Gorilla trekking is a common thing to do in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. These Ugandan National Parks will give you the ultimate feel of a gorilla trekking experience.
A Uganda Gorilla Trekking experience is about penetrating through the thick forests of Uganda in the Bwindi Impenetrable forest, National Park while searching for the famous mountain gorillas. This gorilla trekking experience allows you to explore and discover the different gorilla sites in Uganda as you appreciate the beauty of the Pearl of Africa. Uganda is reported to host almost half of the world’s 1000 gorillas that are the world’s most endangered apes.
Gorilla Habituation Experience
In this unique experience, the traveler is given the chance to habituate the Mountain Gorillas alongside the researchers as they teach these animals to become accustomed to interacting freely in the presence of human beings. This activity takes place in the Rushaga sector and it usually lasts for a period of 4 hours with a maximum of four tourists allowed in the company of the gorillas. At a cost of USD 1500, only 4 tourists are allowed to habituate a gorilla family.
Gorilla Families found in Uganda.
In Uganda, Gorillas can be found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Uganda is home to 19 habituated Mountain Gorilla families with 17 gorilla families in Bwindi and 2 gorilla families in Mgahinga. Gorilla families move daily and never stay in one place twice. Therefore, as you trek along the forest trails your guide’s job is to pick up from where they were the day before and try to find them again.
Best time to go for a Gorilla Trek
Gorilla Trekking can be done throughout the entire year. It can also be done in the rainy season, although the tracks in the rain forest might be a bit muddier and your tracking might be a bit longer/ tougher compared to the dry season, which is the best time to track gorillas. However, the best time to go gorilla trekking is during the months of December to February as well as June to August. These are the driest months of the year in Uganda and it is when the country sees big numbers of tourists as compared to the wet months where the number of tourists is less.
Uganda is the best place to conduct a Gorilla Trekking Safari as it offers more breathtaking experiences with a lot of wildlife compared to any other East African country. Uganda offers many other attractions in addition to mountain gorillas including Murchison Falls, other primates in Kibale Forest National Park and many more options according to your travel time and budget for your intended tour.