS SAFARIS TODAY CONDUCT THEIR GORILLA TREKS EXCLUSIVELY IN RWANDA, FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.
CONTACT US ABOUT ALTERNATIVE TREKKING IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (if possible).
Gorillas, along with chimpanzees & bonobos, are among human beings' closest evolutionary ancestors, with DNA testing showing as little as two percent difference in our genetic make-up. Visiting these ancient relatives in the wild has to be one of the most special wildlife experiences on earth. To gaze into a gorilla's unflinching eyes is to look deep into our past...and see a connection!
We conduct our safaris on the very hillsides, trails, forest and bamboo glades that Dian Fossey trod with her ground-breaking studies prior to her murder here in the 1980s - and in fact many of the gorillas we will encounter were alive or born during her tenure here! We will also meet and walk with guides and trackers whjo worked with Dian in her early years in Rwanda.
We conduct our safaris on the very hillsides, trails, forest and bamboo glades that Dian Fossey trod with her ground-breaking studies prior to her murder here in the 1980s - and in fact many of the gorillas we will encounter were alive or born during her tenure here! We will also meet and walk with guides and trackers whjo worked with Dian in her early years in Rwanda.
Thanks to his three decades of photographic & guiding experience, producing numerous books and magazine features on Africa's wildlife, Daryl Balfour has built up an extraordinary network of contacts throughout the world of conservation. It is through these contacts that he is able to negotiate and arrange special encounters, and take you on a safari unlike many others. His gorilla trekking safaris are usually arranged in June or July each year, with small groups. These typically sell out well in advance so aspirant visitors to their distant families should please contact us HERE now to start planning for future years! Rwanda doubled their gorilla trekking fees in mid-2017 to lower the impact of tourism on these great apes...fewer tourists, paying more, so we have investigated cheaper options in neighbouring DRC (currently suspended due to rebel activities.)
In addition to gorillas in Rwanda we can arrange add-ons to other parts of this east-central African country, or chimpanzee treks either here or in neighbouring Tanzania.
Contact us about options for extensions...the Serengeti-Maasai Mara wildebeest migration, Uganda's tree-climbing lions & spectacular bird-life, or the coastal islands of Lamu or Zanzibar.
In addition to gorillas in Rwanda we can arrange add-ons to other parts of this east-central African country, or chimpanzee treks either here or in neighbouring Tanzania.
Contact us about options for extensions...the Serengeti-Maasai Mara wildebeest migration, Uganda's tree-climbing lions & spectacular bird-life, or the coastal islands of Lamu or Zanzibar.
