Best Tips for Mountain Gorilla Trekking
Are you considering going gorilla tracking in Uganda or Rwanda? Here is what you need to know regarding the tips for gorilla tracking in either of these countries.
What’s the best time for Gorilla Tracking?
Uganda and Rwanda are close to the equator, so the climate does not change a huge amount. There are two weather-changing seasons: the wet (rainy) season, which occurs from September to November and from March to April, and the dry season, which occurs from December to February and from June to August. The dry seasons occur from December to February and from June to August. However, since the gorillas’ habitat is in rainforests, you should expect rainfall at any time.
The wet seasons don’t affect the mobility of the gorillas so you can trek gorillas at any time of the year, unlike wildlife viewing elsewhere in Africa. For those who like photography, you ought to visit during December, January, February, June, July, August and September.
How fit do you have to be for gorilla trekking?
Any tourist can enjoy gorilla trekking, provided they prepare psychologically for it. Given its kind, gorilla trekking in Rwanda or Uganda is quite physical, as you trek through the rainforests with dense vegetation and on steep paths full of mud.
Therefore, it takes a lot of fitness to complete the trek with a lot of fun and enjoyment. It’s a rainforest, so it’s not very humid and a bit cool, but you warm up as you walk. Porters are very helpful.
What to take when I go gorilla trekking?
Healthy and Strong legs, a small rucksack in which you can put your camera and a jacket, and comfortable boots.
Advice for photography?
The opportunities for photography are so remarkably amazing and incredible that you will take so many pictures and videos till you consume all batteries and memory cards. Since gorillas are the major center of attraction in the countries they inhabit, focus more on your trip, so you should prepare yourselves for incredible pictures of the green and dense environment, with mountain gorillas themselves being dark subjects always in shadows, though this varies when they move out in the open at times.
This means you need a good camera capable of capturing high-quality memories from this once-in-a-lifetime experience in the wild, which you will likely share with your friends and family when you return home, provided you are serious about photography.
Ensure you have a good zoom lens with a minimum of 300mm. Apart from the photogenic mountain gorillas, the surrounding environment is very thrilling with possibly impressive ways to photograph dramatic skylines and volcanoes, along with endless rolling hills and lakes. A wide-angle lens may be worth considering to capture the surroundings. Definitely, the community (people) and their social areas, like the markets, are saturated with bright colors and offer stunning picture moments for those with even the most rudimentary understanding of photography.
As always, when photographing people, it is best to strike up a conversation first before even asking if they mind having their picture taken, which is not only common courtesy but also puts them at ease, making for much more natural images. That said, please don’t be offended if they say no. As with much of Africa, do not photograph military or government personnel or buildings.
