More to know about Gorilla Trekking: gorilla trekking in Africa is such an exciting and adventure-thrilling experience. Gorilla trekking is among the top tourism activities done on the African continent, which has attracted many individuals to travel from different areas of the world to track gorillas and spend quality time with these majestic primate species. Therefore, getting the opportunity to trek mountain gorillas in Africa is a very humbling and memorable experience.
Gorilla trekking activities are best done in African countries which include; Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo therefore for tourists planning to travel on a gorilla trekking safari, the above places happen to be the only best destinations where to track the mountain gorillas. it is recorded that There are about 1004 mountain gorillas believed to exist in the world and half of this population can be found in Uganda alone in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which is home to over 800 endangered mountain gorillas and in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The other half of the population of mountain gorillas is divided between Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in Congo.
In case you are going to trek gorillas in either of the three mentioned countries, it is quite important that you pack the appropriate clothing like; long-sleeved shirts/t-shirts, long trousers, sunglasses, a hat/cap, bottled water, snacks, a light rain jacket, some insect repellent, binoculars, a camera and extra batteries, first aid kit, and a good pair of hiking boots.
Gorilla trekking always involves the trekkers to walk through the dense forests within the park with the main aim of tracking where the gorilla families are located. before trekking tourists are always encouraged to arrive an hour before at the parks headquarters where they are first given short briefing about the rules and regulations to follow while trekking such as; avoiding maintaining a direct eye contact with the species most especially the silverback, avoid eating and drinking while in the presence of the species, to disable the use of flash light when recording videos and taking pictures of the gorillas with their phones and cameras, they are also encouraged to keep a distance of about 7 meters between them and the species in order to avoid any harm among others.
trekkers are put in groups with a maximum number of eight people depending on which gorilla group they are willing to trek and each of these groups is assigned to with a park guide whose role is to lead them through different trails because they are familiar with all areas in the park. In addition, during the trekking, tourists are advised to apply in some tricks, which will help to be able to track the primate species quickly, and some of these include; identifying fresh nests that have been recently made by the gorillas, tracking fresh gorilla footprints and fecal matter as well, following areas with broken tree branches and many others. In addition, after locating the species, tourists are given about one hour to spend with the species and it is during this time that individuals get chances to learn more about the characters and behaviors of the species for example; they get to watch how they eat and feed their young ones, how they play and sleep and many others.
Gorilla trekking is a captivating activity that always takes between 1 to 6 hours depending on where the endangered mountain gorillas are located and this time includes the time from the starting point of trekking to the time when tourists get to watch and spend time with the gorillas and then returning back to the meeting point of the National Park.
A great majority of these gorillas has been habituated and is very safe for visitors to track. Uganda has about 18 habituated gorilla groups that you can trek, which include 17 habituated gorilla groups in Bwindi impenetrable National Park and only 1 in Mgahinga National Park. Currently, there are now two gorilla groups in Mgahinga following the migration of the Hirwa gorilla group from Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. However, there is no telling if this gorilla group will settle permanently in the park or migrate back to Rwanda.
There are eight habituated gorilla groups that visitors can track in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and eight habituated groups in Congo’s Virunga National Park. Gorilla trekking expeditions in all three countries take place in groups of a maximum of 8 people.
Individuals who have their best interest in gorilla trekking are encouraged to travel during the dry season between months of June, July, August, September, and December, January, and February. and this is considered the best time because the gorilla habitats are kept dry which makes it easier for trekkers to hike through the dense vegetation and steep slopes in search of the gorillas.
there are other activities that you can incorporate into your travel itinerary like a wildlife game drive, a boat cruise, city tours, nature walks, bird watching, chimpanzee trekking, mountaineering, hiking, and community cultural tours among others to carry out in addition to the trek.
Contact our trusted tour operators for more information about gorilla trekking and then book with our tours and travel companies such as; Achieve Global Safaris and Explore Tours Rwanda who offer you with the best tour packages while on your Gorilla trekking safari.
