Where To Do Gorilla Trekking In Uganda? Gorilla trekking is a wildlife activity that involves hiking through dense forests in search of wild gorillas. It involves walking through rivers, hills, mountains, valleys, dense forests before finally getting/encountering gorillas. trekking can sometimes be hard .it can take 9 to ten hours depending on the gorilla’s location. Gorilla trekking is considered safe in Uganda-by-Uganda wildlife Authority and various conservation organisations have implemented measures to ensure safety of visitors or travellers during this gorilla trekking activity. There are approximately 459 gorillas in Uganda and has the most of gorillas compared to the rest of the countries. Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground dwelling great apes that inhabit in the tropical forests of Equatorial forests. There are two species of gorillas in Uganda that is Eastern and Western gorillas which are approved by primatologists.
Gorilla trekking in Uganda is done Bwindi Impenetrable national park: Bwindi is the main destination for gorilla trekking in Uganda. Bwindi has over 500 mountain gorilla that are divided into 37 social group,36 in the Bwindi national park ,11 of them are visited during day
Bwindi impenetrable national park has four sectors for gorilla trekking fore example
Rushaga sector: This has many gorilla families available for gorilla trekking, there are more than 7 families of gorillas. Rushaga is close to Nkuringo, so can stay there but also trek in the Nkuringo which is in the Southern part of the park.
Nkuringo sector. This is in Uganda however it is easily accessed from Kigali using the Kyaninga boarder and there is a lot gorilla trekking done in Nkuringo
Ruhinja sector: It is found in the newest district of Rukiga originally Kabale district. It is as well easily accessed from Kigali
Buhoma sector: this sector is found Kanungu district, Kihiihi, and it is the oldest gorilla trekking sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Many tour operators and tourists choose Rushaga sector as the best sector for gorilla trekking because it has many habituated gorilla families.
The distance walked during gorilla trekking can take up to more than 8 miles which is may be 3 hours which means you spend like 6 to 9 hours to find most of the gorillas .Visitors usually set off at 8 am in the morning and get back at 3 pm or 4 pm however for a normal gorilla trekking, visitors can spend all day it depends on the nature of the day ,the movement and the location of gorillas through the forests . The gorilla trekking also depends on the weather, its always hectic during the rainy season and it takes longer because it is always steepy, muddy and so this makes the gorilla trekking harder and longer than it could have been.
The best time for gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable national park is in the drier months of January, February, June and early September. During the dry season it easy to trek through the park and give a clearer view of gorillas given that some vegetation is dry and it doesn’t cover gorillas and so they are easily seen.
What visitors/travellers are expected to pack during gorilla trekking : travellers are required to be comfortable , hard wearing, pair of walking shoes or boots .there are uphill sections which may be steep and muddy .It is advisable to wear ling sleeved cotton shirt and light weight long trousers to protect yourself stinging nettles and biting ants .other items to pack for Gorilla trekking are insect repellent ,wipes, water bottles, cameras, lenses, rain jackets, sweater ,swimwear ,binoculars ,sandals among others .
Costs of gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forests:
800USD each person for foreign non residents
700 USD foreign residents
500 USD for Africans
300,000 each East African citizen
Gorilla trekking is also done at Mgahinga national park. The Mgahinga national park boasts over 100 endangered mountain gorillas’ families basically Nyakagezi and Hirwa .it is located in Kisoro. the gorilla trekking is carried out throughout the year. and gorilla trekking is basically done Virunga mountains. It has a total of 80 gorillas habituated there. Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga is the main activity in this national park
Visitors /travellers move on foot in search of habituated gorillas and once found they spends with them one hour in their natural habitat
Gorilla trekking starts early in the morning at the headquarters with briefing from the guide telling the rules and regulations plus what is expected of visitors /travellers. After the briefing trekking is kicked off in the jungle with the guide who is knowledgeable about mountain gorillas. trekking usually takes about 30 minutes to 7 or 8 hours, they spend time with gorillas, know about their behaviours like breastfeeding, feeding, playing take photos and videos. Ater this gorilla trekking experience visitors are awarded certificates that approves their participation.
Gorilla trekking at Mgahinga national park can be done however, the best time for gorilla trekking are drier months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February. During the dry season the roads are accessible and gorilla trekking trails are passable compared to the wet season when the trekking trails are muddy and slippery
. Travellers /tourists who plan a tour to Mgahinga national packs are expected to pack items like insect repellent, hiking boots, long sleeved shirt, water proof rain jacket, warm sweater and other extra things of their choices.
Costs of gorilla trekking at Mgahinga national park
Gorilla trekking permits at Mgahinga national park can be booked direct from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. A single gorilla trekking permit in Mgahinga national park USD 800 for foreign non residents, USD 700 for foreign residents and 300,000 Uganda shillings for East African citizens.
Bwindi Impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national park
Bwindi has 19 habituated gorilla family which means 152 gorilla trekking permits are available daily while Mgahinga national park has 1 family of gorilla which means only 8 gorilla permits are available daily
Bwindi is the only park in East Africa where tourists can trek both chimpanzees and mountain gorillas whereas Mgahinga national park, visitors trek both mountain gorillas and golden monkeys.
Both parks have other activities besides gorilla trekking for example they have wild viewing, birding, nature encounters and many others.
In conclusion both Bwindi impenetrable and Mgahinga national parks are worth destinations for anyone on Ugandan Safari, however Bwindi Impenetrable has many varieties of gorillas which makes it more stunning and interesting in terms of gorilla trekking experience.
