On 17 October 1902, Captain Robert von Beringe, a German Officer came across and shot two mountain gorillas while climbing Mount Sabinyo in the Virungas volcanoes. This became the first sighting of the mountain gorilla by a European and was a momentous event. His findings led to the identification of these great apes and thus the name gorilla beringei, the scientific name for the mountain gorilla.

Despite the upheavals in the area in the past and Dian Fossey’s fears about their future, the mountain gorilla has survived. The precarious population of about 650 gorillas continues to thrive in the forgotten forests of the Virunga Mountains, shared between Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Bwindi forest in Uganda.

One hundred years after the discovery, Go Gorilla Trekking is proud to be involved in a number of celebration events. These have included the visit of the President and Board of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund to the Karisoke Centre, helping Sky TV make a film, hosting a talk on gorillas at the Royal Geographical Society and organizing a centenary safari for the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund.

To mark the centenary Go Gorilla Trekking have launched a 4 day Bwindi gorilla safari from Kigali, Rwanda that feature visits Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. The normal price starts at $1074 per person sharing. From October 2002 to 31 March 2003 we are delighted to offer the safari for $1000 (about £800 or about Euro 890). For more details please email: info@gogorillatrekking.com

As responsible tour operators, our commitment to the gorilla parks is unequaled. We conduct all our trips with great focus on guidelines to sustainable tourism development.