Natural heritage

Natural heritage in Rwanda

Exodus Travels has been taking passengers to the mountains of Uganda and Rwanda for well over twenty years to go and see mountain gorillas. The money generated by gorilla permits goes towards the protection of their national habitat but also supports some lesser visited national parks and protected areas.

Before the introduction of organised gorilla tourism in the early 1990s, gorilla numbers were threatened, mostly due to human activity encroaching on the gorillas’ territory.

Thanks to visitors taking tours see mountain gorillas, their numbers have gradually climbed. For example, in the Virunga Mountains, gorillas have increased from 620 individuals in 1989 to 1,004 thirty years later. The money generated through these kind of trips also allows for gorillas to be monitored around the clock thereby reducing the risk of poaching. In addition to contributing to the protection of natural habitat and the protection of gorillas themselves, the creation of a responsible tourism industry around the gorillas has generated many local jobs and improved infrastructure for local communities.