The questions people actually ask, answered honestly

What standing eight meters from a silverback is really like, what the money is really for, whether the whole thing is safe and ethical, and the Dian Fossey history running under all of it.

A mossy stone cairn and weathered wooden marker in a high forest clearing at around 3,000 metres, cloud pressing low between hagenia trees, soft grey light

2026-08-25

What Happened to Dian Fossey?

Karisoke in 1967, Digit's killing in 1977, the unsolved murder of December 1985, and the grave in the high saddle you can still hike up to today.

A steep muddy forest path churned by boot prints climbing between dense stinging nettles and bamboo, rain dripping from broad leaves in flat grey light

2026-08-25

Has Anyone Ever Been Injured on a Gorilla Trek?

What actually hurts people in Volcanoes National Park, why the seven-metre rule exists, what the armed rangers are for, and what to do if a gorilla charges.

A mountain gorilla mother cradling an infant in dense wet vegetation on a volcanic slope, muted green light, rain sitting on the broad leaves around them

2026-08-25

How Many Mountain Gorillas Are Left in 2026?

About 1,063 mountain gorillas remain in the wild: roughly 604 in the Virunga massif and 459 in Bwindi. The one great ape whose numbers are climbing, and why.

A line of trekkers standing well back from a resting gorilla family in tall forest vegetation, rain hoods up, soft diffuse light filtering through the canopy

2026-08-25

Is Gorilla Trekking Ethical?

Habituation, disease risk and 510 relocated households on one side. A population of 1,063 and rising on the other. The honest case, with the real numbers.

A young mountain gorilla peering over a moss-covered fallen log toward the viewer in soft green forest light, ferns crowding the frame

2026-08-25

Is the Rwanda Gorilla Trek Worth It?

An honest verdict from the actual record: what the ratings show, what the $1,500 permit really buys, and the five situations where this trip is a bad idea.

Adult mountain gorilla sitting calmly in dense green vegetation with mouth closed, looking slightly away from the camera, soft diffused forest light

2026-08-25

Is It Okay to Smile at a Gorilla?

Guides tell every group not to bare their teeth at a mountain gorilla. Here is the reasoning behind that briefing, plus the park rules that go with it.

2026-08-25

Why Is Gorilla Trekking So Expensive?

The $1,500 permit is a rationing device, not a ticket price. Where the money goes, why only 80 people go per day, and why the tour itself is the cheap part.

An empty floodlit football stadium at dusk seen from the upper tier, rows of empty red seats above a bright green pitch, no crowd and no signage

2026-08-25

Why Is "Visit Rwanda" on Arsenal and Clippers Jerseys?

The sponsorship deals, what they cost, why a country of 13 million buys Premier League sleeve space, and how it connects to a $1,500 gorilla permit.