Gorilla trekking on your bucket list trip to Africa, are you planning a trip to Africa, gorilla trekking is surreal and unlike any other experience on any Africa safari because of the atmosphere while trekking through the jungle mist of Africa is unreal, in gorilla trekking each step your anticipation builds and the reward of seeing the last remaining mountain gorillas in its natural habitat of African jungles?
gorilla trekking experience this is to say getting opportunity see mountain gorillas in the wild are incredible and it’s worth the high cost to see them in their natural habitat jungles in Africa, adding gorilla trekking on your bucket list trip to Africa is easy just contact our expert we will help you to tailor your African trip to see the largest population of mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.
Gorilla trekking in Africa involves hiking through the thick jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park which is home to the largest mountain gorilla population in the world.
Where to find mountain gorillas In Africa?
Mountain gorillas can only be found in only three African countries are Uganda, Rwanda, and DR-Congo, if you choose to trek in Uganda mountain gorillas can be seen in both Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park which a home to 60% of the total mountain gorillas left in the world and in Mgahinga gorilla national park where you can see both mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in one park, for those choose Rwanda you can find mountain gorillas in Volcanoes national park while those who wish to go to DR-Congo gorillas are found in Virunga national park but because of insecurity in this part of Congo at the moment we are not recommending people to trek gorillas in Congo, the only safe places to see mountain gorillas is in Uganda and Rwanda if you ever need any other information to help you in planning your African trip to see mountain gorillas just contact us on email or the phone number on this website.
Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable forest is the most popular place to trek the gorillas in Africa, Bwindi forest is located in the Southwestern part of Uganda and is one of the most diverse in East Africa
What time does gorilla trekking start?
Gorilla trekking starts at 7:30 with gorilla briefing at the meeting point where all tourists meet for a general briefing from park ranger/guides about the dos and dots while you are with gorillas, after briefing you will be divided into groups assigned to the different fully habituated gorilla families/groups. Each habituated gorilla family is trekked by only 8 people per day so that not to overwhelm the gorillas.
Some gorilla families trekking starts from the park headquarters, while others you will have to drive for few minutes to the starting point, once you reach the starting point, you park the car and start walking into the forest following your ranger/guide through the thick of the impenetrable forest up and down in the rolling hills of Bwindi Forest.
How Long does gorilla trekking take?
Gorilla trekking can take anywhere between one to seven hours depending on the movement of the gorilla family on that day, mountain gorillas are wild animals so trackers have to locate them each day, so gorilla trekking time depends on their movement on the day of trekking. Visitors wishing to see mountain gorillas must be physically fit to allow you a decent shape and health a gorilla trekking in Africa to make it more enjoyable.
For the people who are not physically fit you don’t have to worry you can still make it with the help of porters so at Kisoro tours we highly recommend hiring local porters, these porters come from local communities’ villages surrounding the national parks where these gorillas leave. The cost of hiring a porter range from $15 to $20.
Is it true that mountain gorillas are like humans?
Mountain gorillas share about 98% DNA with humans and they can highly suspectable to human diseases so humans are advised to keep 10 meters from the gorillas unless they come by themselves because you don’t have to ran when they come to you
Mountain gorillas also live in the family setting of that humans so while you are with them you may not feel like you are in danger when you are with mighty mountain gorillas when you finally meet the gorillas you may feel as if you had wandered into a foreign home as you observe the father, mothers, and children as mind their daily business.
What is the population of mountain gorillas in the World?
The 2019 mountain gorilla census indicates that the current global wild population of mountain gorillas is at 1,063 when combined Uganda Rwanda and DR-Congo, in December 2019 the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, non-profits, and conservationists announced the final results of a census of a population of mountain gorillas that are still living in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and in the Virunga mountain range which is shared by three countries Rwanda, Uganda and Congo. The results show that the mountain gorilla population there has increased from 880 individuals in the 2011 census to 1,063 individuals in the 2019 census so the good news is that besides the different challenges the numbers of mountain gorillas is slowly rising
Cost of gorilla trekking in Africa?
Each country has its gorilla permit price, for example in Uganda gorilla permits cost $700 per person, in Rwanda gorilla permits, cost $1500 per person while in DR-Congo gorilla permits cost $500. Congo has the cheapest permit but because of different civil wars at the moment we don’t recommend gorilla trekking there at the moment only safe gorilla trekking destination is Uganda and Rwanda.
How to acquire a gorilla permit in Africa-how to purchase a gorilla trekking permit
The easiest way to acquire gorilla trekking permits in Uganda is to go with a local operator. A packaged deal that includes your lodging, transport, food, and permits will save you a lot of time and headache when booking. However, it is possible to do the trek by yourself if you have your own transport or take a local Ugandan bus and can get to Bwindi.
All visitors are advised to buy their gorilla permits in advance, this is to say that you cannot just show up at the park without trekking permit thinking you will be allowed to pay on the arrival at the park and see the gorillas because there is a limit on the number of gorilla permits issued per day and during peak season it can get busy so book your permit between 6 months to a year in advance to avoid disappointment.
For easy and convenience, it is recommended to add gorilla trekking to your bucket list trip to Africa through a local safari company like us Kisoro Tours Uganda to do all your bookings for you.
