This is a process required for everyone planning to visit Mountain Gorillas in their nature inhabits where you need to organize yourselves in comfortable way that ensures success in the activity of gorilla trekking. Mountain gorilla trekking is one of the top done activity to be enjoyed by the first travelers and those who have tried it before.
In Africa, the top gorilla trekking destinations include Uganda, Rwanda, and D.R. Congo were 1063 of the world’s mountain gorillas all live. Embarking on gorilla trekking in Africa leaves many filled with lots of memories but usually, great experiences/adventures come with great responsibilities.
If you plan to be part of a gorilla safari in Uganda, Rwanda, or D.R. Congo this year, then you should know how best you can prepare for your life-changing gorilla trekking experience.
Here are tips on how to prepare for gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo
Know where to go for gorilla trekking in Africa
Not all countries in Africa or in the world have mountain gorillas. There are only 1063 of these rare species still living on planet earth and tourists can only have a face-to-face interaction with them in the wild while on a gorilla safari in Uganda, Rwanda, or the D.R. Congo. About half of the total population of mountain gorillas live in Uganda and interestingly, visitors have two options to meet their dreams- visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The two magical gorilla trekking parks are all located in Southwestern Uganda. These are the two places in Uganda where 21 habituated mountain gorilla families can be trekked by Uganda safari travellers.
Visiting Rwanda for gorilla trekking is a great opportunity to explore Volcanoes National Park where Dian Fossey carried out research on mountain gorillas and advocated for their conservation and protection.
In the D.R. Congo, gorilla trips are done in the Eastern side of the country- Virunga National Park, one of Africa’s largest and oldest parks- established in 1925.
Book valid gorilla permits in advance prior to arrival
The must-have document for anyone interested in visiting a habituated gorilla family in Uganda, Rwanda, or Congo is a valid gorilla permit. In each of the 3 African states, the park authorities charge different prices for tourists on gorilla safari to obtain a gorilla permit- in Uganda, you need USD800 for Foreign Non-Resident category, USD700 Foreign Residents while citizens in East Africa on gorilla tour pay UGX300,000 per person per gorilla permit.
Rwanda authorities- Rwanda Development Board issues out gorilla permits at USD1500 and Kahuzi Biega National Park authorities in Congo charge USD400 per gorilla permit.
Book your gorilla tour with the company but choose it carefully
Hundreds of gorilla safari companies are all over Africa but it requires some keenness when choosing one to deal with. First, book your gorilla tour with a reputable, reliable, recognized, and trustworthy tour operator on the ground and not to have regrets, contact Primate Safari Experiences for all gorilla safari planning, booking, accommodation, wildlife safaris, cultural tours, hiking tours, chimpanzee safaris, golden monkey tracking, car hire, etc.
When choosing your gorilla safari company, the essential things to put in mind include membership to ground tourism association, online reputation, and reviews from TripAdvisor or visit the company’s website, assess the response time to your inquiry and others.
Keep fit for your gorilla trek
Gorilla trekking is exhausting and being an unpredictable adventure, requires some fitness levels. First, do adequate physical exercises back home or arrive early at your destination and utilize the available hilly landscape of the country to practice from. By doing so, you are familiarizing yourself to high altitude, and tackling the 3500m elevation on an actual gorilla trek won’t be a big issue. There are many ways to keep yourself fit, you can go hiking, walking, jogging, sit-ups, and more.
Gorilla trekking guidelines or rules- a must know
Before setting off to see mountain gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda, tourists are briefed about gorilla trekking rules including among others;
- Only visitors of 15 years and above are allowed to go track gorillas.
- Wash or sanitize the hands regularly.
- A group of 8 visitors is allowed to visit or trek a single gorilla group.
- No one shall be allowed to trek gorillas if she or he is sick or ill.
- A valid gorilla permit is an essential tool required for you to be allocated a gorilla family.
- Where possible, keep a social distance of 2m from each other.
- When interacting with gorillas, observe a distance of 8-10m away.
- Talk in a low voice.
- Avoid touching gorillas.
- Smoking, eating, or drinking is never permitted when interacting with gorillas.
Know what important things to carry for gorilla trekking
Knowing how and what to pack is part of the preparation for your gorilla safari in Uganda or Rwanda. When packing, you should consider the nature of the environment this adventure is conducted from. Gorilla trekking isn’t the usual walk you have had in urban areas but rather immersing yourself into the dense tropical forests to see gorillas.
The list of gear or items to carry for gorilla trekking include a face mask preferably 2 or more, a waterproof daypack, comfortable trousers, lightweight long-sleeved shirts, hand sanitizer, bottled water, gardening gloves, hiking boots, first aid kit, sunhat, sweater, insect repellent. Others include a camera with no flashlight, sunglasses, rain jacket or poncho, snacks, and more. When choosing what to wear, ensure that you carry neutral color clothes/environmentally friendly clothing and avoid shining or bright colors.
Know when to visit Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo for gorilla trekking
Gorilla trekking in Uganda or Rwanda is open all year-round though the dry season is the best time to experience the best of it. There are two drier seasons every year- the long dry spell that is experienced from June, July, August to September, and a short dry season from December, January to February. The wet season (March to May/October to November) is budget-friendly though this is when much rains are experienced.
How to get there
There are ways to connect to your gorilla trekking destination, but the easiest ones are by road or by air. By road, we at Primate Safari Experiences have you sorted with our wide range of comfortable rental cars and tested professional safari guides/driver guides. By air, chartered or scheduled flights can be planned for instance from Entebbe Airport to Bwindi or Mgahinga National Parks but you land at Kihihi or Kisoro airstrips.
