A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough

A Gorilla Story is the latest collaboration between David Attenborough and Silverback Films, following Ocean with David Attenborough, which was released on National Geographic on June 7, 2025.

It was directed by Academy Award-winner James Reed and produced by Alastair Fothergill, an Emmy-winning natural history filmmaker, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson and Phillip Watson, principals of Appian Way Productions.

The documentary blends excerpts from Attenborough’s old journals and archive BBC videos, showing his first encounter with the baby gorilla Pablo in the late 1970s, with newly filmed footage that follows Pablo's descendants in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park today.

"The documentary is a tribute to the complex and awe-inspiring lives of mountain gorillas, and it would not have been possible without the conservation and research efforts of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund," said Alastair Fothergill, co-director of Silverback Films and executive producer of the film, in an official statement.

Back in 2020, after the success of Netflix's Chimp Empire, filmed in Uganda's Kibale National Park, Silverback Films approached the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in search of a wildlife story in Rwanda.

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is the world’s longest-running and largest organization dedicated to gorilla conservation, established in 1967 by famed primatologist Dian Fossey.

Researchers recommended filming the Pablo group as the documentary could then rely on 55 years of continuous scientific work. It is a family line they have tracked since 1993, and which is connected to the gorillas in Dian Fossey’s original research from 1967.

“This intimate new documentary is a remarkable gem," said Praveen Moman, founder of Volcanoes Safaris, after attending the pre-screening. "It is an intense and dramatic story of the personal relationships between the gorillas, reminiscent of an extended human family,” he added.

Attenborough’s films have a rare ability to convey both an accurate and an emotional picture of what you can experience, said Tom Barber, co-founder and brand director at Original Travel, in an email interview.

He believes A Gorilla Story will also capture just how powerful it is to be in the presence of mountain gorillas and help bring wider attention to a wildlife encounter unlike any other.

Tiffany Figueiredo, travel advisor at Fig Travel Co, agrees with the above. "The trailer alone makes me emotional, and I've seen the gorillas in Rwanda!" she noted in an email interview.

How To Retrace Attenborough's Steps And See The Mountain Gorillas

Travelers inspired by the documentary could retrace Attenborough’s steps by trekking with gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.

However, it will not be a simple bucket-list experience, but a carefully controlled activity managed by the Rwanda Development Board to protect one of the world's most endangered and closely monitored species.

Julian Carter-Manning, founder and director of the safari operator at Yellow Zebra, explained in an email interview that Rwanda issues just under 100 gorilla trekking permits per day across 12 gorilla families, each costing $1,500 per trek. In peak travel periods, from July to September and around Christmas, he noted that those permits can sell out months in advance.

“Only 8 people are allowed to visit the gorillas for 1 hour under strict protocols. This ensures that the gorillas are not overstressed by exposure to humans and disease transfer is limited. Visitors have to be a minimum of 10 metres away and wear a mask,” said Moman from Volcanoes Safaris.

"Treks are guided and regulated and permit revenue funds things like anti-poaching patrols, veterinary care, conservation activities, park management and even a 10% community share that is redistributed to local communities," said Natalie Lyall-Grant, head of positive impact at Jacada Travel, in an email interview.

However, Justin Francis OBE, co-founder and executive chair of Responsible Travel, noted that while A Gorilla Story will show David Attenborough’s close encounter with a young gorilla from the 1970s, travelers should not expect this kind of physical proximity today.

Gorillas are vulnerable to human diseases, so they are now viewed at a distance to help protect them. The emphasis today is on quietly observing their natural behavior rather than seeking intimate interactions.

Yolanda Saayman, product manager for Africa trips at G Adventures also noted in an email interview that treks are also strenuous since they take place at high altitudes at 8,200 - 13,100 feet above sea level and can last from two to six hours. While the rangers do their best to match the fitness level of the group with a gorilla family, even seasoned athletes can feel the effects of thinner air.

What The Netflix Effect Could Mean For Rwanda

Gorilla trekking already accounts for over 70% of Rwanda’s leisure tourism revenue, and Rwanda’s gorilla tourism saw a 27% increase in revenue in 2024 and 2025, according to Carter-Manning from Yellow Zebra.

However, travel specialists I interviewed said a surge may already begun. Jacob Maahs, senior Africa travel designer at Jacada Travel, said trips to Rwanda are already up 41% year over year, from April 1, 2025, to April 1, 2026, and that he expects demand to climb further, especially for the peak dry seasons.

Emma Cambers, expansion manager and wildlife expert at Much Better Adventures, agreed, saying her team is already seeing early signs of increased interest ahead of the premiere and expects a new wave of first-time travelers, drawn by Attenborough’s emotional storytelling.

"What excites us is that Rwanda offers so much more than gorillas. So, once people start looking, they quickly realize this is a full-blown wildlife destination," Cambers added.

Beyond higher demand, Holly Budge, adventurer, conservationist and founder of World Female Ranger Week, is especially optimistic about the kind of traveler the film could attract. She believes it could help shift demand away from bucket-list tourism and toward more conservation-conscious travelers.

"Through Wildlife Positive Travel, which I founded specifically to connect travellers with ranger-led conservation, we’re already seeing people who want to feel part of the solution, not just spectators of it," she said in an email interview.

Liesel van Zyl, head of product and positive impact at Go2Africa, shared a similar view. She also expects the film to attract a more conscious kind of traveler, someone interested not just in a single trek, but in broader primate-focused itineraries, conservation-led access, and longer, more meaningful journeys.

That is also the outcome many other Rwanda specialists hope for. If interest rises, Lydia Eva Mpanga, founder and CEO of Nkuringo Safaris, said the best result would not be more volume at any cost, but better-managed demand through earlier booking windows, stronger shoulder-season dispersal, longer itineraries that spread value across the country, and continued reinvestment in communities and conservation.

Beyond the higher demand, Dominique Callimanopulos, founder of Elevate Destinations expects an increase in multigenerational trips, with parents or grandparents who watched Life on Earth traveling with kids inspired by A Gorilla Story. However, she also noted that travelers must be at least 15 years old to trek with gorillas in Rwanda.

Francis from Responsible Travel further highlighted the importance of the 10% community share in an email interview. “We must remember that the gazetting of national parks to protect gorillas came at a heavy cost to Indigenous Batwa communities, who were displaced from their ancestral lands.”

He argued that growing wildlife tourism in Rwanda should also support the Batwa culture and lesser-known parks such as Akagera, where community-centered conservation has helped wildlife populations recover strongly over the past decade.

Wayne Nupen, andBeyond’s director of Africa touring, said the film could also have benefits beyond Rwanda by raising awareness of gorilla experiences across the wider region, including Uganda, the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In his view, that could help support conservation across a broader range of gorilla habitats rather than concentrating attention on a single destination.