Majority of tourists visiting the African Continent always wish to add gorilla trekking in their bucket list although it sometimes becomes impossible for some reasons such as budget limitation. What makes gorilla trekking unique? This is one of the frequently asked questions by safari enthusiasts. There are several undisputable factors that make gorilla trekking unique and they include;
Firstly, what makes Gorilla Trekking unique is the fact that this extraordinary activity is conducted within only three African countries-Uganda with two gorilla trekking destinations including Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga National Park, Rwanda with Volcanoes National Park as well as Democratic Republic of Congo where it is conducted within Virunga National Park. There are currently less than 2000 mountain gorillas in the wild with almost half of them being in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the rest in the remaining three National Parks. Unlike Gorilla trekking, other tourist activities especially game viewing or nature walks can be undertaken in most African tourist destinations such as South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, Rwanda and even Uganda. Unlike other tourist activities that can be experienced from zoos, Gorilla trekking can only be conducted from the mentioned mountainous areas with altitude of between 2200 and 4300 meters above sea level.
Trekking the mountain gorillas usually requires physical fitness because mountain gorillas occupy areas of high elevations. After1-4 hours, the habituated gorilla family will be finally encountered but interestingly, other animals can be seen during the trek.
The process of hiking through the thick jungles of Bwindi, Mgahinga, Virunga and Volcanoes National Parks to find the endangered mountain gorillas also allows trekkers to experience nature closely and also encounter other residents of the jungles especially birds, other primates (like Chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoests monkeys, blue monkeys as well as red-tailed monkeys among others) and other wildlife species such as elephants, buffaloes and bushbucks that can still be spotted during other activities especially game drives.
Another uniqueness of gorilla trekking is that it involves tourists enjoying closer encounter with the giant apes in their natural environment. Unlike game viewing that is conducted by vehicle and tourists cannot have closer encounter with wildlife-lions, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, hippos and warthogs, trekkers can interact closely with the mountain gorillas. With gorilla trekking, you have to maintain a distance of 7 meters away from the mountain gorillas when watching them but you cannot even be 10 meters away from lions before they ambush.
What even makes gorilla trekking more unique is the fact that is conducted once a day. Other tourist activities such as game drives, birding, boat cruises and nature walks can be conducted several times and begin at any time of the day. This is different with gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo where the adventure starts only in the morning and is done only once per day.
Similarly, gorilla trekking is limited by number of tourists and time (One hour per day). Only 8 tourists can track a habituated gorilla group per day. There are currently 10 habituated gorilla groups in Volcanoes National Park hence 80 permits for 80 persons are available per day.
However with other tourist activities especially game drives and nature walks, they are not limited by number. Also, trekkers are allowed to spend strictly one hour with the gorilla group to avoid possibility of behavioral changes which is not the case with other wildlife species. For tourists to be allowed to track the mountain gorillas, they have to be 15 years and above but other activities such as game drives can be undertaken by tourists of as low as 6 years old.
In conclusion, Gorilla trekking is a unique adventure given the fact that it is found in only three African countries, is limited by age, time and physical fitness. If gorilla trekking is one of your bucket list activities, visit Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga National Parks, DRC’s Virunga National Park or Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park for unforgettable gorilla experience.
Rwanda gorilla safari tour
Uganda safari tours
uGANDA GORILLA TREKKING TOURS
