How many types of gorillas exist in Uganda? Uganda is one of the three east African countries with gorillas, that are visited all year round by tourists and wildlife scholars. In this part of the world, they are two types of gorillas which are:-
Eastern Lowland Gorillas: they stay in lower altitudes of forests and usually smaller in size compared to their counterparts.
Mountain Gorillas: the most popular in this side of the world, and found in higher altitudes of forests.
Of the two types the eastern lowland gorillas are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the mountain gorillas are found in the Rwanda and Uganda. Hence the types of gorillas found in Uganda are the mountain gorillas.
These mountain gorillas in Uganda stay in Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Bwindi has over 400 mountain gorillas making it home to nearly half of the world’s mountain gorillas. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park on the other hand, has a quarter of that number.
Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are a subspecies of the eastern gorilla. These creatures are known to be the largest primates. The adults reach up to 6 feet tall in height as they weigh about 136-182 kilograms.
These creatures live in dense, tropical forests in the high elevation of the forests that’s 8,000-13,000 feet above sea level.
They are social animals and keep company in groups of 5-30 individuals or more, these groups are led by a dominant male called a silverback. They are herbivores, feeding on leaves, shoots, and stems. The fact that they live in mountainous forests the animals are skilled climbers though they spend more time on the ground walking with their four knuckles.
They are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List; with a total population of about 1000 individuals in the world at the time of writing this article. They are threatened by things like habitat loss, poaching, disease transmission from humans, and climate change.
Some of the conservation efforts for these gorillas are the gorilla trekking experiences that bring in money that support the implementation of conservation interventions and studies.
Mountain gorillas have thick fur that helps them adapt to the cold, high-altitude climate. Their broad chests and strong muscles allow them to climb and move through dense vegetation. Like humans they gorillas are intelligent animals with a bunch of problem-solving skills.
Mountain gorilla trekking is done all year round in different habitats and this activity is popular to tourists who love the wild and the primates. The experience is a unique and exhilarating experience that allows visitors to observe mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
For this experience you will have to acquire gorilla trekking permits from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) or your operator. Your tour operator will help make you an Itinerary that has all the activities you will don on this trip.
You will then go for your trekking experience when you are due, where you will enter the forest, trekking for about 2 – 4 hours depending on where you are trekking from, your will then find the gorillas spend an hour with them before you exit the forest. The experience is the same all across all the habitats and it’s a one-day activity, but the different habitats each gives you a unique experience based on the terrains and trails you will have to conquer on your trekking experience.
One trekking permit takes you to one mountain n gorilla family, hence that’s one trek per permit and permits are not transferable. Before choosing a place to trek at or from, consult with your tour operator for guidance and all the information you will need.
