Gorilla trekking is one of the life time events in Africa and the world at large. Mountain Gorillas are rare and only found in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. They are more interesting and more likely by travelers worldwide. Uganda is gifted with almost half of the world’s mountain Gorillas hosted in Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
In this article, let me stick on Mountain Gorilla trekking. The trek is strenuous but the thrill obtained from the process is marked and unforgettable!
Seeing gorillas in their natural habitat is today’s most exciting safari pursued by most African adventure travelers. One needs to know where exactly to go in Africa to encounter gorillas and you will clearly discern once you plan a safari with a trusted local tour operator to turn your dream into reality.
Therefore it’s a rare opportunity to get up close with gorillas; some of the gorillas have been habituated and costumed to human beings. Though tourist contact is limited to avoid disturbance, there is also regular monitoring of gorillas daily by wildlife rangers, a reason why seeing gorillas is perceived as an expensive wildlife activity but worth undertaking. The money generated from gorilla tourism is used to fund conservation and management of gorilla parks.
For one to get close to these apes believed to be man’s closest relative with 95% of their DNA similar to that of humans, you have to hike on foot through lush tropical montane rainforests with guides and rangers. This activity is called gorilla tracking, so far the most trending wildlife activity in the world and Africa in particular.
Mountain Gorilla Trekking
There are also mountain gorilla species, estimated to not more than 600 are left in the volcanic region that spreads over the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in East Africa. This is the remaining frail environment in which they are able to endure since they have never been successfully reared in confinement and there is none in the zoos.
Therefore, if you are planning a gorilla safari in Uganda, you must book a gorilla tracking permit earlier with your tour operator, it’s also important to know the accommodation where to sleep. You also include hiking gears in your packing list since gorilla national parks have unique terrain and vegetation.
Lowland Gorilla Tracking
The lowland and mountain gorilla is the most extinct of all the apes.
Gorilla Tracking in the Virungas
Only a few of these mammals have been habituated in the conserved forest, part of the Virungas for humans to visit, which makes gorilla tracking both a special opportunity and an thrilling adventure. While on a gorilla safari, be prepared to trek through some uneven trails such as thorny trees, steep hills, and twisted vines. Finding out that you are sitting only a few metres from a gorilla in the bushes is a spine tingling incidence.
The first glance at these apes might be a baby gorilla up on a tree branch, a female quietly playing with its babies, or a silverback beating his chest. You can book for a Uganda gorilla tracking tour in two national parks: Bwindi, a tract of impenetrable forest and Mgahinga on the Ugandan side of the Virunga Volcanoes. Trekking the gorillas in Rwanda will be in the forest of Virunga Volcanoes National Park.
Permits to trek gorillas must be booked in advance with a loca offices since the number of trekkers is limited for conservation purposes. An one hours audience with the gentle apes while on these tour.
While looking into the innocent brown eyes of a gorilla in its natural environment, you realize that tracking these mammals is Africa’s greatest wildlife encounters.
Planning a Gorilla Trekking Tour
Just like any other properly arranged activity, gorilla trekking is no exception.There is always a better time to carry out everything and the same applies to planning and booking a gorilla trekking tour.So this brings us to some of the most common questions below;
- Gorilla Trekking Etiquette – Rules and Regulations guiding responsible gorilla watching in Africa?
- When is the best time to go gorilla watching?
- What are the essential things to pack for a gorilla trekking adventure?
- How long in advance should I book a trip?
Practical Tips to Help You Enjoy a Gorilla Trek
So having put all that into consideration, lets look at what really transpires on the actual day of the trek;
Tracking down rare gorillas in the thick rain forests of central Africa is not an exact science and it takes some steps to get to these primates
Finding and getting to the gorillas is not always easy, nor are you guaranteed to see them. The arduous trek to the gorilla groups takes you through very dense vegetation, on narrow trails up steep and often muddy slopes. The search for gorillas can last several hours, since the gorillas move around in the thick undergrowth shifting deeper into the forests at times.
The good news is that once you search them out the gorillas don’t flee, because they are quite used to human onlookers.
Trekking expeditions start out early in the morning, driving to the boundary of the national park for formalities before continuing to a ranger’s station.
Leaving your wheels behind at the ranger station, the walk begins. Your group follows a local ranger through farmlands and into the thick vegetation of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Did you know the collective noun for gorillas is a ‘whoop’? The rangers can tell you about the specific family of gorillas you are trekking to, filling you in on the family history and sharing their in-depth knowledge about mountain gorillas.
The rangers usually trek to the site where the gorillas were seen the previous day and trace their movements from there to locate them. The gorillas are monitored daily which helps keep track of their locale, as well as their health and safety. After a fair amount (anything from 45 minutes to 8 hours) of challenging bundu bashing along muddy tracks you will hopefully come face-to-face with a family group of gorillas in the forest. Usually you put your stuff down, try to remain silent and move in a little closer with just your cameras.
This is where the magic happens, as the unique and intimate gorilla encounter unfolds. You have an hour to observe these gentle apes at close range (up to about 7 metres) in their natural state and take photographs of them. Watching the untamed gorillas feed, groom, parent, play and interact is spell-binding. The striking resemblance between the way the gorillas behave and relate with one another and the mannerisms of humans leaves many onlookers awestruck.
After spending an hour with the gorilla family it is time to retrace your steps, trekking back to the ranger’s station. Along the way to or back from the gorillas the group usually pauses to eat. You generally carry your own packed lunch and water along with you. Back at the starting point of the trek you transfer to your vehicle and make your way back to your accommodation.
The above is a rough guide to what will take place on the ground. The actual experience can vary depending on local conditions (weather, gorilla movements and happenings, politics etc), as well as being slightly different between exact locations and tour operators. It is important to remember that the gorillas are wild, which means that even though they are habituated to humans, their behaviour is somewhat unpredictable.
The gorillas may possibly retreat into the bush while you are visiting them which is beyond your rangers control as their movements are not restricted. The gorillas generally go about their activities undisturbed though, with some of the young ones showing curiosity about the human visitors.