Guide to Gorilla Trekking In Uganda : Gorilla trekking in Uganda is conducted in only two specific National parks and these are Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Gorilla trekking is a process when tourists get to hike through the tropical rain forests within the country to see the mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. These Gorillas can be trekked in three countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Rwanda.

Gorilla Trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Gorilla trekking is an activity where trekkers hike through the inhabited areas like; the tropical rain forests, sub montane forests and the montane with a purpose of locating the habituated gorilla groups, Guide to Gorilla Trekking In Uganda. Gorilla trekking activities can be done at any time of the year but the best time for travelers to move to go trek mountain gorillas should be around the dry season between the months of June to August and December to February when there are fewer rains that may lead to distractions, which make it hard to tack the gorillas. However, there is a set of Gorilla trekking rules and regulations that trekkers should follow before and during the gorilla, trekking activity and these include the following;

Gorilla Trekking Rules and Regulations.

  • Gorilla trekkers are encouraged to get their trekking permits depending on which country they are going to trek because they have different charges for example, a Uganda trekking permit costs 700 USD per person, 1500 USD per person in Rwanda and 400 USD per person in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • These trekkers are encouraged to acquire these trekking permits at least 6 months in advance to avoid inconveniences.
  • Tourists are required to present their trekking permits at the parks headquarters before going to trek the mountain gorillas.
  • Trekkers are encouraged to arrive at that park headquarters an hour before the trekking begins in order to go through the registration process and they are as well briefed on small things about the activity by the park rangers.
  • Tourists should have their National Identifications or a valid passport because they will also be asked to represent them at the National park headquarters.
  • There a limit of a number that is allowed to track a group of mountain gorillas, therefore the trekkers are always put in groups with a maximum number of 8 members per group in order to the risk of transmission of air borne diseases such as flue and cough between the gorillas and human beings.

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  • Tourists are advised to put on their masks when they are in the midst of the mountain gorillas or in case you do not have a mask, cover your nose with a handkerchief while sneezing.
  • Gorilla trekkers are also advised to keep their voices low when they are close or in the national park in order not to disturb the peace of the wildlife creatures and the bird species within the forest because you need to be aware that mountain gorillas are too sensitive and they become aggressive when they hear too much noise in the area and they easily be agitated, Guide to Gorilla Trekking In Uganda.
  • Gorilla trekking activity also has an age limit of members who are suitable to participate, therefore only members who are 15 years and above are accepted to engage in the gorilla trekking activities. This is emphasized because the behaviours of the young children are unpredictable when in the presence of the gorillas so to avoid any harm only adults are accepted.
  • Only tourists who are physically fit and healthy free from diseases like pressure and heart diseases are accepted to engage in the gorilla trekking activity because it involves in Hiking. However, if one has those diseases but he/she feels like they can go trekking, they are always asked to present the letters from their medical doctors giving them permission to participate in Gorilla trekking activities.
  • Visitors are advised not to litter the National park with objects like beverage bottles and food wrappers while trekking mountain gorillas.
  • Trekkers are encouraged to maintain a distance of 7 meters between themselves and the mountain gorillas while in that one hour of interacting with them.
  • Gorilla trekkers also advised not to maintain a direct eye contact but instead look your head and look down in case a gorilla or its baby gets so close to you, most especially the male silverback gorilla because to it, it seems like a human is challenging it when he/she tends to keep a direct eye contact with it and this may result into a fight between the gorilla and the human which may result into death or bad injuries.
  • Gorilla trekkers are also advised to limit unnecessary movements while in the national park and also it is safe for people to move in groups and not individually because one may get lost.
  • While going for gorilla trekking, tourists are always accompanied with the well-trained and experienced tour guides to lead them through because they easily know where to spot the mountain gorilla groups.
  • Tourists are always given a chance to ask any question to their guides on what they would love to understand better.
  • They are advised to always stay in groups and not wonder off alone while in the presence of the mountain gorillas.
  • During gorilla trekking, after the mountain gorillas have been located, trekkers are always given one to interact with them.
  • While tourists are interacting the mountain gorillas, they get a chance to take out their phones and cameras to take pictures and videos, but during this process, the use of flashlights in the cameras is prohibited while in the presence of gorillas.
  • Tourists are also not allowed to eat or drink while in the presence of the mountain gorillas.

In conclusion, Gorilla trekking activities are exciting where tourists always a memories for a lifetime. Therefore, do get in touch with our trusted tour operator companies such as Achieve Global Safaris and Explore Tours Rwanda to get your best offers and best gorilla trekking tour packages on your safari.

 

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