Where Can I See Eastern Lowland Gorillas? Trekking the Eastern Lowland Gorillas is one of the most exciting activities to embark onto while on a safari Kahuzi Beiga national park and they are ranked as the largest four gorilla species. These species are special sights that can be easily spotted on treks in central Africa. Gorillas are big primates that live in the forests of East, West, and Central Africa. They live in places like forests, swamps, and lowlands. The Western and Eastern gorillas are the two types of gorillas. Cross River gorillas and Western gorillas are two more types of Western gorillas. There are also mountain gorillas and Eastern lowland gorillas among the Eastern Gorillas. Virunga massifs and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are where you can find mountain gorillas. Eastern lowland gorillas are only found in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kahuzi Biega National Park.
Eastern lowland gorillas are characterized to be calm, quiet, and very gentle apes that only roar or scream when they need to. They only get mean when they have to, like when males fight over females, which doesn’t happen very often. Like mountain gorillas, lowland gorillas use sounds and body language to talk to each other. They often spend their time eating, cleaning, swinging, and climbing on trees. The leaves, stems, fruits, and bushes are what Eastern lowland gorillas eat, this can be witnessed on a Congo safari.
Eastern lowland gorillas live in groups led by a silverback who is the strongest of the group. When the females reach adulthood, they generally move to join a single male or another group. Like mountain gorillas, lowland gorillas build their nests on the ground every day. They use leaves, bushes, and tree branches to build a nest where they can sleep. Some of the time, the females and young birds build their nests on top of trees.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has put these Eastern lowland gorillas on a list of species that need extra protection because they are extremely endangered. Eastern lowland gorillas live in areas where there is a lot of violence, so they are often killed in gunfire or on purpose for their meat. The number of people who poach and sell animals has also gone down.
Eastern Lowland gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park.
Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the best safari place to search for Eastern lowland gorillas. Even though Congo has been dangerous in the past, it is now better and more peaceful, and tourists can go there on a safari. About 400 Eastern lowland gorillas live in nine groups in Kahuzi Biega National Park. Only three of the nine monkey groups are used to people and can be trekked during eastern lowland gorilla trekking safari.
Kahuzi Biega National Park is one of the biggest parks in Congo. It is close to both Lake Kivu and Bukavu.
To trek Eastern lowland gorillas, you have to walk through forests in order to find the gorillas. Not only does the safari activity give you a chance to see these few apes, but it also lets you find places that not many people have been to before. You will be amazed at how many different things there are in one place.
The trek begins with a ranger briefing at the Tshivanga Visitor Centre, which is right outside the park gate. The ranger will explain what you need to do to have a good lowland gorilla trekking safari experience. The guides will tell you what to expect and also tell you about the different groups of gorillas. After the briefing, travelers are led along trekking paths that have already been made to find their assigned gorilla group. Getting to the gorillas can take up to from 30 minutes to six hours, depending on where they are. Tourists can only watch these lowland gorillas for one hour. The Eastern lowland gorillas can only be trekked by 4 people per group, per day.
To trek Eastern lowland gorillas, you need a permit, which costs $400 and can be gotten from the park’s main office. People who want to get these permits should make a reservation and pay for them before the safari.
The rules and instructions for trekking to see Eastern lowland gorillas are the same as those for trekking to see mountain gorillas on the safari.
A 7 meters’ distance away from the gorillas must be observed.
Keep within your group.
Noise is not allowed and whispers if you really need to speak.
Avoid direct eye contact with the gorillas, this threatens them.
Keep calm when a gorilla charges. Follow whatever instructions your guide/ranger instructs you to do.
Do not throw rubbish in the park. Carry back all that you came with.
Don’t eat near the lowland gorillas. Eating should be done at least 200 meters away.
Do not touch the gorillas, you just might infect them and treating them is quite costly.
People under 15 are not allowed to do eastern lowland gorilla trekking.
Tourists who are sick or have diseases that can spread should not visit the gorillas. If you get sick on the day of the trek, please offer to stay home.
Travelers are advised to include the following on their packing list to facilitate their lowland gorilla trekking safari experience;
Hiking boots that are preferably waterproof for when you step in puddles, rivers or when it actually decides to rain-you are in the rain forest, remember.
Long-sleeved shirts.
Waterproof hat to shield your head and hair from the vegetation and rains.
Waterproof backpack to safeguard your important items like the camera.
Garden Gloves to keep your hands from plant pricks and reactions from some vegetation.
Camera for the pictures.
Waterproof jacket to shield one from the rains.
Energy giving snacks and enough water- the hike is quite long and the terrain isn’t all that smooth.
A comparison between an Eastern lowland gorilla trekking and a mountain gorilla trekking safari;
Eastern lowland gorilla trekking safari can only be done in Congo. However, Mountain gorilla trekking safari can be done in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Congo.
In the above-mentioned countries, mountain gorilla trekking safari is more organized because the gorillas live in quiet, easy-to-reach places. However, Eastern lowland gorillas are hard to get to because they move around a lot.
There are more groups of mountain gorillas that can be trekked more than 30 groups in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Congo but there are only three groups of Eastern lowland gorillas that can be trekked. A permit to go mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda can cost up to $1,500. This is a much more expensive safari. Eastern lowland gorillas cost only $400, which is not too bad at Uganda is 700 USD that is moderate.
Contact out trusted tour operators for more information about where to see the Eastern Lowland Gorillas and then book with our tours and travel companies such as; Achieve Global safaris who offer the best tour packages while on your Gorilla trekking safari.
