Gorilla trekking may never be more affordable for South Africans - where, when, and how to plan a trip

Visiting Africa's gorillas has been a consistent bucket list item for intrepid travellers since pioneering primatologists first started visiting Uganda and Rwanda and reporting back.  

Those who've had the fortune of more recently clambering up muddy hillsides in dense jungles to hopefully spend time with gorillas almost universally speak of the experience in superlatives and reflect on it as an otherworldly encounter.

"Trekking through thick vegetation and sometimes muddy terrain to reach the heart of the wilderness only adds to the immensity of finally meeting a gorilla family up close," says Singita's Adrian Kaplan, who recently returned from a gorilla trek in Rwanda.