Gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda
Gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda are amazing Uganda safari tours that travellers can take to encounter the endangered mountain gorillas that destination Uganda is blessed to inhabit. Uganda is indeed the pearl of Africa, blessed with so much amazing nature and scenery, people and culture, and the wildlife thriving in the country, in the various national parks of Uganda. Gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda take travellers encountering the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
Gorilla trekking is an activity that involves trekking through dense forested areas that are sometimes mountainous in search of habituated gorillas. Gorilla trekking has trekkers, who are usually 8 in number trekking the jungles in the company of park rangers and guides, searching for a particular gorilla family in their natural habitat. Gorilla trekking safaris are safaris or tours that take travellers encountering gorillas in usually their natural habitats. Gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda are therefore an amazing primate activity that takes travellers on gorilla trekking adventures in Uganda, to encounter the giant black and silverback gorillas in their natural habitat. Uganda hosts only one taxa of gorillas, mountain gorillas.
Uganda the pearl of Africa is one of the African countries with gorillas that is blessed to inhabit the endangered mountain gorillas. The endangered mountain gorillas can only be found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park of Uganda and the Virunga Massifs which encompass Mgahinga Gorilla National Park of Uganda still, Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda and Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are about only 1000 mountain gorilla individuals left in the world, with Uganda inhabiting the largest population of mountain gorillas; more than half the total world population can be found in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are the two gorilla destinations in Uganda from where travellers can enjoy gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda. Both Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are located in the south western region of Uganda in the hilly-mountainous and dense rainforests in the region.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the most visited gorilla park by travellers after gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda. Actually when gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda are mentioned, it is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park that pops up in the minds of most travellers due to the fact that it has the highest number of gorillas and habituated gorilla families that travellers can encounter on gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has about 19 habituated gorilla families with the number still growing every other time due to the great conservation and habituation process in the park, that more and more gorilla lovers can get an opportunity to encounter the amazing mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is divided in four different sectors that travellers do travel to so as to encounter the gorillas. The gorilla sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include Buhoma sector, Rushaga sector, Ruhija sector and Nkuringo sector; which all inhabit the endangered mountain gorillas and make possible gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda. Whereas gorilla trekking allows only one hour of encountering gorillas, gorilla habituation allows travellers more time to spend with the mountain gorillas. It is in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Uganda that gorilla habituation experiences are possible, an activity that sees trekkers hiking the jungle to encounter a semi-habituated gorilla family in the company of gorilla experts and trainers who gradually habituate wild gorillas to accommodate human interaction and presence. Gorilla habituation experience has travellers spending up to 4 hours with the gorillas, learning of their characters and behaviours.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park Uganda is the other gorilla destination that travellers can visit while on gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda, taking travellers to the thick rainforest to encounter the only habituated gorilla family in the park; Nyakagezi gorilla family. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has about 80 gorilla individuals that roam the park but only one gorilla family is habituated for gorilla trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla national Park safaris.
Gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda typically involve travellers waking early up early and head to the starting points which differ according to the gorilla sectors in Bwindi, while in Mgahinga Gorilla national park gorilla trekking safaris start from Ntebeko. At the starting point, you shall find other trekkers and park officials who brief you about the activity ahead, what you should expect and also share with you the gorilla trekking rules and guidelines. Thereafter, you shall be placed in groups of 8 and then allocated a gorilla family to trek; gorilla family allocation is highly dependent on the physical ability of a trekker as well as age, but also prior requests can be put into consideration. After, you shall embark on the search of the gorilla family allocated your group of 8, in the company of an expert local ranger guide. Gorilla trekking experiences in Uganda usually take about 30 minutes to 4 hours or more depending on the location of the gorillas which are mobile primates, as well as the terrain.
Once you do encounter the gorillas, you shall be allowed only 1 hour with the gorillas which you use to observe the gorilla behaviours and character, and way of life which is so similar to that of humans. You shall find them usually having naps, grooming each other, eating, the young playing that some juveniles are even known to be so curious to come up close to travellers. While nearing the gorillas, especially the juveniles and infants, know that you shall be under a watchful and very protective eye of the dominant silverback. A silverback is the head of the family and is the one who all the decisions of the family say where to eat and sleep are dependent on.
After spending one hour with the gorilla family, you shall be required to leave the gorilla family least you stressed them out. Gorilla trekking is relatively tiresome and a strenuous activity that requires some levels of physical fitness, be sure to do some exercises like running and skipping rope on hilly areas to accustom yourself with the high altitude.
To be able to enjoy gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda, travelers need to purchase gorilla trekking permits which cost $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents and ugx250000 for East African citizens, per person per trek. Gorilla habituation experience permits cost $1500 per person per experience. Given that many travellers do wish to take part in gorilla safaris in Uganda, travelers are advised to book in advance their Uganda gorilla trekking permits so as to secure your permits lest you missed out on your preferred travel dates.
Best time for gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda
Gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda can be done all year through. The best time to visit Uganda for gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda is however during the dry season which falls in the months of June to September and December to February because the land s much drier than making it easy to use the roads and paths in the park. Though it is a dry season, travellers are reminded that these are rainforests which receive rainfall any time of the day and year, considering packing the right gorilla trekking what to wear items like long sleeved shirts and trousers, jackets or ponchos, hiking shoes with a grip and preferably waterproof, among so many others. The wet season is also a good time to visit, given most accommodation then do have subsidized accommodation rates to attract travellers during the off peak season.
When on gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda, there are a number of accommodation options that travellers can choose from to stay in, either inside or outside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Some of the common gorilla safari lodges or accommodation while on gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda include Nkuringo Gorilla Safari Lodge, Buhoma Safari Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Buhoma Community Rest Camp, among so many others.
Gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda are amazing Uganda safari packages that travellers can book all throughout the year, ranging from 1 day Bwindi gorilla trekking from Kigali, to 3 days or more gorilla safaris in Uganda. Combining your gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda with other Uganda safari tours like wildlife safaris in Uganda taking you game viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National park among so many other wildlife and savannah national parks of Uganda would be a great idea. Including chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest national Park safaris as well as golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park could ideally complete your primate safari; in Kibale National Park still, you can encounter the 13 primate species that roam the park, just do get in touch with your tour operator of your choice and be amazed at the beauty of Uganda. Also, you could gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda as the climax of your Africa safaris.
