Dian Fossey grave trek – Boots in the mud.

Firstly you cannot do this without a guide as the grave is in the mountains and its no easy trek.

Secondly its possible to encounter wild animal including elephants. and if you are lucky even gorillas on route. We only came across a lizard.

I booked my tour with Katona tours in Uganda. I also booked my gorilla trek in Uganda with them (more about that in another post). Jackie who runs it is absolutely amazing and you can’t go wrong using their services. For more information click here.

So the trek. Firstly don’t be lulled into thinking this is an easy trek. Far from it. If it hadn’t been for my guide urging me on and a porter who literally spent most of the trek extracting me from the very wet mud I would not have made it. Picture says it all. (You will pay about $10/15 for a porter but its worth every penny)

Dian Fossey is buried where she worked at Karisoke research station in Rwanda. The gorillas she devoted her life to live at high altitude and this is well above 3000 meters. Dian started her research in 1966 and worked tirelessly till her murder on the 26th December 1985. She rose to become one of the leading primatologists in the world, She was a strong supporter of conservation and greatly opposed to both poaching, which was very relevant to her time at Karisoke, and tourism. She was often at odds with the local population and many believe this is what led to her murder. To this day no one has ever been charged.

I was always an admirer of Dian Fossey. She lost her life to protect the almost extinct mountain gorilla. At the time of her tragic murder in 1985 there were about 250 gorillas left in the wild. Today the number has reached about a thousand and their future is looking good. Dian was often despised and misunderstood, even in Rwanda where she did her research. Today she is revered as an icon and a visit to her grave had always been on my bucket list. Next to her grave you will find the gorilla cemetery which is where you will find her favourite gorilla Digit.