Category: Advice

The moment you mention Rwanda or Uganda, many people’s minds rush to the endangered mountain gorillas. It is true with no doubt, gorilla tracking is the most sought after adventurous safari done in these two African countries. Every year these two countries attract a huge number of travelers all over the world who live their beautiful offices and homes and come and spend some quality time with these endangered apes deep into the forest.

In Rwanda mountain gorillas are hosted  in Volcanoes national park which is located in the northern part of the country.

In Uganda the endangered apes are housed in two national parks; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park . Both parks are located in the south western part of Uganda. Gorilla tracking is regarded as one of the most interesting safari activities one should not love to miss, although sometimes it’s too demanding since it involves passing through the thick and sometimes muddy forest. Many tourists taking gorilla safaris in Uganda are very eager to know how long it takes during the process of gorilla tracking.

The time taken during the search of gorillas is one of the most asked questions by gorilla trekkers. Answering this question is not easy because it involves a lot of variables. The gorilla tracking process can be divided into two stages; the first stage is that one which begins from the lodge to the park headquarters. It involves early wake-up from the lodge and then after a cup of tea/coffee, you will be driven to the park headquarters to receive short briefings from the park wardens/seniors ranger guide. This process can be well predictable and it’s generally quite flat and light. Depending on where you slept the previous night, you can easily drive from the lodge to the park; it’s just about 30 to 1hr drive from most of the lodges especially those outside the park although it’s sometimes depends on the speed of the driver and the road condition. During the dry season one can easily drive from the lodge to the park compared to the rainy season which is characterized with tough roads.

The 2^nd stage of gorilla tracking is regarded unpredictable and the toughest stage! It involves moving from the park headquarters/park boundary here you are escorted by the park ranger guide deep into the forest and each group involves only eight members. This stage involves moving deep in to the forest to begin the search of gorillas. This stage is unpredictable since gorillas are wild animals. They move freely in their natural habitat so the time taken to meet them can’t be predictable. There are some gorilla families which can be seen easily compared to others. The toughness of this second phase is determined by very many factors including; the weather condition and food location, in that during the rainy seasons, the roads and gorilla paths becomes muddy hence making it very difficult to traverse making the all process of gorilla tracking very difficult and also the food location when there is no food in the forest, the gorillas tend to feed very far making it very difficult to meet them this especially during the dry season.

The physical condition of the gorilla trekkers and the age also determines the toughness of the trek. Less physically fit and old trekkers are assigned to easy to find gorilla families and the young or physically strong are assigned to tough gorilla families although it’s not a guarantee the one seems to be easy to find gorilla families may turn to be difficult and vice versa. In Rwanda the susa gorilla families are known as the tough and difficult to find gorilla families, this group is always assigned to people of below 40 years and those who are physically fit whereas the Sabyinyo gorilla family is known as Rwanda’s easy to find gorilla families and its known as a reliably straight forward to reach group compared to any other Rwanda gorilla family, within 2 hours the gorillas can be seen and by 1pm you are out of the forest. In Rwanda the group allocation is always determined on the date of gorilla tracking this means no one is ascertain to which gorilla family to track in advance. The Ranger guide can assist the trekkers to negotiate with the park wardens/senior ranger guide to assign the trackers to the most suitable group in line to their age, Physical fitness, and interest.

Before heading into the forest to track the endangered mountain gorillas, please note the following

• don’t forget to put on sturdy pair of walking shoes/boots,
• Carry bottled water and sometimes packed food,
• A walking stick is essential and most of the time provided it is provided to you at the park headquarters/ at the lodge
• Carry a bag and it’s much better if it’s water proofed
• Carry a jacket or a rain jacket since tracking is done in the tropical rain forest it can rain at any time,
• Other important things to carry include sun glass, a hat, gloves.

In case you need a porter, you can hire one from the park headquarters, they help to carry your luggage, and in case you feel tired he can help to carry you. Hiring a porter is not a sign of exploitation, it’s just a way how they can earn a living from foreigners and the money they get help to look after their families and pay fees to their children.

For those who have ever watched the 1988 film “Gorillas in the Mist” you realize that watching it alone doesn’t help and the best is for you to hit the jungles of Rwanda to search for these rare creatures. Mountain gorillas thrive in only Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and they remain not more than 1004 individuals. To get the best of magical encounters with these dramatic creatures while on Rwanda safari, a number of tips need to put into considerations. They include;

1. Get a gorilla permit early enough

To trek to see a group of mountain gorillas in Rwanda, you need a gorilla permit. It is a gorilla permit that allows you to trek one habituated gorilla family in Volcanoes National Park. You can obtain your permit through a ground tour operator or reservationist at Rwanda Development Board (RDB). To obtain one, you need $1500 and interested visitors are always advised to book for their permits early enough at least 3 months or even year before the actual trek.

2. Always be prepared for any kind of weather

Volcanoes National Park mainly features tropical rainforest and given the kind of habitat where these creatures live, you have to expect it to rain at any time of the day. This means the ground can become muddy, slippery and you will need good waterproof hiking boots, rain jacket or poncho,

3. Have food/energy giving snacks and water

Please, note most national parks don’t have shops like it is a case with urban areas. This means that you have pack all that you need and that will last your stay at the park. You can have some dried fruits, nuts or trail mix to help you boost energy so that you make a complete hike. As well, don’t forget to have adequate drinking water.

4. Visit during the dry season

While gorilla trekking is regarded as an all year round adventure on the other hand the dry season is regarded as the most ideal time to track gorillas. This season is characterized by low rainfall and the gorilla habitat remains relatively drier making it easier for one to hike through the thick rainforest and steep slopes while in search for these beautiful creatures. The dry season always starts from June to September and then December to February.

5. Respect gorillas

During briefing, one of the most important safety measures you have to take note is maintaining a distance of about 8 meters at all times away from gorillas. Note, humans are more like intruders in these creatures’ habitat and this means that they deserve total respect and maximum relaxing environment.

6. Be realistic about your physical fitness

Gorilla trekking is a strenuous adventure and for visitors on Rwanda safari, you need to be physically well to be able to hike through the dense rainforest and steep slopes. These creatures thrive between altitude of 1500 and 3000 meters and this requires some physical wellness. Treks can last you about 4 to 8 hours depending on your physical fitness level, nature of habitat and location of gorillas.

7. Conduct research

Spending some time on internet isn’t bad but just for your own benefit. Therefore, do conduct some research on which gorilla family to trek in Rwanda. Remember each gorilla family rewards travel endeavors with unique experiences and history. Some of them can be strenuous to hike while others are easy to hike.

8. Hire porter to help carry your heavy luggage

In case you have heavy luggage, don’t stress yourself the fact that you will be heading off for a strenuous adventure. There are porters for hire at the park headquarters to help you carry the luggage then you can only concentrate on you thrilling adventure. Porters can be hired at $10 and $15 depending on how heavy your luggage is.

9. Observe the set rules and regulations

There are many set measures that you have to follow while on gorilla trek. They will be briefed to you before you hit the jungles to search for your gorilla family. They include-only 8 visitors are allowed to track 1 habituated family, a distance of 8 meters should be maintained at all times away from gorilla, keep your voices low but do ask as many questions as possible, no flashlight is allowed when taking photos, only persons above 15 years are allowed to take part in this lovely adventure among others that will be briefed to you at the park headquarters.

10. Use Your Hour with the Gorillas Well

During the gorilla trek, you have up to one hour to be in the company of the mountain gorillas. You should use this hour well. Take enough photographs that you can keep for your memorable visit. Also use this time to ask any questions about you would like to know about the great apes and their habitat.

Mountain gorillas are incredibly the most spectacular and the most sought after creatures. Worldwide, you can spot them in only the three countries-Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Currently, there are fewer than 1065 mountain gorillas that are still living in the world and visitors can only track them in any of the four national parks that are situated in the heart of Africa.

In Uganda, visitors have only two choices to track these spectacular Apes in the wild and nowhere else except the misty valleys of Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga National Park-Southwest. Uganda is proud to be a home to about 480 rare mountain gorillas which represent half of the world’s gorillas. In Rwanda, mountain gorilla trekking takes place in the Volcanoes National Park which represents a third of the mountain gorillas at Virunga Massif while a quarter of them are also inhabited within the Virunga National Park in DRC.

Obtaining a gorilla permit is a must if you are to track mountain gorillas in Africa. In Uganda, gorilla permits are obtainable at $800 for foreign non residents, $700 for foreign residents and shs.300000 for East African residents. To spend more hours with these creatures, the best for you is to embark on Mountain gorilla Habituation Experience which is done in only Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the two gorilla groups (Bikingi and Bushaho gorilla families). The gorilla permits for this dramatic experience are obtainable at $1500 for foreign non residents, $1000 for foreign residents and shs.750000 for East African residents. There is no need to mind about the cost but what is important is that you will have the whole day and all the 4 hours of face to face interaction with these fascinating primates in their natural habitat.

You can obtain a permit in two ways first-directly from reservation department at Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). UWA manages all the 10 national parks in Uganda and the headquarters is based in Kampala. The other option is directly from trusted and authentic tour agents (operators). If you wish to book direct from UWA, you ought to contact the reservation’s office by emailing them to inquire more on available dates that you wish to go for a trek. You should also know that traveling from Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is an all day safari which will require you to take a 3 day safari.

In case, the exact dates that you wish to go and track the mountain gorillas are not there, then you can request UWA management to make you aware of the next possible dates and they will do it for you. After, you will be required to reply to UWA expressing your interest to reserve the permit(s) and requesting them to abruptly keep the permits as you arrange the payment. They will therefore advise you on their banking details, where you will go on to make an electric transfer of the money. You will also need to send a copy of the transaction receipt by email or fax to UWA. Money transfer in most cases takes less than three days and UWA will maintain your tentative reservation for a period of about seven days as they wait for the transfer to go through. Make sure you also inform the bank to remove the bank charges from you to avoid sending less of what you are supposed to pay for the permits otherwise they may not reserve for you the permit.

Secondly Through Ground Tour operator

Tour operators obtain gorilla permits from UWA and visitors purchase them without necessarily going through UWA. This year, UWA has set aside 80% of gorilla permits to be only sold to local tour operators. Most Uganda gorilla tours are sold as fully inclusive and within peak months, getting a gorilla permit may be a hurdle! If booking a gorilla permit by yourself is a bit challenging, the best option is to contact the authorized tour operators in Uganda for assistance with the gorilla permit booking. The process is a bit faster for visitors to obtain their permits through tour operators though there might be an administrative fee of USD20 to USD50 that you can pay as an extra to get your booking in order. You will need to send your passport details, nationality and your full names to help the tour agent register your gorilla permits. After visitors must travel in person to get their gorilla permits in Kampala or Entebbe and this should be at least a day prior the gorilla trekking date.

It is also important for you to understand that Uganda’s tour operators through Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) almost purchase up to 80% of the available gorilla permits at up to two years out from the intended period of gorilla tracking. Every member in most cases obtains up to 20 gorilla permits in any month and a deposit of 30% is payable on every permit reserved while the balance will be payable 3 months time from the month of gorilla trekking by the first working day of the month.

Gorilla trekking is one of the best wildlife safari experiences in the world. To many wildlife lovers, gorilla trekking is on top on their bucket list! A large number of travelers travel to East and Central Africa majorly to see the gorillas – meeting gorillas in their natural habitat is a life changing event!

Top Destinations

There are a few destinations where travelers can go gorilla trekking in Africa.

In Africa, you can do gorilla trekking in Nigeria, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, Central African republic among others.

Some people believe that dying before encountering gorillas is like treason case.

The Virunga Region

It is noted by many travelers that enjoy gorilla safaris to the Virunga region is the best option among all!!

The Virunga Region combines Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park and Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park.  Gorilla trekking is Virunga Region rewards the trekkers with wonderful view of the Virunga Mountains which include Karisoke Volcano, Karisimbi Volcano, Mikeno Volcano, Nyiragongo Volcano, Nyamuragira Volcano, Gahinga Volcano among others.

Below are the benefits/ skills obtained from Gorilla trekking:

The exercise done or the walk to meet gorillas, reward trekkers physical fitness .The trek involves moving through slippery trails, crossing rivers, climb hills among others.

Each gorilla group is visited by the maximum of eight people under the guidance of ranger guides. There is a sense of team work created – the group work together for the common goal of meeting Gorillas.

Trekkers obtain skills of photographing – it is a big mistake to trek gorillas without a camera, this is a life time event and you need to return back home with evidences of the exercise/ experience.  As you take many photos of Gorillas, you gain more skills on how to take clear photos.

Climbing hills and sloping into valleys while trekking Gorillas is an initial practice for serious mountaineering. The exercise prepares you for future mountain climbing exercise.

Trekkers gain techniques of answering questions – rangers are readily available to answer all the questions asked by trekkers. The more questions you ask, the more knowledgeable you become and the more questioning skills you gain.

Trekkers gain observation skills – as you look at the gorilla critically, you slowly learn how to observe things and make reasonable analysis.

As you grasp information about gorillas (information given by ranger guides) – you learn more about their behaviors, feeding habits, how they sleep, how they defend them selves among others. The information can be used by bloggers to promote their websites hence promoting business.