Why Gorilla Tracking Is Jewelry Safari of Africa

Gorilla trekking sceneries are rich with wonders that make lifetime memories. It all starts from booking the gorilla permit as competition is cut-throat for the few released for public booking each day.

Besides you also need to have accommodation reserved in the location where your gorilla tracking permit has been booked. The distance from one area to another is quite long and the terrain is ragged.

On the day of gorilla trekking you must remember to carry packed lunch to assist as the time of your return time is not known. The time taken to find the mountain gorillas varies according to the proximity of food that the gorillas eat or the conditions in the forest like if the gorilla trekking family you are trekking is mourning a loss of a member, they may go into hiding. This makes the search quite long

Gorilla trekking the Jewelry of Africa

What more To see during gorilla trekking

This being a volcanic area, lots of highlands and spectacular valleys form great scenery. The ground is generally ragged providing a unique sight for photographers.

Inside the forest are troupes of exciting primates like olive baboons that roam the forest, black and white colobus, dramatic vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, l’hoest, and so much more. As for birders, this is one of the destinations that will give you free chance of seeing new birds but the most renowned are the incredible albertine endemics of which 23 species of the 24 species are residents here.

This forest is also a haven for botanists as it has being in existence for several years right from the prehistoric era or the ice age period. It is believed to be one of the still existing forests in the world that have stood a test of time.

While you walk along some trails, you may cross some rivers via a board walk as this is the water catchment area for the entire area. As you walk along some trails, you may meet some waterfalls with a very interesting view.

The forest canopy stands up high and when you hike the close by ridge, you get a clearer picture of the incredible forest cover.  Different layers of the forest can easily be identified and form a great scenery for photography.

Can I Visit other Wildlife Parks After Gorilla Trekking

The closest Wildlife Park is Queen Elizabeth National park. This is about four to five hours drive from Bwindi Gorilla forest National Park. The park can easily be accessed through Ishasha sector the home of the tree climbing lions but when it rains the bridge normally gets broken and you may be required to take the longer distance into the park. During a game drive, you may have the chance of meeting animals like herds of elephants, herds of buffaloes, leopards, jackals, Tsavo Cats, water bucks, bush bucks, warthogs, chimpanzees and a rich bird life. During the launch cruise, you may have the chance of seeing most of these animals as they slope to the banks of the Kazinga Channel.

Kibale forest National Park is also close and you may need about five to 6 hours to drive from Bwindi Forest National park to Kibale forest. This is the home of the chimpanzees who are the closest relatives of man. In the entire Africa, Kibale Forest is the biggest habitat for habituated chimpanzees. Lots of primates are residents of this park and if you wish to enjoy there presence this is the right park with black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, grey cheecked mangabey, blue monkeys to mention but a few.

Rwenzori Mountain National park is another close by park endowed with great wildlife especially close to the base of the mountain but unique plants grow as you hike up the mountain. The main activity is mountain climbing to the Magheritah snowcapped peak which last some days and requires earlier preparations.  

On your way to the airport, you may make a stopover at the lake Mburo National park which is the closest National park to Kampala the capital of Uganda. It is home to numerous animals like zebras, impalas, kobs, hyenas, giraffes, buffaloes, incredible rich birdlife and so much more.

Close to Entebbe International airport is the Uganda Wildlife Education Center which was initially called the Entebbe Zoo. Numerous animals are found in this center which is kept in exhibits. You may request for a guided walk in this incredible center. You have the opportunity of meeting other animals you might have missed while in the wild. Animals like cheetahs, lions, elephants, hyenas, chimpanzees, vervet monkeys, black and white colobus, numerous reptiles, birds and so many others.

Alternatively, you may visit the Ngamba Chimpanzees sanctuary on one of the beautiful Islands of Lake Victoria. This is home to rescued chimpanzees and homeless chimpanzees that are rehabilitated after being rejected by there communities. You may take part in feeding the chimpanzees at the feeding platform.  

What Glamour To Enjoy On Gorilla Tracking Uganda

Feeling great while on a vacation is the utmost goal of taking some time off from the usual environment. In case you wish to have fun with your friends, family or workmates, this is a great opportunity to enjoy with the mountain gorillas. CONTACT US

How To organize a glamorous Gorilla trekking safari To Uganda

Booka gorilla trekking permit for every one you area travelling with. You can send us a booking for the date you wish to travel to do gorilla tracking from any of our tour consultants. They will get back to you as soon as they get availability from The Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Gorilla trekking permits in Uganda cost $600 per person per trek. As a group, you may also request to trek your own family exclusively. Only 8 gorilla tracking permits per gorilla family are released every day. You can secure it for only the group you have travelled with by paying for the entire gorilla family.

Gorilla trekking Safari in Uganda

What Exclusive transport to organize for gorilla tracking Tour

You have an opportunity to book a domestic charter flight to the gorilla tracking destination. This however this requires you to have booked a transfer vehicle from the air strip to the lodge.

All this is possible if you state your intension earlier. The flight may take about 2 hours from Entebbe Airport or Kajansi air strip to Kihihi Air strip

Alternatively, you may track gorilla in Uganda but drive from Rwanda. Book flights to Kigali air strip and later your driver guide will pick you from Kigali airport to Bwindi forest national park in a 4x4 land cruiser with a pop up roof. Enjoy the incredible view of the volcanic ranges that form the biggest part of Rwanda. This drive is about 5 to 6 hours which is quite easier than driving from Entebbe Airport to Bwindi forest which is about 8 to 9 hours on the road.

What Luxury Accommodation To Book For Gorilla Trekking

Luxury Accommodation is available in all areas in Bwindi Forest National Park However, these have limited rooms and so you need to book as early as possible so that you can exclusively enjoy this experience without other trekker’s interference.

Bwindi Forest National park accommodations are aerated by the freshness from the forest. There is no need for air conditioning as the place of natural and no pollution. Most of the luxury lodges have spacious rooms, with regular housekeeping. They offer full board meal plans and some get to the extent of offering free drinks throughout your stay at there lodge.

Most of the luxury accommodations in Bwindi forest are strategically positioned close to the starting point of the gorilla trekking experience. It is a walkable distance that doesn’t require you to hire a car to the briefing point. The view of the rooms of the lodges is incredible giving you the chance to enjoy the Bwindi forest canopy and majority get visits from the mountain gorillas or the baboons and regular visit from the monkeys. Birds can also be identified from the balconies or the verandas of these lodges.

 3 day  Flying Gorilla Tracking Glamorous Tour in Uganda

3 day Gorilla trekking tour in Uganda is composed of two nights and three days to Bwindi Forest National Park.  It includes gorilla trekking but you must have booked a gorilla trekking permit prior. Prepare to enjoy 3 day in Uganda with the mountain gorillas which are wonderful giant among the apes. As free as nature provides, you may have an opportunity to encounter other primates such as black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, grey checked mangabey, red tailed monkeys the list is endless.

Day 1: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

This gorilla trekking safari starts with an early morning drive to Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Air strip To catch up with domestic flight To Kihihi Air strip then Bwindi forest national Park.  The renowned Bwindi Forest National park is a thick ancient forest situated in southwestern part of Uganda. This breathtaking Forest is a habitat to the Mountain gorillas that are considered by UNESCO as one of few survivors of the ice age period. The forest is very thick with talk trees that form a very dense canopy at the top. You will be transferred to your lodge by your driver ready to relax. In the evening enjoy your dinner and overnight at:

Gorilla forest camp/ Clouds Lodge/ Buhoma Lodge/ Volcanoes Lodge

Day 2: Gorilla Tracking day

After your early morning breakfast, move to the ranger station for briefing. Carry a light backpack with the relevant gorilla tracking gear including packed lunch. For the safety of your skin, dress up in long trousers because there are stinging nettles in the forest. Join others for briefing at the station by the Uganda wildlife Authority ranger guide who will later lead you into the forest to start searching for the gigantic brown eyed mountain gorillas. Although the time you take to find these apes is not definite, the walk is rewarding as you may have an opportunity to meet other primates  like baboons, vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys, grey tailed mangabey, black and white colobus monkeys the list is endless. After this remarkable encounter crown it up with a visit to the Batwa land probably if you are not so worked up. These are pygmies whose life full depended on Bwindi forest for survival till the early 90s when conservation of the mountain gorilla habitat by the government became reason to relocate them. To keep there ancient cultural candle burning they demonstrate there past way of life to there visitors through amazing stories and unique traditional performances. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Return Home After Gorilla Tracking

Finally after the 3 day gorilla trekking drive to Kihihi Airport to catch up with your flight back. In Uganda, this is the shortest gorilla trekking safari you can book.

Some Gorilla trekking Rules To follow

Do not Eat while in the presence of the mountain gorillas

Volunteer to stay behind in case you have a communicable disease because mountain gorillas are easily susceptible to human diseases.

Do not dump anything in the wilderness because it spoils the natural environment.

Use a flashless camera to take pictures because the mountain gorillas are easily frightened by flash lights.

Why Gorilla Tracking Is Therapy for depression

Gorilla Trekking is a humbling safari that gets you close to a wild family of mountain gorillas for just one golden hour. Mountain gorillas are residents of wild Bwindi Forest , Volcanoes National Park and Virunga national park

Gorilla Trekking gears

As humans, you may be depressed because of Work, family affairs, relationship issues, friends betrayal name it but trust me when you take a gorilla trekking vacation, you will never be the same again.

How Gorilla trekking is therapy for depression

Gorilla trekking requires to have booked a gorilla permit yet only a few are released each day for booking this means you have to keep trying to secure a gorilla permit.

When you finally secure a gorilla permit, it is like hitting a jack pot since you count yourself lucky to be a winner of the permit for that day. Only 8 gorilla permits are released for tourist to book on each day per gorilla trekking family. Only 14 gorilla trekking families are open for tourist viewing and the entire world has to secure permits for these few. Winning a gorilla tracking permit is also an achievement in life also.

You need to be physically fit so that you can keep up with the rest of the trekkers during gorilla trekking. This has to be done atleast before the day of gorilla tracking. By making some exercises, your mind is kept alert and awakened for some moments. This is the start of your therapeutical experience away from what is causing your depression.

Therapy When You Go For Gorilla trekking

Depression may make you feel worthless but during the gorilla trekking safari, you may start realizing your worth on every step you take into the forest and how capable you are.

Organizing for gorilla tracking the following day makes you feel stronger as this is a daring trip where you really do not know what to expect and your reaction when you are face to face with the wild primates.

On the day of gorilla trekking, you share the briefing point with other trekkers various people have different reasons for taking gorilla tracking experience like you. You may find a new friend to share this moment with.

You are divided into groups of 8 people from different origins. So as you walk with others, you keep interacting and talking. Listening to what others say is also part of your healing process. Working together and helping each other while in the forest is what makes this experience incredible.

Listen to the wild calling and breathe the freshness of the forest away from the usual noise and pollution. How rewarding is this during the moment  that you are going through. Carry on hiking and trekking through the boggy ground.

When you finally get to meet the mountain gorillas, it is an adrenaline stimulating moment yet exciting as you look into the eyes of the mountain gorillas. Everyone who looks at the picture of a mountain gorilla may think they are very violent animals but when you get to meet them,  you will be surprised by there serenity and the family cohesion they have. You will realize that despite there huge dark bodies, they are calm, work together, take care of there infants and the female are loyal to there polygamous male called the silver back.

Trust me you will return to the lodge with a changed mind and better thought for the issues you are going through.

A Gorilla Tracking Tour You Can Book When Depressed

 3 day Gorilla Tracking Tour in Uganda

3 day Gorilla trekking tour in Uganda is composed of two nights and three days to Bwindi Forest National Park.  It includes gorilla trekking but you must have booked a gorilla trekking permit prior. Prepare to enjoy 3 day in Uganda with the mountain gorillas which are wonderful giant among the apes. As free as nature provides, you may have an opportunity to encounter other primates such as black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, grey checked mangabey, red tailed monkeys the list is endless.

Day 1: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

This gorilla trekking safari starts with an early morning drive to Bwindi forest national Park.  Although the journey is quite long, it’s absolutely memorable as you spot wonderful scenery such as incredible highlands, green forest cover, meandering rivers on the valley of highlands and so much more enroute. The renowned Bwindi Forest National park is a thick ancient forest situated in southwestern part of Uganda. This breathtaking Forest is a habitat to the Mountain gorillas that are considered by UNESCO as one of few survivors of the ice age period. The forest is very thick with talk trees that form a very dense canopy at the top. Enjoy your lunch enroute and carry on passing the rolling hills of Kisoro. Arrive late in the evening and enjoy your dinner and overnight at:
Gorilla forest camp/ Gorilla Resort/lake Kitandara camp/Buhoma community Bandas

Day 2: Gorilla Tracking day

After your early morning breakfast, move to the ranger station for briefing. Carry a light backpack with the relevant gorilla tracking gear including packed lunch. For the safety of your skin, dress up in long trousers because there are stinging nettles in the forest. Join others for briefing at the station by the Uganda wildlife Authority ranger guide who will later lead you into the forest to start searching for the gigantic brown eyed mountain gorillas. Although the time you take to find these apes is not definite, the walk is rewarding as you may have an opportunity to meet other primates  like baboons, vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys, grey tailed mangabey, black and white colobus monkeys the list is endless. After this remarkable encounter crown it up with a visit to the Batwa land probably if you are not so worked up. These are pygmies whose life full depended on Bwindi forest for survival till the early 90s when conservation of the mountain gorilla habitat by the government became reason to relocate them. To keep there ancient cultural candle burning they demonstrate there past way of life to there visitors through amazing stories and unique traditional performances. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Return Home After Gorilla Tracking

Finally after the 3 day gorilla trekking drive to Entebbe Airport to catch up with your flight back. In Uganda, this is the shortest gorilla trekking safari you can book.

Carrying a flashless camera is key because the mountain gorillas are normally scared by flash lights. It may also cause them to get angry and may think you are enemies.

Carry more Gorilla trekking gears like a rain coat, tracking boots, garden gloves

4 features to see while trekking to see the gorilla in Uganda and Rwanda

As you trek to see the mountain gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda, you are anxious to see the gorillas but afraid of what you might meet on your way.  At the start of your trek, all those doing gorilla trekking are briefed at the ranger station. You are advised that the time of meeting the gorillas is not known because of there regular movements in search for food. It is approximated that you may take between 2 hours to over 8 hours depending on the conditions of the day. You use the trails that were created by the regular visitors through the path where they were last seen the previous day but what do you expect to find on the way. CONTACT US

Other primates

Black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, grey checked mangabey, olive baboons, l’hoest, wild chimpanzees, golden monkeys are some of the renowned primates that you may not miss out to see. They live freely in the forest.

Uganda is the only country with a park in the world where two big primates that is to say chimpanzees and mountain gorillas co-exist in the same forest. However the chimpanzees are not habituated. Rwanda has the golden monkeys that are trekked. They live in Virunga forest and at a certain fee they are trekked very early in the morning.

Birding in Bwindi forest and Volcanoes National Park

A variety of birds live in these forests and the renowned are the albertine endemics that are common to this area like the African Green Broadbill and shelley’s Crimsonwing.More to spot include mountain and yellow steaked Greenbuls, 

Western Green Tinkerbird, African Hill Babbler, collared Apalis, Montane sooty Boubou, Red-faced woodland Batis, Mountain Masked and Chestnut- throated Apalises, cinnamon-chested Bee eaters to mention but a few. Ruhijah gorilla trekking area is the birder’s haven. It is easy to identify a number of birds while gorilla trekking in this area.

Natural trees

For herbalists, while you trek to see the gorillas, you may get to identify a number of tree species that have been destroyed by deforestation in other area.

Your ranger guide gives you the chance to ask which ever question you wish to know so get ready to ask about the vegetation you pass by but you are not allowed to pick anything from the forest unless authorized by management for conservation reasons.\

Butterflies

As you trek to see the mountain gorillas you may have the chance of identifying a number of unique butterflies that dwell in the forest. For scientists who deal in bio- conservation, you enjoy the way Bwindi forest is capable of conserving a variety of creatures that you may not find elsewhere in the world.

This forest has existed since the ice age period and so is Volcanoes national Park in Rwanda. Even humans once existed in the forest with the mountain gorillas. The Batwa pygmies had this as their ancestral home and sole provider of all there food stuffs until 1991 in Uganda when they were evicted for conservation reasons.

3 Must Activities On a Uganda Safari Tour

Gorilla Trekking Safari

Gorilla trekking in Uganda is key activity on a Uganda safari tour that you must not leave without visiting. Gorilla tracking starts with booking a gorilla trekking permit but this must be done as early as possible because only 8 gorilla permits are released per day per gorilla tracking group. Bwindi forest National Park is the largest home of mountain gorillas in Uganda and 10 gorilla tracking families are open for tracking. Gorilla permits can be booked from Uganda Wildlife Authority either directly or through a Uganda safari operator.

Gorilla trekking starts very early with briefing at the ranger station where you are told how to behave while with the gorillas, how to behave, how long to take while in there presence. You are given a ranger guide who takes you through the formalities of gorilla trekking starting from where the gorillas were last seen the previous evening. Gorilla trekking is done only once in the day and in case you miss out on briefing, are not allowed to join other trackers.

Game drives on a Uganda safari.

Uganda is endowed with a number of games like lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, water bucks, giraffes and so many others that live freely in the national Parks. Murchison Falls National park and Queen Elizabeth National park are endowed with a number of animals that you may spot during your game drives. In case you requested for a lunch cruise, Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Parks have this provision. In Murchison Falls, a launch cruise takes you to the thundering falls where the Nile squeezes through the narrow gorge to plunge down the 44meters high cliff. On the way, you get to see schools of hippos, crocodiles, elephant families and so much more. A launch cruise in queen Elizabeth National Park gives you a chance to sail on the Kazinga channel which is the link between Lake George and Lake Edward. A number of animals like elephants, buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles, birds both local and international can be spotted.

Chimpanzee tracking

Chimpanzees are known for being the closest cousin of humans in the animals kingdom. In Uganda, they live in Kibale National park, Kyambura gorge and Kaniyo Pabidi. Trekking chimpanzees requires that you book a chimpanzee tracking permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority or a Uganda safari operator. A number of other primates like olive baboons, vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, grey checked mangabey, can be seen on the way. This activity starts early in the morning with briefing and later you proceed into the forest. It has an evening session where you have to search for the chimpanzees following there path.