Gorilla trekking is an adventurous experience which entails traversing through thick forests in search of endangered mountain gorillas. 

Gorilla trekking was not popular in East Africa until 1980s when Diane Fossey, a renowned conservationist and researcher initiated a proposal for the activity arguing that there were about 250 mountain gorillas living in the Virunga massive. Gorillas were critically endangered at that time due to the threats of human activities, like poaching, encroachment on natural habitats for purposes of settlement and agriculture.

Gorilla trekking was adopted in East Africa in the Virunga massive to help collect funds to support mountain gorilla conservation and reduce the negative impacts of human activities on the habitat of the gorillas.

To boost the Africa gorilla safaris and conservation awareness, Gorilla habituation was initiated in Uganda and Rwanda in early 1990s by the conservationists with support from respective governments and international conservation bodies. Uganda had the first gorilla family – Mubare habituated in 1990 and was open for trekking in 1993. Habituation activities continued in the rest of the conservation area and today gorilla tourism is the leading tourist activity in Uganda and Rwanda.