Gorilla Trekking

Set off on a once in a life time journey into the rugged lush rain forests and walk with the great apes of Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo on a gorilla trekking adventure.  Gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo will not really leave you the same once you go for it . This activity is done in mgahinga , Bwindi and the volcanoes national park in   Rwanda. The trekking starts very early in the morning at  7 am with a brief  briefing at the park headquarters with your  trained tour guide who will  brief you about the rules and the regulations of trekking gorillas  for example do not get closer to the gorillas once you have a cold , do not mimic the gorillas because they may make them more angry and aggressive , do not litter anything around the gorillas, avoid feeding the gorillas once you reach there and see them ,do not make noise because you may make them aggressive   . Having known the rules and the regulations, you will be given an advice   to carry a bottle of drinking water and snacks into the jungle to avoid getting dizzy while there. You will then enter into the jungle to start trekking.  Since these primates graze from very far , they are not easy to find ,therefore  you  will be  helped by your trained ranger guide who will  find these primates by following their  footprints  where they passed when they were going to graze .Once you find these primates , you are allowed to stay with them for over one hour having fun and taking photos with them. This is the process of wasting what they do in the following ways and what they do to plan for the trip.

Where can I trek gorillas in Uganda?

Uganda has got two national parks where clients can trek the mountain gorillas. These include Bwindi impenetrable national park and mgahinga national park. However, most people prefer to trek in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park because it has the highest number of mountain gorillas and it also has very nice looking and affordable accommodations for the clients to stay in. However, a client is free to trek in any park he or she feels like depending on where he is coming from or the nearest to him because there is no big difference since all the prices for the trekking permit are the same.

For the clients who may like to trek in Bwindi, you are given a chance to choose which sector you would like to trek in.

Bwindi has got over four sectors and these include the Buhoma sector, nkuringo, rushaga, and lastly ruhija. Each sector of these has got different group families of gorillas were the clients may wish to trek for example, the Buhoma sector has got the Mubale, rushegura, and Habinyanja.

Nkuringo sector has got the   Bushaho, Nkuringo, chrismas, and the posho at last.

The Rushaga sector has got the bweza, busingye, Kahungye, and Mishaya.

The ruhija sector has got the Oruzungo, the bitukura, kyagulira, mukiza to mention but a few.

When is the best time to go for gorilla trekking?

Uganda has got two seasons and that is the low season and the high season also referred to rainy and dry season. During the months of march to May, there are always high rains and therefore the clients for trekking the mountain gorillas are always very few because of the conditions in the park. such as the sliding grounds in the jungle, very cold and rainy weather and so many others. However, during the months of October to November, the rains are very limited and therefor this is sometimes referred to as a dry season.  These months attract a lot of clients who come for trekking in the jungle because the weather is always conducive and therefore there are limited number of accidents in the jungle while hiking in search for the gorilla families.

NOTE: The gorilla permits are fixed all year round despite the fact that some seasons are rainy and others are dry. Therefore, it will depend on what a client prefers depending on the time he or she prefers.

Securing a gorilla permit.

The permits for gorillas in Uganda are at a fixed price so far of 700 dollars. For one who would like to secure himself or herself a gorilla permit, should do that both in the low and high season because this time round there is no more discount on the gorilla permits. However, the permits are sold very highly during the peak months and that is the months of January to February and then June to August. This is because the parks have a conducive climate together with the weather that enables the clients to do their trip well and take the pics clearly without any disturbance. More so, during these months, the jungle is not slippery it is rather very dry and hence enables the clients to perform their activities well without falling down because of the sliding surface.

NOTE: Most clients prefer securing permits mostly from Uganda. This is because the permits from Uganda are very cheaper compared to those of Rwanda.

How long is a gorilla trek.

The truth of the matter is that no one is yet assured of the real time exactly when the trekking of gorillas will end. This is because some of the gorilla families allocated for a clients to trek are too far and there’re fore, this gives hard time to the clients to get these primates and it also makes them too tired.

The rangers are always around to help our clients out by carrying they luggage to the field and more, to lift them incase they are tired.

However, some researchers predict   that the trekking of these mountain gorillas lasts 1 to 8 hours.

What next after finding the gorillas.

As soon as you get these mountain gorillas, you will be allowed to stay with them for over an hour as you are having photos, observing, asking questions and so on.

However, during this session, you are not allowed to eat anything, drink, and take photos when the flash lights are on.

The other thing, you are not allowed to get too close to the gorillas. This is because These primates can easily catch a cold.

When the one hour of staying with the gorillas erupses, you are asked to get back to the lodge and leave the jungle for the gorillas. This is because once you stay for a long time with these primates, they start feeling uncomfortable with their environment and they would start thinking they can get diseases.

How do mountain gorillas feed?

These primates spend about a quarter of their day eating and they mainly feed on plants. Around 85% of the diet is made up of leaves, shoots and the stems. However, gorillas also feed on larvae, snails, ants, roots, barks and sometimes rotting wood.

Mountain Gorilla food intake.

Researchers have come to an agreement that the adult mountain Gorilla takes approximately 18 kilograms of food every day. To the most surprising thing about the mountain gorillas is that they are not funs of water and therefore they don’t always drink it.

 

From here most clients may ask how can they survive without taking water.

They survive because the plants they always consume contains water in them and there fore this helps them to survive.

Methods of collecting food-How do mountain gorillas collect their food.

These primates are the strongest animals in the jungle and therefore they use their strength to break these branches and the vegetation to help them get what to eat.

These mountain gorillas are so intelligent and understanding to an extent that when they are feeding, they make sure they do not complete everything where they are feeding rather they eat a little on a selected area then they allow the growth of new vegetation as they get to another place where to feed.

Observe the gorillas while earing in the jungle during the trekking.

For this interesting session, Book with the one and only Company in Uganda which is Adventure in the wild safaris to take you for the safari and have a look at the gorillas feed in their natural habitants.

Here you will be amazed and interested by the way these primates break these branches and chew then for easy swallowing.

How difficult is the trek itself?

You should put in mind that fear is only temporally but regrets last forever. Therefore, fear not to travel to any country to trek the gorilla families because of the difficult times and moments there make the trekking fail and hard.

The following are the factors that make trekking difficult.   

The cost of gorilla trekking.

The cost of trekking the gorillas in Uganda is at 700 dollars and that of Rwanda is  at 1500dollars.This makes people more scared of these high prices of the gorilla permits.

Location of mountain gorilla family.

The mountain gorillas are very difficult to re allocate some times because they graze from far. Such as the habinyanja gorilla family in Bwindi, the mubare and so many others. Therefore, this makes the clients some times to fail to trek the gorillas.

The time, year and season of trekking mountain gorillas.

Visiting of the   national parks  to trek the mountain  gorillas is done throughout the year .But however , the clients are advised to come and trek in the months of between June , to September and December to February .This is because these months are always dry and therefore they help the clients to hike easily without any disturbance like sliding in the jungle while trekking the gorillas and experiencing of the bad weather while in the volcanoes .The trails are always very dry where the clients pass to the jungle to trek without getting  any disturbance.

The age limit of the mountain gorilla trekker.

Since the trekking involves hiking to look for the gorilla families, this means it requires mature people who are energyetic and they should be 15 years and above. The kids who are below 15 years are no allowed to hike in search for the gorillas because they might get problems there and maybe even faint. Therefore, this becomes also a factor to the difficult of trekking gorillas generally.

The fitness and the ability or health of the gorilla trekkers.

Since the trekking requires hiking to trek the primates, It becomes difficult for the people with health problems to go trekking. And more so the elders who have over grown and their bones are too weak ,it becomes hard for them to climb up and trek these primates .Therefore the trekking of gorillas requires people who are physically fit and energetic and don’t have health problems to hike up to the mountain and start trekking .

 

The accessibility of the national parks.

The truth is that finding most of the national parks is not so simple. This is because some of them are located very far in the hilly places which are not easy to reach. Therefore, it makes some clients fail to trek avoiding the long journey drive.

What to wear on a gorilla trek?

 This is a very important part for some to think about and plan before he or starts his or her journey to the park to trek. The parks are so cold more so Bwindi and there for you have to prepare yourself and carry what to help you during those moments. However different parks have different weather conditions. Therefore, it depends on what situation you have found there.

Below are the clothes to wear in the park depending on the weather you have found.

• Water proof gumboots and shoes that will help you even move in the rainy time without feeling any water.
• Shirts which are long sleeved to help you from the itching leaves and the branches in the jungle.
• Trousers which are somehow lighter to give you freedom while moving and peace.
• Remember to carry rain coats and umbrellas.
• Remember to also carry gloves to help you from the thorns and the cutting grass in the jungle.

The rules and regulations of gorilla trekking.

Below are the rules and the regulations of trekking the mountain gorillas.

•  Avoid mimicking the mountain gorillas while next to them.
• Avoid feeding the mountain gorillas.
• You should not put on the flash of the camera while taking the photos of the gorillas. This is because this scares them and hence end up getting angry and aggressive.
• Avoid throwing rubbish in the trekking area for the gorillas.
• Avoid coming next to the mountain gorillas because you might cause them a cold in case you have. These animals can quickly be attacked by diseases.
• You must keep a distance of over 7 meters far away from the mountain gorillas.
• Avoid overcrowding when you come next to the gorillas.
• Avoid making noise when you reach these gorillas. This is because this might make them angry and so aggressive hence making them to attack you.

Are gorilla sightings guaranteed?

Per now the gorilla sightings are not guaranteed.  Therefore, you have a task of hiking up into the jungle to trek yourself and look for the mountain gorilla families.

Finding the mountain gorillas is sometimes luck because they graze too far into the jungle. However, no one has ever failed to find them. But in case you fail to re allocate the gorillas and find them, UWA is ready to refund 50% of your money.

What to expect on a gorilla safari?

The truth of the fact is that gorilla trekking is a very impressing experience all-round the years since it happens throughout the year.  However, the biggest number of people who trek the gorillas is always in dry seasons because there are no incidences of accidents and falling down while in the jungle.

Gorilla trekking in Africa is done in the countries of Uganda, Rwanda, and the republic of Congo.

The trekking begins very early in the morning at 7 am with a briefing at the pack headquarters about the rules and regulations of trekking the gorillas. From there, you are divided into a group of 8 members in each group who then enter into the jungle to start off the trekking. Once you get these primates, you are given ample time to relax with them, take photos and then have fun.

The following are what to expect while on the gorilla trekking safari.

The gorilla trekking pack list.

The client should  remember  to pack essential things while setting off to start the trekking such as the water proof gumboots, the hats to help you from the direct sunshine, sticks to help you while hiking, drinking water, gloves, the sun glasses to  also help you from the direct sunlight, the umbrera   and rainfall jacket  to help you from the rains while in the jungle trekking and so many others.

Hiking in the wild to look for the gorilla families.

After grabbing your morning tea, you will get to the park headquarters to have a briefing and then get to the park to start the trekking. The expected real time for trekking should be 1 to 8 hours. This is because the gorillas sometimes the gorillas tend to graze from far into the jungle.

An encounter with gorillas in Africa.

This is a time when the clients are ready to move with these primates and interact with them, take photos and then have fun. During this time, the clients are required to keep their voices low, keep a distance from them to void infecting them with diseases, avoid direct looking into their eyes, keep calm incase attacked by the gorillas, avoid the disposal of human wastes and lastly void feeding the gorillas.

Awarding of the trekking certificates.

This is usually given to the trekkers after their hour of trekking and spending with the mountain gorillas to show that they have been in the jungle trekking the gorillas.

What country provides the best option for seeing the mountain gorillas? Compare Uganda and Rwanda.

The most common asked question is that what is the best country for a client to trek? The truth is that this is usually a tricky question to answer because all the countries say Uganda and Rwanda all have gorillas and have accommodations where to stay while trekking. Therefore, all countries are ready to welcome you and book with you for trekking. However, most people prefer Uganda because it provides prices which are quite lower than those of Rwanda and that is Uganda pays 700 dollars for the gorilla permit and Rwanda charges 1500 dollars. This price makes most clients to go and book with Uganda hence leaving Rwanda.

NOTE: Clients are asked to keep calm and not to complain about the high price of gorilla trekking because some of the money is used to keep the population of the mountain gorillas growing so that you find them next time. More so on the other hand, after the trekking and having spent an hour with the gorillas in the jungle, you are given a certificate to thank you and to prove that you have been in Uganda trekking.

Which company should I use for gorilla trekking?

It is believed that there are many tour companies and very many tour operators in Africa that you can use to get the gorilla permits and book for gorilla trekking. However, a client chooses a company to use depending on the price offered to him or her, the availability of the gorilla permits in plenty, the marketing on websites, the customer care given to the client, and the reviews  plus comments made on that company by different people who normally use it.

How to get a gorilla permit price?

Gorilla trekking in Uganda is the most profitable and done activity that every client who ties to book it’s the only activity he or she does. The trekking in Uganda is done in the parks of Bwindi impenetrable national park and mgahinga national park. All the gorilla permits are at the same price and that is at 700 dollars in Uganda and in both parks. These permits are got by booking with a tour operator in one of the companies in Uganda such as the Adventure in the wild safaris.  The permits are booked in advance say 6 months before the trekking time to avoid inconvenience and overcrowding while yearning for the permits.

NOTE: A client is advised to book the permit from a specific company and a tour operator to get an advice on which gorilla family is available to trek to avoid booking of a gorilla family which is too far and will give you burden to trek and look for hence end up not seeing the family and incurring a lot of money.

More so the other advantage is that when you book with these operators, they help you get rangers who will help you find the gorilla families because they always know where they are located and they are also trained to do that.

When should I book my gorilla trekking permit?

The clients are advised to book for the gorilla trekking permit three months in advance or six months in advance and they can also be purchased up to two years in advance, which mainly  favors  tourists to go for gorilla trekking during the peak season or high season that is during the drier months of June ,July, August, September.

Where to stay while trekking the mountain gorillas.

Where to stay when trekking the gorillas depend on where you are, the place, the country where you booked to trek the gorillas. For example, the mountain gorillas are mostly trekked in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo and the parks include Bwindi impenetrable national parks, mgahinga national parks and the volcanoes national park in Rwanda. A client will choose a lodge where to stay during his trekking depending on the price offered to him or her, the meals provided, the views of the land scape, the lodge being near to the trekking area and the services to be provided.

More so other clients choose a lodge depending on the reviews made other fellow clients on the lodges on the websites.

Are mountain gorillas dangerous?

Mountain gorillas as well as the low land gorillas can be aggressive and dangerous to humans and other animals or fellow gorillas. Gorillas are majorly ground dwelling, and majorly herbivores apes which are largely peaceful but in special clear different circumstances, Gorillas can be totally dangerous.

Booking your Uganda gorilla trekking Safari.

As   Adventure in the wild Safaris, we have got several packages that we write down and post on our websites for our loving clients to read and get interested which will make them interested and then book with us. Our gorilla packages will help you get all that you need from our company and get to you best more so get the best services and a memorable safari.

In case  you are interested, our company advises you to book with it 3 months before the time for the trekking in order to void inconveniences and delay in anything.