Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Uganda and Rwanda
Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Uganda & Rwanda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda offers visitors a chance of a life time to go on a guided hike through a dense rainforest to walk alongside mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda is throughout the year.
The best months for trekking are June, July, august, September and December because there is less rainfall making it easier to trek. Visitorsrequired to first obtain permits which come at a cost. Visitors should expect to wake up early for briefing.
They are then assigned different tracking routes in small groups of 8 depending on the national park. Limited number of visitors allowed in order not to disturb the scare away the gorillas but also to preserve the forest and they should be accompanied by guides and rangers for their safety.
The actual gorilla trek involves walking behind a ranger or guide from whom visitors can learn all about these incredible creatures. The journey goes from 1-8hrs as there is no proper route apart from the one the guide forges. The hike gets tougher as it progresses because of the difficult terrain, thick vegetation, muddy areas, hill and valleys.
Some of the rules include:
Covid is a big threat to the gorillas since they share 98% of our genes hence the need to strictly follow the the covid rules;
Observe a distance of 7 meters away.
Time allowed is 1 hour
Wearing a mask is important
Avoid sneezing
Sanitize and observe other SOP guidelines
Tracking gorillas in Rwanda is done in the Virunga Mountains in Volcanoes National Park. The permits for visiting the gorillas are obtained at the park and they can cost to up to 1500 dollars. Rwanda has 17 gorilla families including the Susa group being the best option. The best months to visit are June, July and August.