Gorilla trekking
Gorilla trekking is a tourist activity where tourists hike or walk distances through thick tropical rainforests to spot the incredible Gorillas. It is done with the supervision of an experienced ranger guide.
In Uganda, Mountain gorillas are in Bwindi National Park, home to about 469 gorillas, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. In Africa mountain gorillas are only in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is in the southwestern part of Uganda in the Kanungu district. It was gazetted in 1991 marking the Mubare group as the first habituated gorilla Family in 1993. According to the 2018 World Census, there are 1,000 mountain gorillas in the world, and Uganda has 50% of that total population.
Gorilla trekking Sectors
The park is divided into four sectors Nkuringo, Buhoma in the north, Rushaga in the south, and Ruhija in the east.
Nkuringo Sector has the Nkuringo Gorilla group. The sector has several lodges like, Nkirungo gorilla camp, Clouds Mountain gorilla lodge, Chameleon hill camp, and Nshogi camp where you can reside during your gorilla tour.
Buhoma Sector is in the northern part of the National Park. It is the most popular for trekkers. It has different gorilla Families including the Habinyanja group, Mubare group, Rushegura group, and Nkuringo gorilla group.
Rushaga sector is in the southern part of the park. It has gorilla Families like the Mishaya family, the Nshongi gorilla group, the Bweza family group, and the Kahungye family.
Ruhija sector is in the eastern part of the park. It harbors the Bitukura group of gorillas. It was named after a river in which they were first spotted and it has 12 members.
Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park
Another exciting gorilla trekking destination in Uganda that will make you enjoy this awesome experience. Mgahinga is the smallest national park in Uganda, It covers an area of 33 square kilometers it sits on a high altitude of 4,127m in the Kisoro district in the southwestern part of Uganda.
The park is said to have been founded in 1991 to help protect the endangered mountain gorillas. This park has one gorilla family called the Nyakagyezi family which is open to tourists. This group in recent years used to move from Congo and Rwanda but now has settled in Uganda for more than three (3) years.
Mgahinga has beautiful scenery with three extinct volcanoes Mount Sabinyo, Muhavura, and Gahinga and all these have their slopes in the park. In this environment, the mountain gorillas receive shelter and enough food and water shared by other wildlife like the Golden Monkeys which are only found in this park in Uganda. You can book a permit for gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park from wildlife authority offices in Kampala or at Ntebeko which is the park’s headquarters.
Gorilla Trekking activity.
Gorilla trekking is an exciting activity that should not be missed when you visit Uganda. To do the gorilla trekking a gorilla permit is usually issued to the tourists. Gorilla trekking starts in the morning when the ranger guides offer a briefing about the rules of gorilla trekking, After that, you are divided into small groups and told the specific mountain gorilla family you will be trekking. The groups will then go into the forests with the supervision of the park ranger guides following the gorilla family based on its known location.
The trekking usually lasts from 30 minutes to 3 quarters of the day, when you finally meet the mountain gorilla family, you will then be given 1 hour to interact with the gorillas by taking photos or recording some videos of the gorillas. you can also ask any questions to the ranger guides about anything you would like to know about these animals.
Starting Points for Gorilla Trekking
As you embark on gorilla trekking, there will be a certain point you will start from depending on the gorilla group or family that you are assigned to. There is an option of starting the trek from the headquarters of specific sectors in the park, another option is to drive straight to the forests to get a starting point of trekking.
The Dos and Don’ts while tracking the Gorillas.
Gorilla trekking is fun. However, It should be noted that while on this walk, tourists should not walk closer than 7 meters to the gorillas because sometimes they can be aggressive and are considered to be susceptible to human diseases. Therefore, trekkers have to be careful.
While taking photographs of the gorillas, it is advisable to avoid using a camera Flash because that flashlight can easily irritate the gorillas and might turn out to be aggressive.
Tourists are also not allowed to touch the gorillas, especially the infants since their mothers are usually defensive.
Generally, Gorillas are gentle and shy species. They only get defensive if they feel threatened by their surroundings. Tourists should follow the guidelines to enjoy their trip.
When to carry out gorilla trekking in Uganda
Wondering the best time to carry out gorilla trekking, well The good news is you can carry out this adventure throughout the year, however, it will be more convenient if you do it in the dry seasons of January-February, and May-September. This is because the forests won’t be muddy since there will be no rain in this season, and this will lead to a more comfortable experience for the trekkers.
Cost of A gorilla Permit
The permit for gorilla trekking in Uganda will cost $700 per person for Foreign Non-Residents, $600 for Foreign residents, and 250,000 for Ugandan citizens. For a habituation experience where you can spend 4 hours with the gorillas, the cost is $1500 per person, and then 750,000shs for Ugandan citizens. The habituation experience is limited to only 4 people only.
You can arrange for the gorilla permit through a local operator if you wish to carry out the gorilla trekking, You can use Pakasa tours and Safaris to acquire a gorilla permit.
What to Carry on the gorilla trekking Day
For this exciting activity, you need to be as comfortable as possible, as you go gorilla trekking, Carry lightweight and waterproof safari clothes and long-sleeved shirts due to the moist nature in the forests, insect repellents, a camera for photos and videos as well as a back bag. Walking sticks are required for easy penetration into the forest. They are provided by the local operators either at the campsite or lodges.
Accommodation in Mgahinga National Park
The park has several accommodation facilities like hotels, lodges, and campsites offering budget, midrange, and luxury rooms in Kisoro, Ntebeko, and Lake Mutanda. They include Mount Gahinga Lodge, Chameleon Lodge, Amajambere Iwacu Camp, Nkuringo Safari Lodge, Traveler’s Nest Hotel, and more.
Mgahinga National Park can be accessed by either air or road transport. Traveling by road will take you about 9 to 10 hours from Kampala using the Entebbe via Masaka-Mbarara- Kabale- Kisoro. And by air, It takes approximately 1.5 hours. you can use a charter flight with Aero Link Uganda to Kisoro airstrip from Entebbe and then connect to the park’s headquarters.