At Rewild Safaris, conservation is not a feature of our journeys. It is the reason they exist.
We believe the most meaningful travel does more than inspire awe. It protects wildlife, restores habitats, and supports the people who live alongside the wild places we visit. That philosophy is what led us to our partnership with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, one of the world’s most respected conservation organizations and a global leader in protecting critically endangered mountain gorillas.
This partnership reflects our shared belief that responsible tourism, when thoughtfully designed and carefully managed, can be a powerful force for conservation.
Why the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund was established to carry forward the work begun by Dr. Dian Fossey in 1967, when she founded the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda’s Virunga Mountains. Today, the Fund operates the longest‑running gorilla research and protection program in the world, working daily to protect mountain gorillas, advance scientific research, train future conservationists, and invest in the well‑being of local communities in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Their approach is holistic and proven. Through sustained protection, science‑based conservation, and deep community engagement, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund has helped deliver one of conservation’s most important success stories. Mountain gorillas are now the only great ape species whose population is increasing, an outcome directly tied to decades of consistent, on‑the‑ground protection.
This work closely mirrors Rewild Safaris’ own conservation framework, which prioritizes protecting endangered species, reducing environmental impact, and supporting communities on their own terms. It is not enough to preserve what remains. Conservation must actively strengthen ecosystems and the people who depend on them.
A Shared Philosophy of Responsible Travel
Responsible tourism is not about access alone. It is about restraint, respect, and long‑term thinking.
Carefully managed gorilla tourism has demonstrated that when communities benefit from conservation, protection becomes sustainable. Scientific research is funded. Local livelihoods are supported. Wildlife gains value through survival rather than exploitation. This balance, between presence and preservation, lies at the heart of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s mission and is central to how Rewild designs every journey.
“Some of the most important conservation victories of our time have happened because people showed up with care, restraint, and responsibility,” says James Ward, Chief Exploration Officer at Rewild Safaris. “Partnering with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund allows us to support the people who protect mountain gorillas every single day, while giving travelers a deeper understanding of why these places matter and how thoughtful tourism helps keep them wild.”
What This Partnership Represents
This collaboration strengthens Rewild Safaris’ broader commitment to working alongside organizations that are actively protecting wildlife and habitats around the world. Our conservation partnerships are chosen deliberately. We align with organizations that are present in the field, guided by science, and deeply engaged with local communities.
By partnering with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, we are supporting a model of conservation that goes beyond visibility. It is daily protection. It is long‑term data. It is education and training for future generations of conservation leaders. It is community resilience built alongside wildlife protection.
This partnership reinforces our belief that conservation cannot be separated from people, and that travel done well can help ensure both thrive.
From the Field
This partnership is grounded in deeply personal, firsthand experience. Recently, James Ward, Chief Exploration Officer at Rewild Safaris, returned to Rwanda with his daughter, visiting the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and trekking into Volcanoes National Park to encounter the mountain gorillas they help protect. The journey marked a powerful return, 37 years after his first visit in 1989, an experience that continues to shape his perspective today. Many were surprised to learn of that early visit, noting that he was likely among the first tourists to see mountain gorillas in the wild following the program’s inception in 1988.
That original journey to Rwanda with his family sparked a lifelong passion for wildlife, photography, and the development of eco-tourism as a force for conservation. Today, that conviction remains unchanged: trekking to see mountain gorillas is, in his view, the most extraordinary wildlife experience on Earth. This enduring connection informs Rewild Safaris’ approach designing thoughtful, responsible journeys that directly support conservation and the communities working to protect it.
Traveling With Purpose
For travelers, this partnership represents something meaningful. It is an opportunity to connect with one of the planet’s most extraordinary wildlife experiences while knowing that their journey supports organizations making an enduring impact on the ground.
Rewild Safaris was founded to bring people closer to wild places in ways that matter. Partnering with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund deepens that promise, connecting travelers not only to the forests of the Virunga Mountains and the gorillas who live there, but also to the science, stewardship, and communities that protect them.
Because the most powerful journeys do not just change how we see the world. They help protect it.