Gorilla trekking is an adventurous activity as well as the practice of simply delving into the jungles in search for the mountain gorillas and upon meeting them, a ton of activities kick off to mention interaction photography, study and many more . Mountain gorillas are one of the two sub species of the great eastern gorillas deemed as endangered by IUCN in the year 2018. Gorilla trekking/ gorilla tracking is practiced in three countries namely Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. In Uganda the activity of gorilla trekking / Uganda gorilla trekking is conducted in two destinations name bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park which happens to be park of the greater virunga area that spans Congo and Rwanda. in Rwanda gorilla trekking/ rwanda gorilla trekking is carried in Volcanoes national park Rwanda/ parc national des volcans and in congo gorilla trekking/ congo gorilla tracking is conducted in Virunga national park and Kahuzi biega national park which harbors eastern lowland gorillas.
The exact time when gorilla trekking first kicked off at the different corresponding destinations is not known but the activity inception can only be tagged to the years of opening of the various national parks where the thrilling gorilla tours is practiced. Before we y’all get charmed up about this breathtaking excursion , tons of questions presumably frequently asked questions have to answered and then and only then can one gain full awareness of what gorilla trekking and thus plan on doing a gorilla safari/ gorilla tour.
Below are some of the multiplicities of question and answers encompassing gorilla trekking as high end activity or simply call it an exotic safari activity.
Why is gorilla trekking such a big?
Big question right? lets imagine there is only one place in the world and there is this charming primates , not only charming but they hold a record of being the world’s largest primates. If them being such magnificent is not enough, how about there presence on earth is being threatened to extinction. Then the way of having a glimpse or not an experience them involves hiking through the dense scenic jungles filled wildlife that apparently cant be traced anywhere in the world. How about their existence only being confined in only place of the world (the great virunga massif area covering Uganda,Rwanda and Congo. That alone dis enough to make gorilla trekking such a thrilling must to do adventure.
what is gorilla habituation?
Gorilla habituation unlike gorilla trekking as mentioned above is a new thrilling adventure introduced in the year 2014 by Uganda wildlife authority, a body responsible for wildlife in Uganda. It is a practice of making wild gorillas get used to human presence there by enabling them being able to be tracked by the gorilla trekkers. the practice can take between 1 to 4 years until the gorilla family have adhered to the presence of humans around them.
is there gorilla trekking age limit?
Before the corresponding bodies responsible for gorilla trekking kicked off with the activity ie Uganda wildlife Authority for Uganda, Rwanda development board for Rwanda and Visit Virunga for Congo . the y have to establish parameters for the gorilla tracking experience. One of them was determine right age for doing gorilla tracking. Uganda’s authorities made 15 years as the age limit and the same applies to Rwanda and Congo. so the yes the gorilla trekking age limit is 15 years of age.
What is the procedure for gorilla trekking?
For one to enjoy the thrilling adventure of gorilla trekking, he/ she has to undergo certain procedures. First one ought to acquire gorilla trekking permits from the relevant authorities i.e. Uganda wildlife Authority for the case of Uganda, Rwanda development board for the Rwanda and visit virunga for Democratic Republic of Congo. Alternatively one can as well acquire gorilla trekking permits from a trusted tour operator like achieve global safaris. The next step is arranging for transportation to the respective gorilla trekking national park you opt to trek from, of course the entire process can still be conducted / planned by a tour operators as mentioned above. And lastly when the tracking time comes, one heads to the briefing point/ the park headquarters for gorilla trekking briefing about the do’s and don’ts. Finally it climaxed with a delve into the jungles searching for gentle giants (gorillas).
How long is gorilla trekking in the jungles?
The question of the longevity of the gorilla trekking in the jungles has always been asked by many. But gorilla trekking itself still remains a fascination and the time depends on many factors, it could take any time from 50 minutes to 6 hours. Some of the factors that affect the gorilla trekking time include: the gorilla family you have been assigned to track from, some families are highly mobile therefore move from place to another hence taking longer hours to trek. Another factor is the nature of the terrain the trekking sector has, of course all the sectors are hilly but some are steeper than others thereby rendering the more strenuous to hike to reach the gorillas.
What is the best time do gorilla trekking?
Gorillas can be trekked pretty much all year round, but in every adventurous thing has to be that peak where all conditions seem favourable. For gorilla trekking the most favourable season is the drier season unlike the wet season where rains literally make it impossible for trek as the grounds are so slippery making the hikes difficult for the gorilla trekkers. If one intends to do the trekking in the less rainy months, it has to the month of January February, June, July, August, September and December. Of course we can’t refute the fact that the jungle remains a jungle there for there is possibility of having rains any time which somebody has got to prepare for.
what are the changes of seeing gorillas?
well the questions has pretty much been asked by literally every one going to do gorillas trekking. The honest answer is that the , the changes for seeing the giant gentle is 99%. the gorilla trekking excise in Uganda, rwanda and Congo is carried out is a very careful manner in that the rangers leave for the jungles very early in the morning to establish where the gorillas have spent the previous nights and then later communicate to the team that is the park headquarters with the trekkers before the trail begins. later as the team doing gorilla tracking head into the jungles, the will follow the routes suggested by the advance team as they make the way to the gorillas. if the found the the gorillas so distant and are continuing to move further, trekkers can possibly be signed a gorilla family that is near by.
