Gorilla Trekking Rules and Regulations

Gorilla trekking safaris is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure characterized by exploring lush forests and a remarkable experience with the rare primate species of mountain gorillas and it involves nature walking, getting through dense lush forests, hiking, and tracking these human-like primate species in their natural habitat.

Gorilla trekking safaris are only done on Africa tours and there are only three gorilla trekking destinations which are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Where is Gorilla Trekking done From

While in for the African gorilla trekking tours, visitors can dive into the impressive national parks that offer the most thrilling gorilla trekking tours and the best place to see and encounter mountain gorillas.

Some of these iconic national parks and home to mountain gorillas in the Virunga region include the great Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park and Kahuzi-Biega National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

The lifetime adventure is the most popular tourism activity in Uganda that always seems to come on every visitor’s bucket list. Uganda is one of the only three countries in the world that shelters the only remaining mountain gorillas in the wild.

Other mountain gorilla destinations are Congo and Rwanda. Among all the three, Uganda is the largest host of mountain gorillas with about half the population of the remaining ones.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park are the only gorilla trekking destinations in the country. Bwindi’s almost inaccessible thick dense forest is the largest host of mountain gorillas in Uganda and while there are 21 habituated gorilla groups in Bwindi, there is only one gorilla group in Uganda’s smallest but one of the most visited national park, Mgahinga National Park.

Gorilla Trekking In Bwindi And Mgahinga National Parks.

There are only a thousand mountain gorillas remaining in the wild and Uganda shelters half the total number meaning that the country is one of the best and right spots to sight and spend some time with the rare primate species of mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. All gorilla trekking activities in both Bwindi and Mgahinga kick off in the early morning hours at about 8:00 a.m. immediately after the briefing.

Bwindi Impenetrable forest shelters about 300 gorilla individuals making it one the biggest hosts of these primate species and the finest spot to sight them. The chances of sighting mountain gorillas are at 95% while in Bwindi and tracking them takes about 2 to 6 hours depending on their location since sometimes they tend to go deeper in the dense forests in search of adequate food, especially during the dry season.

Out of the 21 habituated family groups open for tracking in Uganda, Bwindi shelters 20 habituated family groups and each comprises 10 to 40 gorilla individuals while Mgahinga shelters only one habituated family called Nyakagezi.

Nkuringo, Mubare, Habinyanja, Nkuringo, and Kahungye are some of the gorilla groups in Bwindi.

The dry season of the year is the best time for gorilla trekking in both Bwindi and Mgahinga is the dry season of the year when the trekking routes are visible, accessible, and easy to hike while providing clear wildlife views.

RWANDA.

Rwanda is yet another best spot for sighting mountain gorillas in their natural habitats and is considered the safest country to visit. All gorilla trekking activities in Rwanda are done in the iconic Volcanoes National Park dominated by bamboo forests, Afro montane, Savannah grasslands, and some volcanoes.

Gorilla trekking in the Volcanoes National Park also kicks off in the morning after the briefing where visitors are grouped into eight members per group and each group is allocated to one particular gorilla family group. There are 12 habituated gorilla family groups in Volcanoes National Park.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO.

Both Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega National Park are the only gorilla trekking destinations in Congo. Lowland eastern gorillas can be tracked in Kahuzi but the mountain gorillas are tracked in Virunga. There are eight gorilla family groups in Virunga including Humba, Kabirizi, Mapuwa, Lulengo, Nyakamwe, Bageni and Rugendo families.

HOW MUCH DOES GORILLA TREKKING COST?

The price of gorilla trekking in all three gorilla trekking destinations differs from Rwanda charging the most expensive gorilla trekking permits at USD 1,500. The gorilla trekking permits in Congo cost USD 400 while Uganda gorilla trekking permits are at USD 700.

GORILLA TREKKING RULES AND REGULATIONS.

The age limit for visitors liable for gorilla trekking is 15 years of age and above since children less than that easily carry transmittable diseases like flu and cough.

Trekkers are restricted to only a full hour of encountering the mountain gorillas and there is no eating, drinking, or smoking in their presence.