UNBEATABLE Gorilla Special for SADC Residents!

Rwanda has long been one of those places that sits just beyond easy reach.
This Iconic Africa Special changes that, opening up access to gorilla trekking for our SADC guests at rates up to 70% lower than usual — something that VERY rarely comes around.

There are certain trips that tend to live more in conversation than in reality.

Rwanda is one of them.

It comes up easily enough — over a glass of wine, around a dinner table, somewhere between “we should really go” and “one day.” The images are always the same: mist hanging low over forested slopes, the quiet anticipation of a trek, that first moment of eye contact with a gorilla in the undergrowth.

And then, just as quickly, the conversation moves on.

Not because the interest fades, but because the numbers tend to bring things back down to earth.

Gorilla trekking, for all its appeal, has always sat at the upper end of the safari spectrum. Permits priced in dollars, logistics to match — it’s the kind of experience that often gets postponed, rather than planned.

But every now and then, something shifts.

Set just outside Volcanoes National Park, Amarembo by Touch Down sits quietly on the edge of one of Africa’s most compelling wildlife experiences. There’s no overstatement to it. It’s comfortable, well-positioned, and close enough that early mornings don’t feel like a logistical exercise.

More importantly, it places you exactly where you need to be — at the start of a day that rarely unfolds the same way twice.

A gorilla trek isn’t something you can fully prepare for. There’s the briefing, of course, and the general outline of how things might go, but once you step into the forest, everything slows. The air shifts, the sounds change, and the sense of anticipation builds gradually rather than all at once.

You walk. You stop. You listen.

And then, at some point, you’re there.

It’s not dramatic in the way people expect. No sudden reveal, no orchestrated moment. Just a quiet realisation that you’re sharing space with something entirely self-contained. A silverback watching without concern. A younger gorilla moving through the foliage with a kind of casual confidence. The forest continuing around them as if nothing has changed — even though, for you, it has. Monumentally.

It’s an experience that tends to stay with people for reasons that are hard to put into words at the time.

Which is perhaps why it’s always been so sought after.

For travellers within the SADC region, the current Iconic Africa Special has secured rates at Amarembo in a way that makes the broader Rwanda experience significantly more accessible than it has been in the past.

A 3 day, 4 night stay including all meals, trekking permits (1 Gorilla, 1 Golden monkey), is now on sale for R49, 999! The offer is valid for travel until the 30 May, with strictly limited availability!

It’s not something being shouted about, and perhaps that’s why it feels as interesting as it does.

Because when a place like Rwanda — long considered just out of reach — suddenly becomes more than possible, and it changes the nature of the conversation entirely.

It moves from “one day” to “now”.

And those are often the trips that end up meaning the most!

Gorilla Forest Lodge: Close Encounters

Around 700 mountain gorillas exist in the wild. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda is home to more than half of them.

Gorilla Forest Lodge, tucked away near the westernmost edge of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, is unrivalled as a base from which to set off in search of these magnificent creatures. It enjoys a prime location for this ultimate bucket list wildlife activity. Sometimes you don’t even have to go anywhere; one of the local gorilla families visits the lodge grounds around four to six times a month.

The camp boasts ten private luxury tents allowing guests to unwind in the heart of the forest itself.

Eco-friendly, contemporary yet classic at the same time, this unique camp blends effortlessly with the dramatic African mountain landscape. Perfectly situated in a national park, you are just a few minutes away from an epic gorilla trekking adventure. The only accommodation located within the park itself, the camp boasts an unrivalled location with exceptional wildlife and birdlife viewing opportunities.

For an idea of what type of incredible encounters might await you in the forest, have a look at this amazing video:

What was previously Gorilla Forest Camp is now being reinvented as Gorilla Forest Lodge, with canvas tents giving way to more permanent, upgraded rooms. Each of its 10 suites is being significantly enlarged and reimagined.

Floor-to-ceiling windows will complement expansive veranda-like decks. Design elements include clay-look, textured-plaster walls, woven banana leaf ceilings and elongated framed vistas. All you will hear is the sound of trees dancing, birds singing and nature taking its course. The camp retains an intimate, exclusive feel, enabling you to experience Africa’s magic with the lightest of footprints yet with practically every mod con.

The communal areas of Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Lodge boast a cosy lounge featuring a well-stocked bar and a luxurious dining area.

From here you can enjoy magnificent views over the verdant rainforest. As the day settles and the stars come out, you will hear chatter coupled with the sounds of nature around a warm campfire. Exchange stories of the day’s adventures while enjoying a drink or two. Uganda is known for providing rich flavours and locally sourced ingredients enhance every meal. Expertly prepared dishes promise simple flavours and showcase fresh delights — try traditional smoked beef in peanut sauce served with Kalo (millet bread). Candlelit alfresco dining is also available on your suite’s private deck.

Though a gorilla trek is likely to be the centrepiece of your GFL experience (and you may wish to devote more than a single day to trekking, as coming face to face with the great apes can be a truly life-altering experience), don’t miss the opportunity to discover the flora and fauna of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest on a guided walk, or to engage with the indigenous Batwa people during a Community and Philanthropy Tour.

An overnight visit to game-rich Queen Elizabeth National Park and the possibility to see the famous tree-climbing lions is easily arranged.

Or simply relax in camp, amid the splendour of the forest. Take a treatment at the spa. Swap stories by the campfire before dinner. Savour the rare privilege of being in this extraordinary place.

Gorilla trekking should be on everyone’s bucket list, and this newly reimagined lodge, should be one of the first to be looked at as an option. And with so much more to Uganda than only gorillas, the possibilities for a truly adventurous safari are endless.

Get in touch through info@iconicafrica.com for more information…

Bisate Gorilla Trekking

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; coming face to face with one of the great apes is one of the most surreal, life-changing experiences one can have.

To look into the eyes of a wild animal and recognise in it a fellow sentient being. To know unequivocally that the creature is examining you just as readily as you are examining it, will totally realign your concepts of your own humanity and indeed our place as a species on this planet.

The mountain gorillas of East and Central Africa are right up at the top of many ardent safari goers’ bucket lists, and so they should be. Until not too long ago however they were hard to reach, with only a few rudimentary lodges and fly-by-night trekking operations allowing access to the thick equatorial forests in which they make their homes.
Yet the last couple of decades have seen a number of superb lodges being built in prime positions along the mountain ranges the gorillas occur in.

Bisate Lodge in Rwanda, part of the Wilderness Safaris portfolio, is one of our favourites in the region; the six forest villas perched like birds nests in the Volcanoes National Park are simply breath-taking. And arguably the finest base in Africa from which to trek to see the famous mountain gorillas of the Virungas Mountains.

Since opening in 2017, Bisate has racked up 34 awards and continues to inspire; a wine cellar, library, spa, restaurant, and tree nursery, woven through with warm hospitality complete this natural wonder and make the place feel as though it is simply an extension of the environment.
Bisate’s eco-friendly approach ensures minimal impact on its surroundings, places a heavy emphasis on community upliftment, and contributes significantly to the safe-guarding of the local gorilla population and their environment.

For the rest of 2023, Rwanda is offering a massive reduction in the price of gorilla trekking permits for African residents, so if you want to experience something that will truly touch your soul, the time is now.

Get in touch through info@iconicafrica.com to enquire about availability, and let’s start planning your safari…

Gorilla Trekking: The Time is Now!

Africa’s most diverse protected area is the Virunga National Park; a third of the world’s mountain gorillas occur here, as well as over one thousand species of bird, mammal, reptile and amphibians.
Yet the national park itself is just a sample of the incredible wildlife experience the region offers. The Virunga Mountain range, which runs along the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC, is home to perhaps Africa’s greatest wildlife encounter, which can be experienced in a number of places and from a number of lodges in the area; Gorilla trekking.


Coming face to face with the great apes in the wild is an emotional experience. Time stretches out before you yet goes by so fast at the same time. You feel like you have been holding your breath for the whole duration of the encounter.
Sitting barely a metre from a huge silverback male is something very few people have the opportunity to do, and with only a small population surviving in the wild, it may even be that the current generation is the last on planet earth to be able to have these encounters.

The fantastic news is that the experience has suddenly become far more accessible than it has been for years. A special on gorilla trekking permits for African citizens is currently running and will be continuing until the end of 2022. The often prohibitive cost of $1500 for a permit has been reduced to just $500, so there literally isn’t a better time to go than right now!

Mountain gorillas, Virunga Mountains, Rwanda

With a number of lodges in the Virunga region currently running specials as well, the combination of reduced permit prices and discounted accommodation has seen a surge in interest in the experience.
Given that space is limited in most of the lodges and only a certain number of guests can participate in each trek, be sure to contact us as soo as you have dates in mind over which you might like to visit.
This is truly a bucket-list adventure, and there was never a better time to go!

Face to Face with Mountain Gorillas: a Life-Changing Experience

It’s an odd thing to look at yourself looking back at you, but not in a mirror.

No, you are far removed from where you would normally find a mirror. Surrounding you is damp montane forest, the air is filled with strange bird cries, and the eyes that gaze back into yours are fringed all around by dense black fur. They are not human but somehow are. You know they are looking at you just as intently as you are looking at them, and behind those peaceful, sad eyes is… something.

Photograph courtesy Sonke Moolman-Pautz

This is gorilla trekking; this is the encounter people fly around the world for. The chance to come face to face – literally – with something that is so undeniably human, yet isn’t.
It is the type of experience that changes lives.

Photograph courtesy Sonke Moolman-Pautz

The few mountain gorillas left in the world are mostly confined to the Virunga Mountains, a range of volcanoes that run along the border between Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a number of national parks between the three countries ensuring the continued protection of the great apes. Rwanda and Uganda are by far the more popular destinations, and the Volcanoes National Parks in the latter and the Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga National Parks in the former are usually the destinations of choice for those wishing to experience the magic first hand. A wide range of lodges dotted around the region ensures visitors have a lot of choice when it comes to selecting the right fit for them, and Iconic Africa are able to help you work your way through the options.

Dramatic landscapes are a hallmark of the gorilla trekking regions. Photograph courtesy Sonke Moolman-Pautz

Recent Gorilla-trekker and Iconic Africa guest Sonke Moolman-Pautz stayed at Singita Kwitondo lodge, and had this to say about the experience:

This trip exceeded all of our expectations and we had really high expectations to begin with! We had such magical encounters with the Gentle Giants of the Forest on both of our treks – so grateful that the Team at Iconic Africa suggested that we meet up with the Gorillas twice. It really is so worth it!

Singita Kwitondo is an absolute sanctuary of warmth and solitude. Exceptional in every way! But I think the most unexpected part of our adventure is the lasting effect that Rwanda has had on all of us. It honestly is the most incredible country with the most gentle and kind people that I have ever encountered. And to think what they have had to endure. It really has changed us, so much to learn! I honestly cannot wait to go back.

Iconic Africa arranged a completely flawless trip for a large group during a difficult and fluid time (Covid). So thoughtful with so many personal touches! We were treated like absolute VIPs from start to finish. Highly recommended!

A little family disagreement amongst one of the local troops. Photograph courtesy Sonke Moolman-Pautz

With some amazing specials on offer right now, there simply has not been a better time to see the gorillas. This is honestly one of those life-changing travel experiences that has to be lived first-hand to be understood.

Get in touch with Iconic Africa here to start planning your trip…