The Great Gorilla Project

I’ve participated in annual eco-volunteering trips for years, often traveling to remote areas far from my home in New York City. Without a doubt, this has been the best experience I’ve ever had. On previous trips, I often felt homesick toward the end. This time, however, I felt instantly at home as I connected with the local community, so much so that I could truly imagine living here. I’ve captured over a thousand photos and videos, yet none of them come close to conveying the breathtaking beauty of this country: its majestic mountains, rich biodiversity, extraordinary wildlife, and, above all, the warmth and hospitality of its people. This program, facilitated by the local NGO MCDO, strikes a remarkable balance between structured activities and meaningful contributions rooted in the local community. It goes far beyond typical tourism, rather than checking off lists or staying in fancy hotels, the experience is about giving back and immersing yourself in how real locals live. That’s exactly what this program achieves. It saddens me that October and November are considered the slow season due to the wet climate, when trekking to see mountain gorillas can be risky because of landslides and flooding. Yet, this initiative... I’ve participated in annual eco-volunteering trips for years, often traveling to remote areas far from my home in New York City. Without a doubt, this has been the best experience I’ve ever had. On previous trips, I often felt homesick toward the end. This time, however, I felt instantly at home as I connected with the local community, so much so that I could truly imagine living here. I’ve captured over a thousand photos and videos, yet none of them come close to conveying the breathtaking beauty of this country: its majestic mountains, rich biodiversity, extraordinary wildlife, and, above all, the warmth and hospitality of its people. This program, facilitated by the local NGO MCDO, strikes a remarkable balance between structured activities and meaningful contributions rooted in the local community. It goes far beyond typical tourism, rather than checking off lists or staying in fancy hotels, the experience is about giving back and immersing yourself in how real locals live. That’s exactly what this program achieves. It saddens me that October and November are considered the slow season due to the wet climate, when trekking to see mountain gorillas can be risky because of landslides and flooding. Yet, this initiative deserves to thrive year-round. Tourism here not only strengthens the local economy but also plays a critical role in the conservation of mountain gorillas. I am deeply committed to spreading awareness about this project and serving as an ambassador for its mission. This journey has been life-changing, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. (Show More)

I travel for wildlife experiences and have been doing so for 20+ years. I only just learned about "The Great Projects" and joined The Great Gorilla Project. I can honestly say without question that this trip was one of the best I have ever been on. Our guide, Peter, was second to none. He was super knowledgeable about all of the wildlife and was flexible and very well organised. The volunteering we did felt meaningful and having the opportunity to trek with the gorillas twice, was magical. The accommodation (clean and comfy) and food (vegetarian) were great. There was something new and exciting every day with enough downtime to relax when needed. The photo opportunities were phenomenal. Thank you "The Great Projects", I'm already looking at my next trip!

The whole trip was well put together with a good mix of wildlife experiences and interaction with the community. Our guide Denis was exceptional and was instrumental in making the trip such a success. If I am to be constructive I would add the following comments: Although listed as a volunteering opportunity ie to contribute to the community through personal labour, the volunteering aspect is very limited and in some cases, the community were facilitating the volunteering at the cost of their time and effort. For example the tree planting was a token gesture and required 3 of the facilities staff member to be present to assist the two of us to plant 5 trees - ie we were more of a burden than a help! The main 'contribution' is really having a captive donation audience! ie at the various visits to schools etc there is a feeling of obligation to make a financial donation. This is not unreasonable and I was happy to do so but one needs to factor in bringing enough cash to make all these donations. For example at the gorilla trekking - the porters ( who you really do need) need $20 plus a tip... The whole trip was well put together with a good mix of wildlife experiences and interaction with the community. Our guide Denis was exceptional and was instrumental in making the trip such a success. If I am to be constructive I would add the following comments: Although listed as a volunteering opportunity ie to contribute to the community through personal labour, the volunteering aspect is very limited and in some cases, the community were facilitating the volunteering at the cost of their time and effort. For example the tree planting was a token gesture and required 3 of the facilities staff member to be present to assist the two of us to plant 5 trees - ie we were more of a burden than a help! The main 'contribution' is really having a captive donation audience! ie at the various visits to schools etc there is a feeling of obligation to make a financial donation. This is not unreasonable and I was happy to do so but one needs to factor in bringing enough cash to make all these donations. For example at the gorilla trekking - the porters ( who you really do need) need $20 plus a tip of around $5-10 ( the porters are not employed by the park and so this is their only income. There is only one trek per day so if you don't hire them and tip them , they make no money that day )then the trackers and there are usually 3 or 4 need a tip to share - around $15, then the guide another $10 and the security guy who has a gun to scare any aggressive encounters with large mammal - another $10 and then there is usually a traditional welcome dance by the local community $10. It is absolutely appropriate to tip as ensuring the local community are benefitting from the national parks is how the government ensure that these people don't return to taking game meat as they previously would have done ie they see the parks as a valuable asset that they can benefit from and so are also keen to preserve. The trip information says that a contribution from the price paid goes to the various projects but no information is given as to the amount of the contributions. It seems that the Lake residence near Kisoro where the tree planting takes place is owned by the same gentleman who owns the Golden Monkey hotel in Kisoro where we stayed for the bulk of the time. All in all thought this was definitely a fantastic trip. Having two very different gorilla treks was brilliant and the two trips are totally different from one another. I absolutely do recommend it. (Show More)