Going on a gorilla safari in Uganda ? Here is what to expect.
Trekking to view a gorilla group in their natural habitat in Uganda is best described as magical experience of a life time. Mountain gorillas are Africa’s and second largest apes in the world. In Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are the two options for you to realize your dreams in the wild. Over half of these critically endangered primates all call Uganda their home. The parks are located in the misty valleys of Kabale Southwestern Uganda at the border to Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Usually, the actual trek begins at designated briefing points and there are four main trail heads in Bwindi-Buhoma sector, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo sector where trekking begins from, each of these tracking areas feature gorilla groups. The early morning briefing begins at 7:00am and the actual trek starts at 8:00am. Mountain gorillas are our second closest living relatives in the wild that share about 98% of their DNA with humans. For visitors who want to strike their imaginations with these fascinating apes, the best time to visit Uganda is usually in a dry season also known as the peak season in Uganda and starts from June to September and from December to February. For those who want to visit during the low season, they can travel in months of March, April, May and November.
Below is what you should expect on your gorilla trek in Uganda.
You will be divided into small groups of a maximum of eight persons per group to trek one habituated gorilla family. There are about 12 habituated gorilla groups in Uganda but only one will be allocated to you to track. Gorilla families are assigned based on visitors’ physical fitness and age and given that there is no one who knows about your fitness, it is advisable that you communicate in advance such the park management allocates you less demanding families to track.
Concerning the length of trek, the tour guides may not know the length of the trek since these apes keep roaming around the forest. These large apes live in higher altitude of about 2500 meters and this means, your trek can take about 2 to 8 hours and you have to be physically well and be prepared with adequate food and water. Though people don’t like long hike, those who encounter this get rewarded with stunning sceneries of the park and by the time you meet a huge silverback gorilla, that will be a magical encounter in your life. Given the fact that these species are wild animals what may seem easy to find may not necessarily be the case as they keep roaming looking for food and this may not guarantee a 100% to find and even those who choose to track the challenging groups may also track these apes easily and at the end of the day, the whole experience becomes unpredictable and amazing. If you are not sure of your fitness level, you are advised to hire a porter around the park which costs about $15 to $20. The porter will help you carry the heavy luggage and you only concentrate on looking for these charismatic creatures.
Gorilla trekking doesn’t come that cheaply, trekking permits in Uganda cost $600 per visitor and when you report at the park headquarters, on your trek, you will required to present your passport and gorilla permit for verification to certain if you are the right owner of the permit. This is a moment that you have to be really prepared with your packed lunch since the trekking time to see these primates in the wild is uncertain. You are advised to book your permit in advance at least four months before the actual trek.
What to wear
You will need rain jacket, waterproof hiking boots but they should be light weight, backpack, gardening gloves, rain pants, long socks, insect repellents, hat, sun glasses, water proof bag, snacks and bottle of drinking water.
Each gorilla trekking group is assigned tour guide and escorts who carry AK-47 guns, one will be in front and one behind. This shouldn’t scare much because this is for your safety in the forest against forest elephants or irritated gorillas. These guards are well trained to scare shot but it rarely happens in the gorilla habitat. There will also be a group of trackers who are always sent to the forest early in the morning to ascertain where the gorillas are found before the next group of visitors is set off to track them.
While with the mountain gorilla in the wild, you have only one hour to explore the behavior of these beautiful apes. You will be required to maintain a distance of about 7 to 8 meters while on a face to face encounter with gorillas. It is not bad for you to stare at these apes directly but the challenge comes in when they become irritated, here you need to stand still but lower your eyes to show that you have submissive. Photographing these apes is everyone’s dream but flash cameras are not recommended and if you happen to have one, it is advisable that you turn off the flashlight while taking your photos. Gorilla trek involves hiking through thick tropical rain forests and steep slopes but there are trackers to help you clear the vegetation using their machetes and the process will also make up part of your experience.
In conclusion, gorilla trekking has become one of the most sought after and breathtaking adventure. For visitors who are planning to par take this life changing adventure, you need to be physically fit to be able to hike through the jungles and steep slopes of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.