Uganda Gorilla Trekking Age Limit

Gorilla trekking in Uganda is done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in southwestern Uganda. There is a minimum age required for gorilla trekking in both Uganda and Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park) which are set up by the Wildlife managing Authorities for both countries. Gorilla trekking age limit in Uganda The gorilla trekking age limit set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and Rwanda Development Board (RDB) is a minimum age of 15 years for trekkers that come to watch the habituated mountain gorillas. A person below 15 years of age is considered to be a child who cannot deal with the apes in case of any negative change.

Gorilla trekking is not entirely a safe process and these animals are still wild though habituated therefore they can change their behaviors against the tourists but people above 15 are believed to be matured enough and can cope up with the changes of the apes.

Why Uganda Gorilla trekking age limit is 15 years.

Gorilla trekking age limit in Uganda currently is 15 years and anyone below this age is considered a young and vulnerable person and therefore not fit to trek the gorillas. In most cases, persons below 15 have unpredictable characteristics that may lead to change of the primates’ behaviors. An example is when a gorilla tries to fume or come near a visitor in the presence of a child, she may decide to run or scream hence disorganizing the gorillas. Here the gorillas may react by attacking the trekkers as a way of defending itself and the family. Therefore, the only way of minimizing such incidents is by discouraging 15 below trekkers in the park.

Another reason why the trekking age limit is 15 years for both Uganda and Rwanda Gorilla national Parks is because these national parks are strenuous to hike and therefore requires a physically fit individual. People below 15 years of age are rendered weak and vulnerable and therefore cannot cope up with the difficult hike in Bwindi, Mgahinga and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Some parts of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park like Nkuringo and Rushaga are so steep and hence difficult  for children to hike.

The gorillas share 98% DNA with humans therefore they can easily be affected by human diseases. Children (below 15) usually carry communicable diseases like flu, cough which can easily be transmitted to the mountain gorillas hence leading to their death and decrease in their number. The mountain gorillas are very rare species and they can only be spotted in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo in their natural habitat. This therefore means that the Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rwanda Development Board look for all possible ways of protecting and conserving the few remaining gorillas thereby limiting children from trekking.

Instances where children below 15 years of age can trek.

In Uganda, children below the age of 15 are sometimes allowed to trek the mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The minors can trek as long as their parents follow the right procedure. The parents have to proof to Uganda Wildlife Authority how physically fit their child is even though he or she is still a minor. The parent should provide the current picture of the child to UWA for examination who will then give you the feed back. Adventure in the Wild safaris, help you to deal with all those processes quickly as long as you contact us. We shall also book the gorilla trekking permits for your child from UWA.

In most cases, children whose birthdays are nearing 15 years may trek the mountain gorillas. For example, a child who is in his/her late 14 and about to clock 15 years is most likely to trek as they are considered matured in the mind and physically. The parent of the child will have to submit in a letter to the Uganda Wildlife Authority requesting and informing them about the age and physical status of the child. An attachment of the child’s valid passport and current photos will be very important for easy clarification of your child by UWA. After the approval is given, our company will request you to make payments for the permits and we book for your child a trekking permit in advance.

Another instance where a minor is allowed to trek is when they are doing the trekking activity together with their parents. The parents have to sign a consent and liability forms from Uganda Wildlife Authority so that the parents is in charge of anything that may happen to the child while in the park. Adventure in the Wild Safari will help you to pick your liability forms from UWA office, scan and send for you to sign and then send back. On approval, we shall book for your child his/ her gorilla trekking permit.

Why Adventure in the Wild Safaris.

Adventure in the Wild Safaris is a local tour operator within Kampala operated by local people who are fully aware of both Uganda and Rwanda’s tourism. We deal with many parks in East Africa including Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. When interested in gorilla trekking with your child of 15 years and below, please contact us or otherwise bring your child along and leave him/her with our trained staff. Your child can be taken for a guided nature walk, cycling, birding among others as you do your gorilla trekking.

Adventure in the Wild safaris can also organize for you a combined gorilla trekking and wildlife safari including boat cruise, game viewing and cultural performances. You can opt to book our 3 day gorilla safari and 5 Day Gorilla and Wildlife Safaris. Please contact or send us an email in case of any question regarding gorilla safari for minors.

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What Should I do If A Gorilla Charges?

What should I do if a gorilla Charges? Mountain gorillas are the largest primate species and they live in groups, they are known to be peaceful, calm and they are not aggressive when you encounter the gorillas. They have a charming character that makes it interesting to look at that’s why many tourists in Africa would love to take part in gorilla trekking experience. During gorilla trekking, and when the gorilla charges, all you need to do is to simply follow the instructions giving to you during the briefing or the guide will direct you on what to do in order to be on the safer side putting in mind that the gorillas are peaceful and not so aggressive. Mountain gorillas in Africa, can be found in four national parks in tree east African countries which include; Bwindi impenetrable forest and Mgahinga gorilla national park both located in south western Uganda offer the best site for gorilla trekking with over half of the words population of gorillas living in the dense forest of Bwindi national park, volcanoes national park in Rwanda and Virunga national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mountain gorillas; Gorillas are the largest primate species that live in the dense tropical forests or in areas with high altitude in Africa.  They mainly live in groups of two to 30 members and the group is led by a male silver back as the leader of the family, he offers protection and looks after the females and the young ones in his family , he determines the feeding time, place to stay for the family and protect them from any cause of danger. The gorillas are herbivores animals and they feed on plants, leaves, roots, stems fruits among others.

Gorilla trekking in Africa, has become of the popular activities that has drawn many visitors to east Africa to take part in, gorilla trekking involves moving in the forest led by the ranger guide who will help guide you, offer instructions and also locate the gorillas for you. The movement, involves searching for the habituated gorilla families in their natural habitat, and when you have found a given gorilla family, visitors will be allowed strictly one hour with these huge apes from the time you meet the, but the normal exercise can lasts from 30 min to 7 hours of the day depending on the location of the gorillas on that particular day., putting in kind that gorillas are wild animals and they move from one place to another.

During gorilla trekking, you can not predict how the gorillas will be when you encounter them, when you reach them, you might find that the gorillas are in a bad mood or even they may think that it’s a threat to them. And when they detect danger, the gorillas can charge and react by making loud grunts, hoots, buoys by its self, stand on two legs and bound its chest. And when the threat persists, the leader of the group that is the Silverback will grasp anything and tears it down to show that he is ready for any thing and he is willing to protect the family from any cause of harm.

There several reason that may cause a gorilla to charge such as loud noise in the forest from the travellers during the trek, the gorillas may feel threatened, direct eye contact with the gorillas , sudden movements while in the presence of the gorillas and others may cause the gorillas to charge in order to protect the family from strangers or poachers that may be attacking the family. They can also charge when they are fighting for female trying to win females in to his group, or when their two silver backs in the group, they may not allow to share so they fight when one wants to break away from the family since the family cannot have two leaders and the fight determines the winner who will take over the family and the challenged gorilla, will go away to a form his new family group.

charged silver back gorilla

What to Do If the Gorilla Charges?

There are few cases of gorilla attacking visitors during gorilla trekking in the forest. When you have followed all the rules and the regulations for gorilla trekking giving to you by the rangers such as keeping your voices low while in the forest, a void feeding animals, a void direct eye contact wit the gorillas, when taking photos, avoid direct flash lights from the camera, not raising arms Infront of charged gorilla, keeping a distance of 7 meters feet away from the gorillas, do not wonder in the forest at wee hours, keep in your groups and don’t break of from the group and others. When all these instructions a followed closely you are asure of a successful gorilla trekking and the gorillas will not disturb or attack any of you in the forest.

Mountain gorillas are strong primates and the Silver back will do anything defend and protect his family from any cause of threat that may cause harm to his family. Therefore, in case the gorilla charges, visitors taking part in these experiences will follow the instructions giving to them or listen to the instructions from your guide who will then direct you on what to do in order to safe guard you self.

Walk away steadily; when the gorilla charges, you are supposed to run away from the gorilla this is because, it will run after you and will attack you, but instead, you are advised to walk away form the gorilla taking one step after the other without making any sudden movement to create the distance between you and the gorilla.it will cool down and walk away from you. You can even fall down or keep relaxed or looking up at trees to show that you are defeated and you do not want to attack them.

Crouch down; when the gorilla charges, its advisable to be calm down, keep quiet, and unthreatened you can even bend down to show respect and unwillingness to attack the gorillas. you can lower your self down on the group making your self smaller than the silverback. This is reason to show that you not a challenger and you don’t mean any harm to them so it will cool down and will not attack you.

Follow the instruction from your guide so that you are on the safer side; before you embark on gorilla trekking in the forest, travellers are briefed at the starting point which is the parks headquarters, you will be reminded on the dos and the don’ts of gorillas while you are with the gorillas. You will be led by an armed ranger guide since they spend number of times visiting the gorillas so they are well aware of the moods and when the gorillas are irritated. Therefore, the guide will direct/ instruct you on how to behave in case the gorillas becomes wild in the presence of the visitors. And case the gorilla charges, the guide will instruct you on what to do so all you need to do if you do not know what to do, ask your guide and will instruct you throughout the process.

Never look directly in to the eye of the gorillas; in case the gorilla charges, do not look directly in to the eye, if you do, this shows that you are ready to challenge the gorilla therefore, these will force the gorilla to attack you as away of defending its self. Rather pretend not to show any interest in them and mind your own work and a void direct contact with the gorillas it will walk away from you.

Show your teeth and shout back; in case you are very close to the gorilla with no chance of stepping back, you can defend yourself by showing the gorilla your teeth and shouting back to the charged gorilla, is away you can defend your self and even thumping your chest just like gorillas do when they have charged, when you shout, the gorilla feel scared and will walk thinking that you area another wild gorilla.

Keep a distance; during gorilla trekking, visitors are advised to keep 7 meters feet away from the gorillas when you meet them in their natural habitat. Visitors are not allowed to touch the gorillas since they are wild animals except for the case when the gorilla touches you. When you touch them, they will feel threatened and may be forced to attack you as a way of defending themselves.

Sometime, you can pretend to be an ape; In case the gorilla charges, and you have tried all possible options and nothing seems to be working, be brave and act like another ape yourself, by coming towards the charged gorilla,  you can start plucking leaves, breaking stems, chewing vegetation, napping on the ground to show the gorilla that you are aggressive and hostile too, it will get scared and run away from you.

What should I do if A Gorilla charges?

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Mahogany Springs Lodge

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Mahogany Springs Lodge in Buhoma Bwindi

Mahogany Springs lodge is no doubt the best luxurious accommodation facility located close to a national park in East Africa. The lodge opened in April 2011 and is situated in Buhoma sector in the northern part of Bwindi impenetrable national park which is the world’s prominent gorilla trekking destination. It is on an elevation that offers spectacular views of most areas around the area including Munyanga River.

They lodge has well trained staff who will receive you on arrival at the lodge and continue to take care of every other need while there. The staffs are very friendly and will ensure that your stay is comfortable and perfect with customer care at its peak.

Mahogany Springs lodge has eight beautiful cottages made out of local materials. They are modernized cottages with a touch of the African traditional style and the blend perfectly with the environment. The lodge has spacious suites (superior suites, Honeymoon suite and Presidential suite) with large and wide windows which enable you to clearly look out to the surrounding including Bwindi forest. The rooms are self contained with bathrooms and flushing toilets. There is an option of using smoking or non smoking rooms.

The restaurant has some of the best chefs in Uganda and this will be well admitted after tasting their meals. They have a la carte menus with all international dishes. Whether you prefer non-alcoholic or alcoholic drinks, the bar shall have you sorted. Drinking water is provided in the rooms and you will not need to keep moving to the bar or restaurant frequently.

It is a short drive from the lodge to the park gate of Buhoma but you can also choose to stay at Mahogany springs and do gorilla trekking activities in Ruhija sector which is also in the northern part of the park. Apart from the gorilla trekking, guests can also go for the Batwa experience, Buhoma village walk or forest walks.

The mountain gorillas are one of the regular visitors to the lodge and other animals living in the forest including the various birds.

Staying at Mahogany Springs lodge is one way of creating great memories.

Room rates

Single                 $408

Double/twin   $630

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Difference between gorillas in volcanoes National park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

 Difference between Gorillas in volcanoes and Bwindi impenetrable forest National park is simply acomparation between the two countries that will guide you when choosing the best country of your choice where you will be going for gorilla trekking activity. Gorilla trekking in east Africa is done in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga national park located in Uganda, Volcanoes national park in Rwanda and Virunga national park in the Democratic republic of Congo. For travellers having interest in gorilla trekking, can visit any of the tree countries in Africa with great experience after your gorilla trekking. Gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, differ from those in volcanoes national park due to the following reasons.

Where the Mountain Gorillas are found?

Location of gorillas in Uganda; when you visit Uganda for gorilla trekking, you can either visit any of two national parks that’s in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, with the highest population of gorillas living in the park and Mgahinga gorilla national park one of the smallest parks in Uganda, these parks are situated in south western Uganda. Bwindi impenetrable forest is situated in south western Uganda in kanungu district, the park is a home to the endangered mountain gorillas with over half of the world’s population of gorillas. Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi, is done in four sectors of the park including; Nkuringo sector and Rushaga sector are found in the southern region of Bwindi, Buhoma sector in the northern region of Bwindi, Ruhija sector in the eastern side of Bwindi national park.

Location of Gorillas in Rwanda; when you visit Rwanda mountain gorilla trekking, you will visit the volcanoes national park situated in Musanze village north western part of the country. Volcanoes national park, is famous for gorilla trekking activities and the park, is one of the highly visited regions in Rwanda due to the fact that it harbours endangered mountain gorillas.

How to get to volcanoes national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park; Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is situated in south western Uganda. Bwindi impenetrable forest park, can be accessed from different directions. The travellers can choose either travelling by road or by air transport. If you chose road transport, the park can be accessed from Kampala to Masaka, Masaka, kabale then you can access the park. Bwindi can also be accesses through queen Elizabeth national park route, from Kampala to queen Elizabeth, you can access Bwindi national park through Mubende, fort portal, Kasese where queen Elizabeth national park is located. You can choose to have an overnight at kasese and pass via Ishasha sector in queen Elizabeth national park before connecting to Bwindi, you will have an opportunity to view the tree climbing lions. this route is longer but provides scenic views including tea plantations, banana plantations, local communities and many other attractions along the country side.

The second alternative are the domesticated chattered flights from Entebbe international airport operating trips to Bwindi impenetrable forest. When you take the chartered flights, you will in one of the airstrips either in Kisoro or kihihi Airstrip, the domesticated flights are scheduled and therefore, they should be booked in advance you can reach to us at adventure in the wild safaris, and we will organise the flights for you.

Volcanoes national park; volcanoes national park is located in north western Rwanda and for visitors visiting volcanoes national park, can fly to Kigali airport then transfer by road to volcanoes international airport to the park headquarters, it covers a very short distance of about 2 hours from the Kigali to volcanoes national park headquarters. Volcanoes national park, is the only place you can fly in Kigali transfer to volcanoes national park, trek gorillas and still go back home on the same day due to the shortest distance from the airport to the park it does not take much time travelling on the road compared Bwindi impenetrable forest gorilla trekking from Kampala.

Cost of a gorilla trekking permits

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park; a gorilla trekking permit in Uganda costs $600 per person trekking the gorillas for Non- foreign residence, $500 per permit for foreign residence and UGX 25,000 for east African citizens. Note that the gorilla permit price for gorilla trekking in Uganda will increase to $700 per person with effect from 1 July 2020 for both foreign residence and non-foreign residence. The permit includes the park entry fees, services of the ranger guide, one hour with the gorillas. For the travellers who whop love to spend more time with the gorillas, can take part in gorilla habituation experience, gorilla habituation permit goes for $1500 per person. For all the permit bookings, travellers are advised to book their permits 4-6 month in advance to bit the high demands of permits which get sold out quickly most specially during the peak/ dry seasons of the year when the tourism activities are at its peak. The dry month include; July, August, December, January and February, they are recorded with little amount of rainfall or no rainfall at all. But Bwindi being a rain tropical forest, it’s hard to predict the climate of the area since rain can be received at any time of the day.

Volcanoes national park; among all the three countries in east Africa, offering gorilla trekking, Rwanda is the only country in Africa with the highest amount of gorilla trekking permit, volcanoes gorilla trekking permit goes for $ 1500 per person, the permit fee for Rwanda indicates that, Rwanda is luxurious country for gorilla trekking. The permit allows you to spend one hour with the gorillas from the time you meet them compared to Uganda’s gorilla habituation experience with the same cost of the gorilla permit as Rwanda, which allows you to spend 4 hours with the gorillas in their natural habitat. Not only that, you become part or an active participant in the habituation process.

Gorilla trekking experience in volcanoes and Bwindi impenetrable forest

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park; Bwindi impenetrable forest national park gorillas are distributed in all the four sectors of Bwindi impenetrable forest. Bwindi comprises of 18 habituated gorilla families whereby Uganda wildlife authority issues 144 gorilla permits on daily basis for gorilla trekking activities. Both Bwindi national park and volcanoes national park, allows only a maximum of 8 people to visit a single habituated gorilla family every day. The permit allows you one hour with the gorillas in their natural habitat. Gorilla trekking involves hiking on steep terrain/ slopes therefore, travellers are required to be physically fit since trekking some times take longer hours before you meet the gorillas. During the trek, you will also sight some attractions like the plants, primate’s species like the red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, L-hoest monkey and different bird species.

There is also gorilla trekking habituation, this is a process whereby the researches, rangers scientists and the visitors visit an identified gorilla family on a daily basis for a period of about 2-3 hours and when they are finally used to sight of humans, they will be opened for gorilla trekking experience. Gorillas under habituated are visited by a maximum of 4 people each day until when they are opened for gorilla trekking. The activity allows visitors to spend for hours with gorillas and also take part in the habituation process that is naming of gorillas, making calls, studying their behaviour, interacting with them to get them familiar with the human presence.

Accommodation facilities for your gorilla trekking experience

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park; Bwindi national park has got several lodges from where a client to choose to stay during his or her visit in Bwindi impenetrable national park, the lodges are located in all the four sectors of the park, therefore when choosing accommodation, endeavour to book accommodation nearer to the location you will be trekking gorillas from. This is because, you will need to rise up early and transfer to the park headquarters for an early morning briefing before you start the gorilla trek in the forest. The lodges in Bwindi include ;Buhoma lodge, Buhoma Haven Lodge, Mahogany springs lodge, Bwindi guest house, Enganzi lodge, chameleon hill lodge, Nkuringo gorilla camp, Trekkers Tarvern lodge, Rushaga gorilla camp, Ruhija community rest haven, gorilla safari lodge, Ruhija gorilla mist camp, Gift of nature lodge, Rushaga gorilla haven, Ichumbi gorilla lodge and others. The lodges offer quality accommodation facilities, high quality meals, drinks and others. The lodges are distributed to meet all the categories of clients that’s budget midrange, luxury lodges.

Volcanoes national park; offers a wide range of lodges to the client both luxury, midrange and budget lodges to meet the interest of the visitors. The lodges include; five volcanoes Boutique Hotel, Garden place Hotel, Farage Hotel, Best View Hotel, Da Vinci Gorilla lodge, Hotel Muhavura, Mountain Gorilla View lodge, Virunga lodge, Le Bambou Gorilla lodge, Garr Hotel, Kinigi Guest House, La Palme Hotel, Gorilla Volcanoes Hotel among others. The lodges offer quality accommodation and services for the visitors, ranging from meals, internet services.

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 Getting a gorilla permit in Congo

Getting a gorilla permit in Congo, there are several websites in the intermate talking about how to acquire Congo gorilla permits, getting a permit sin Rwanda is simple either through the tour operators or directly, all you need is to follow is the right procedures required for gorilla permit bookings in Congo. A gorilla permit is an Authorised document that the traveller carries with him/ her on the day of gorilla trekking, the card allows you have access to view the gorillas in their natural habitat. Any person without the permit, will not be allowed to trek the gorillas.

Gorilla trekking age limit in any of the national parks in Africa is minimum of 15 years, any body below that age is called a child and will not be allowed to trek the gorillas in Congo, and other national parks, that is Bwindi and Mgahinga in Uganda, volcanoes national park in Rwanda. Travellers will be given maximum of one hour with gorillas from the time you meet the gorillas.

Gorilla trekking; is a process hiking the steep slopes in the dense tropical forest in search for the habituated gorilla families, habituated gorillas means that they have been trained and are used to the sight of humans so they can not run to hide whenever they see humans. You will be led by the ranger in to the forest to help locate the gorillas for you and answer all your questions.in DR.Congo, there are two national parks known for harbouring gorillas, that is the Virunga national park for mountain gorilla trekking and Kahuzi Biega national park known for harbouring eastern lowland gorillas.

Cost of gorilla trekking permit in Congo

A single gorilla trekking permits for Virunga national park, goes for $400 dollars per permit for each person trekking gorillas this price if for foreign Non residence, $150 for democratic republic of Congo citizens. To trek gorillas in to national parks in Congo that is Virunga national park for mountain gorillas and Kahuzi Biega national park for low land gorillas. Congo gorilla permits are much cheaper compared to Uganda gorilla permit at $600 per person and for Rwanda is even more expensive compared to Uganda and Rwanda, the Rwanda permits go for $1500 per person trekking. The fees for the gorilla permit in Congo, includes; park entry fees for Virunga national park and Kahuzi Biega national park entry fees for gorilla trekking permit, services of ranger/ tour guide. One hour with the gorillas. Virunga national park, has got 8 habituated gorilla families opened for trekking which means that 64 gorilla permits are issued each day for 8 people per gorilla family. Kahuzi Biega national park, has 5 habituated gorilla families and only 8 people are allowed to trek each gorilla family every single day, therefore, Congo issues 40 gorilla permits every single day for travellers participating in gorilla trekking. Gorilla trekking is give one hour with gorillas in their natural habitat, but the normal exercise can last for 30 min to half hours of the day when trekking in search of the particular gorilla family since they are wild animals, they tend to move a lot thus its not easy to locate their current location on that particular day. Therefore, it may take some time, before locating the gorillas

 What is excluded in the gorilla permit?

The gorilla trekking permit in any of the national parks in Uganda, Rwanda, Congo harboring gorillas and offering gorilla trekking experience, excludes the following; accommodation and meals, tip, transport, porters fee, item of personal interest, drinks and others.

How to book a gorilla permit in Congo

Gorilla trekking permit in Congo, can be booked in two different ways, the first procedure is by contacting directly the Virunga park offices in Goma town in the democratic republic of Congo through either email or their telephones and they will advise according on hoe to proceed with your permit booking. The second alternative is through the registered tour operator for example if you contact adventure in the wild safaris , we will help check for the availability of your preferred dates of gorilla trekking then we will get back to you if there is availability on that day so that you can proceed with payments of the permits in order to confirm your bookings. Contacting a tour company is the easiest has it helps reduce on your Hussle of going through different process and you may also get delayed response when you try to contact them directly. We also help you plan for your safari in any of the east African countries by taking care of transport, accommodation and meals other activities included in the itinerary so that you will have the best of your safari in east Africa.

When booking your Congo gorilla trekking permit with the tour companies, you will nee to present the following;

  • The date, month and the year of travel to east Africa and the day you will be having your gorilla trekking experience.
  • We will check for the availability of permits on those dates then will get back to you with the finally answer and in case there is availability , we will request you to pay a 50% deposit for the permit so that we can secure the permits on your own behalf until when the payment is complete then finally you have confirmed your booking.
  • Once you pay the money, you will send the scanned copies of your passport with all the derails required in order to process the permits for you then the permits will be secured for you until the day for your gorilla trekking when we shall collect the permits for you. Note that, Congo does not send scanned copies of permits purchased.

When to book the gorilla permits

Travellers are always advised to book their permits in advance at least 6 month before the trekking date, in order to secure the permit early since they be highly competitive and can be sold out quickly, securing your permit in advance, will help you plan well for your safari without worrying for the gorilla permit in case you haven’t yet secured. Virunga national park is visited during the peak seasons of the year that from June, July, august, December and January and February, these time there is little rainfall which in most cases interferes with gorilla trekking.

For the case of Kahuzi Biega national park, its not highly visited by the travellers and therefore, you can obtain the gorilla permits at any time even the last-minute booking. There is no pressure compared to other national parks since the region is not famous with gorilla trekking experience.

When to go for gorilla trekking in the democratic republic of Congo

These national parks are open through out the year and they are opened to travellers visiting the park at any time of the year. Gorilla trekking experience is all year round since their no day the parks are resting from operation, but however, although its visited year in year out, knowing the best month of travel is the key factor since it will enable you have the best of your safari visits in democratic republic of Congo or any of the countries in east Africa for gorilla trekking. The dry season is the best time of the month when there is little or no rainfall. By this time, the ground is not muddy and slippery which makes it easy to trek on steep slopes in search for the gorillas. Which also enables other activities offered at the back to be successful.

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Best time to go gorilla trekking

Gorilla trekking in east Africa is a very day’s activity, gorilla trekking is a whole year-round experience in all national parks in east Africa harboring the endangered mountain gorilla species. Best time for gorilla trekking is when the land is dry and less slippery since gorilla trekking involves hiking on steep slopes and terrain in the forest in search for the gorillas. The time for gorilla trekking is also when the traveller is comfortable and he/she is convenient with the time of travel for the gorilla trekking experience. Gorilla trekking is one of most magical experience when you come in to contact with the huge Apes in their natural habitat. The gorillas live in the dense tropical forest of Africa with low humid conditions. Although gorilla trekking is all year activity, but knowing the right time to visit Africa for gorilla trekking is essential, you need to know the best season to visit. Other travellers may prefer the wet season in order to bit the costs or the high season to enjoy the benefits of a successful gorilla trekking experience. The wet season is normally for budget travellers since some costs can be reduced for example discounts offered on all lodges so you are assured to find the best lodge / accommodation facility of your choice, and also you will get to trek the easiest gorilla family due to the less concentration in park whereby travellers some times struggle to trek the easiest gorilla groups and dodging the tough ones.

Uganda comprises of two seasons that is the wet season and the dry season, the long rainy season is from the month of march to may and then from October to November, the rest of the month are recorded as the dry season in Uganda. but Bwindi impenetrable forest, being a tropical rain forest, you find it hard to predict the weather in the course of the day. This is to say that rain can be received at nay point of the day. Therefore, you will need the right equipment for gorilla trekking when visiting any of the countries in east Africa harboring habituated gorilla families.

Low season; low season in Uganda is from the month of March, April, May, and November, these months are recorded to be receiving heavy rainfall which in most cases interrupts gorilla trekking activity. The rains have discouraged a number of travellers from visiting the park, but the low season is the best time for budget travellers who do not wish to spend much during their safari in Uganda, in this season, the prices on lodges are offered discounts and they are very affordable since the occupancy rate is low compared to the high season when the parks are flooded with a lot of tourists.

The low season is a bit challenging for gorilla trekking, reason being that too much rainfall is received and thus the trails used for trekking gorillas are wet and muddy which makes it difficult to hike steep slopes. However, it does not rain the whole, there is always sun shine after the rain which enables travellers to continue with the gorilla trekking. By this time, the parks are less crowded so its most convenient and the atmosphere is pleasant for gorilla trekking.

High season; the high season in Uganda also known as the peak seasons are from the month of January, February, June, July, August and December, these months are registered with less or no rainfall at all making it convenient for gorilla trekking .during this month, the travellers are not affected or the activity of gorilla trekking id not affected by the rain compared to the rain season. Many travellers who come to Uganda for gorilla trekking, normally love to travel during the dry months of the year. When the trails are dry and the ground is not muddy making it easy to hike on the steep slopes and terrain in the forest.

During the dry season, the parks are flooded with tourists therefore, the large number of tourists, many lodges tend to increase the price on their accommodation prices which makes it expensive for the budget travellers. The dry season, allows travellers to take part is many activities offered in the park or even visit other national parks and take parts in other activities offered in different national parks.

Note that mountain gorilla permits have no discounts offered on the permits either Uganda gorilla permits or Rwanda gorilla permits the price of the gorilla permit remains the same throughout the year. Therefore in case you have interest in visiting mountain gorillas, you will be advised to book your gorilla permits in advance before the trekking day, therefor, you will need to come up with correct dates for gorilla trekking so that you can book your gorilla permit in advance also note that, the permits are not cancelled once bought and there will be no refund in case you fail to meet the actual day for your gorilla trekking. So, you will need to plan well in advance then secure your gorilla permit with us at adventure in the wild safaris or any of the registered tour operators in Uganda offering gorilla trekking packages.

Where to find the mountain gorillas

In Africa, the mountain gorillas are found in three east African countries, in Uganda, mountain gorillas are found in Bwindi impenetrable forest with the highest number of mountain gorillas living in the park Bwindi alone is recorded to be harbouring half of the worlds remaining mountain gorillas. The other parks are the volcanoes national park in Rwanda, Mgahinga national park in Uganda and Virunga national park in DR. Congo all together forming the Virunga massif.

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park- Uganda

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is a home to half of the world’s total population of mountain gorillas, the park is famous for gorilla trekking and also gorilla habituation experience. Bwindi is one of the national parks in east Africa where you can find endangered mountain gorillas. Besides, gorilla trekking, Bwindi offer a lot of activities for travellers visiting the park with over 19 habituated gorilla families, distributed in four sectors of the park, Bwindi offers the best region for gorilla trekking. The park others other activities like; forest walks, cultural visits, golden monkey trekking among others. The diverse eco-system of Bwindi has made tourist have memorable and adventurous experience during their visit in Uganda and taking part in activity in the best.

Volcanoes national park-Rwanda

Volcanoes national park, is also one of the most famous tourist destinations in Rwanda for gorilla trekking, volcanoes national is a home to the endangered mountain gorillas that are habituated in Rwanda. Therefore, mountain gorilla trekking is only done in volcanoes national park in Rwanda. Besides gorilla trekking, volcanoes national park, offers other activities like; golden monkey trekking, hiking the dormant volcanoes, bird watching, forest walks. There are also some animals spotted here including; Giant forest Hog, forest elephants, spotted hyenas, Bushbucks, buffalo among others.

Mgahinga national park – Uganda

Mgahinga national park is one of Uganda’s smallest national park in Uganda, the park is also known as Mgahinga gorilla forest national park. the park comprises of the Virunga conservation area situated in south western Uganda bordering Rwanda and the DR. Congo. Mgahinga national park, is famous for gorilla trekking experience, the park has one habituated gorilla family trek the travellers who visit the park for gorilla trekking expeditions. The park offers other activities like golden monkey trekking, bird watching, hiking, nature among others.

Democratic Republic of Congo- Virunga National Park

Virunga National park offers number of activities to tourists who visit Congo and particularly the Virunga national park. Virunga national park, is famous for gorilla trekking, but also offers activities like chimpanzee trekking, bird watching, monkey trekking, Hiking mount Nyiragongo with the clear views of the crater, Nature walks and others. These activities will give you the best of Congo and memorable safari experience of a life time.

Accommodation facilities

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park; there ae several lodges in Bwindi national park in all the four sectors of the park including Ruhija, Nkuringo, Buhoma, Rushaga, these sectors have habituated Gorilla groups opened for gorilla trekking. Therefore, to do gorilla trekking, you need to find accommodation nearer to the trekking location, the lodges in Bwindi include; Rushaga gorilla camp, Rushaga Gorilla Haven, Buhoma Haven, gorilla mist camp, Trekkers Tarvern, Nkuringo Bwindi gorilla lodge, mahogany springs, chameleon hill lodge, Ruhija gorilla safari lodge among others.

Volcanoes national park; visiting Rwanda for gorilla trekking, there several lodging facilities in Rwanda for travellers spending 2 or more nights in Rwanda during his or visits in volcanoes national park gorilla trekking safari. Including; 5 volcanoes boutique Hotel, Hotel Muhavura, Le Bambou Gorilla Village, gorillas’ volcanoes hotel among others. this lodges will offer the best service to make sure that you the best of your stay and safari in volcanoes national parks Rwanda.

Mgahinga gorilla national park; the lodges in Mgahinga include; Mount Gahinga lodge, clouds Mountain Gorilla lodge, Nkuringo Safari lodge, Muhavura Motel, silverback lodge and golden monkey guest house among others.

Virunga national park -DR. Congo; When you visit Congo, and mainly Virunga national park for gorilla trekking, you will need to secure your accommodation nearer to the park. the lodges in Virunga national park include, Kahuzi Hotel, Tchegera Island Camp, Mount Nyiragongo summit shelter, Orchids Safari Club, hotel Begonia, lakeside hotel Bakavu, Exodus Bakavu and others.

Mountain gorilla trekking experience in three of the east African countries is all the same throughout the year depending on which country is for you and the national park to explore for gorilla trekking experience. Gorilla trekking is an all year-round experience in all the national parks, bit in the wet season or dry season, the activity does not change, the services remain the same in all the national parks habituating mountain gorillas.

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Activities in Kibale forest national park

Kibale forest is located in western Uganda in the district of fort portal and Kasese, the park covers an ever-green forest measuring about 766 km2. In distance, from Kampala city the drive time takes about 6 hours and approximately 2 hours from Kasese to Kibale forest National park.

Activities in Kibale forest national park, offers visitors a lot of things to do and engage in during any of their visits in Kibale forest national park, with all the exciting and interesting activities offered in the park, visitors are assured of the best and memorable safari in Kibale forest national park. Kibale forest national park has the highest diversity of animal’s species ranging from primate species which include, the chimpanzees which involves chimp trekking and chimp habituation experience as well as red and black colobus monkeys, L-hoest monkeys, white monkeys and red-tailed monkeys and many others.

When you visit Kibale forest national park, there are lot of activities to do and things to see to your safari memorable during your safari visit to Kibale forest national park. these activities include chimp trekking, chimp habituation, nocturnal forest walk, Bigodi wetlands sanctuary, bush craft for children, bird watching, cultural encounters, nature walks and hikes, Amabere Ga Nyina Mwiru, crater lakes among others these activities offer you the best and the memorable safari to Kibale forest national park.

Activities in Kibale national park

Chimpanzee trekking; chimp trekking is one of the popular activities in Kibale forest national park, it involves walking through the forest in search for the chimpanzees, this activity is mainly done on habituated chimpanzee families and only travellers with chimpanzee permits are allowed to access the forest to view the chimpanzee. The permit allows you one with the gorillas from the time you meet them. Kibale harbours a large number of chimpanzees and visitors taking part in this activity, have higher opportunity of about 99% of seeing the chimpanzee every day.

Kibale forest national park, is the top tourist destination in east Africa for chimpanzee trekking, the forest is a home to over 1500 chimpanzees which has enabled chimpanzee trekking activities to take place. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest operates in two sessions every day the first shift starts in the morning at kanyanchu information centre situated in the middle of the park. the morning shift starts in the morning at 8:ooam with briefing at the park headquarters by 7:00 am in the morning and the afternoon shift kicks off at 2:00pm and takes about 2-3hours, the normal activity can last for 30 min to half hours of time searching for the chimpanzee families and when you encounter the chimps, you will be given one hour with them observing the, studying their behaviour and for early rises, you will have an opportunity to view chimpanzees taking part in their daily activities like making nests, resting, feeding young ones, patrolling and many others. The chimpanzee in the wild, can live up to 40 years and 60 years for chimpanzee living under captivity, the males are bigger than the female chimpanzee and weigh up to 150 lbs. During chimpanzee trekking, you will also be able to spot other primate species like red colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, hoest monkeys, bush babies, baboons among others.

Chimpanzee habituation is a process of making chimpanzee get used to the sight of humans, during chimp habitation, researchers, scientists, rangers and travellers taking part in the activity visit a particular chimpanzee family on a daily basis until when they used to the sight of humans then they can be opened for trekking. Chimp trekking is carried out in Kanyanchu information centre as well as chimp trekking and nature walks. Chimpanzee trekking is best during the month of March, April, November and December with little or no rainfall.

During chimpanzee trekking, visitors taking part in this activity, are given an opportunity to visit the chimps in their natural habitat, this is a whole day experience as you get to study the behaviours of the chimps, feeding and other activities. Not only that, the unique part of chimp habituation is that its not only viewing the chimps, but you become an active participant in the habituation process.

Bird watching; Kibale forest national park, is a home to over 370 bird species including white-winged warbler, papyrus Gonolek, African pitta, African pied wagtail, common fiscal, slender, billed weaver. Tropical boubou, pin tailed whydah, blue breasted kingfisher, blue heads bee-eater, crowned eagle among others. During bird watching, visitors spot variety of different bird species in their natural habitat. The activity starts early morning at kanyanchu information centre by 7:00am therefore, it requires an early morning rise for the start of the activity. The best time for bird watching is from March -April to May and from September to November, by this time, there are a lot of migratory birds sighted in this place.

Bigodi wetland sanctuary; Bigodi wetland sanctuary is situated just outside Kibale forest national park along Magombe swamp situated 6km from kanyachu information centre in Kibale forest national park. the Bigodi wetland sanctuary is operated by the local community surrounding the park. the local people are trained as tour guides for the wetland activities. During the Bigodi walk, you will be able to spot a lot of animals and species like the butterflies, bird species with over 138 recorded bird. the notable bird sighted here include; African pied wagtail. Common. Great blue turaco. Common. Pin-tailed whydah. Common. Slender-billed weaver. Common. Tropical boubou. Common and 8 primate species which include; red colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, Vervet monkeys, among others and mammals which include; mongoose, bushbucks, warthogs and others. The Bigodi wetland walk lasts for 2-4hours along the trails in the swamp and the visitors will have an opportunity to spot many animals, primates and bird species among others.

Cultural encounters; This activity enables tourists to interact with the local people who live around the Kibale forest national park, cultures like Bakiga and the Batooro .during this visit, the locals will show case different activities like; traditional dances,  Art and craft, weaving  this activity  is mostly done by the women living  around Kibale national park. your participation in this activity, the fee paid is from of charity which helps in the development of the communities around Kibale forest national park.

Bush craft Children Activities; the minimum age required for chimp trekking is 15 years and any person below the age is a child and will not be allowed to trek chimpanzees but there are plenty of Things for the children to do and see while the parents are on chimpanzee trekking. The rangers will guide the children through the wonders of the forest showing them wildlife, plants, trees, birds, and monkeys.

Kibale Forest is among the few places where children can take Bush craft classes and activities where the children will explore the Forest and have the time while in Kibale forest national time, the activities are full of fun and memories of life time. We also make sure that your children have a good and kid friendly driver with them to make sure that they feel comfortable and have the best time during their activities in the forest. For travellers who would like to visit Uganda together with their children, will be advised to book this activity in advance so early preparations.

Nocturnal forest walks; Nocturnal forest walks in Kibale forest is an activity that takes place at night after dinner in your lodge, you will be guided by arranger who carries a spotlight for easy viewing of the animals like; push babies, Pottos, forest cats and some forest birds among others. During these hours, the forest is so quiet and the animals have retired to their sleeping nests, it’s so easy to spot the animals. Visitors who go for this activity, are required to carry equipment like boots, long trousers, long sleeved shirt/ blouse, hat, water proof jacket, water and energy giving snacks. You will be led by the ranger guide who will walk through the trails with spotlight to enable you view animals in the dark.

Kibale forest has a number of lodges from which visitors in Kibale forest national park, can stay during their activities in Kibale forest national park, lodges cottages are usually designed with African traditional craft and bandas thatched with grass to offer conducive atmosphere and peaceful environment while at Kibale forest national park the lodges include; chimpanzee forest guest house, Kibale forest camp, primate lodge, crater safari lodge among others these lodges range from mid-range, luxury, budget they offer a good accommodation facilities to the clients taking part in different activities in Kibale forest national park.

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Securing/Reserving Gorilla Trekking Permits

For a person to be able to trek gorillas in any of the tree east African countries, that is ;Uganda, Rwanda and the DR.Congo, he/she must first secure/ reserve a gorilla permit as it’s the only way to trek gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable forest and Mgahinga national park, Rwanda its at the volcanoes national park and for Congo, travelers can secure permits for Virunga national park. Securing your gorilla permit is the first step to gorilla trekking in any of the countries above. Reason being that gorilla trekking is one of the most thought after activity in east African countries taking part in gorilla trekking and receive many visitors in Uganda and Rwanda for gorilla trekking, this is to say that, permits tend to be sold out faster so you will need to book in advance for the preferred dates you would like to go for gorilla trekking in any of the respect country of your choice.

Securing/Reserving Gorilla Permits Through Adventure in The Wild Safaris

Any person having interest in gorilla trekking in Uganda or Rwanda, the most convenient and easiest way to secure you permit is either through us at adventure in the wild safaris, or through any of the registered tour operators in Uganda or Rwanda. When you contact a tour company, for example adventure in the wild, we will check for the availability of the permits for either gorilla trekking Uganda or gorilla trekking Rwanda, in case there is any, we will get back to you with the number of permits on those preferred dates and when you have confirmed with us, we will go head and secure the permits on your behalf then you will proceed with the payments of the permits to confirm your booking and we shall reserve/ secure the permits for you according to your preferred dates and month of gorilla trekking and travel to Uganda or Rwanda. But securing your gorilla permit with us, requires that you book all-inclusive gorilla trekking safari with us (adventure in the wild safaris).

We offer safari packages ranging from 3 days gorilla trekking tour from Kampala, 3-day gorilla trekking tour from Kigali and others and if you would like to combine your gorilla safari with chimps, we also have 5-day Bwindi gorilla trekking and chimps tour or alternatives gorillas and wildlife. Note that our tour packages are tailored in the interest of our clients. For more I formation about gorillas and gorilla trekking, reach to us at adventure in the wild safari.

Securing/ reserving gorilla permits directly

For those who also do not want to secure their permits with any tour operator company, can also take the second option of securing the gorilla permit directly through Uganda wildlife authority. One can book the permit online by sending email or reaching to their offices at Kira road Kamwokya opposite the Uganda museum Kampala capital city. They will check for the availability of permits on those preferred dates and get back to you. Then you will ask them to reserve the permits for you according to your dates of gorilla trekking. After this, they will reserve the permits for you and advise you to proceed with the payments to confirm your booking and when you have traveled to Uganda, you will go and pick your permits from the head offices in Kampala. These all looks simply easy when you do everything on line but here comes the problem mostly faced by the travelers. When you send an email or calling the head office, in most cases you end up getting late response which can be a little bit stressful on the side of the clients, another challenge is you will need to book accommodation and transportation to Bwindi impenetrable forest. Bwindi has several sectors so you will need to book accommodation nearer to the location you will be trekking gorillas from since you will need an early morning rise to transfer to the park headquarters for briefing before the start of the activity. And also on the day of gorilla trekking, you will need a transfer to and from the starting point of your gorilla trekking as you can not walk on foot from the lodge to the park headquarters this is all tiresome, but when you reserve your gorilla permit altogether with the safari, with adventure in the wild safaris, we will take the responsibility and make sure you have the best of your safari in Uganda or Rwanda.

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Gorilla Trekking Family Allocation

When we talk about gorilla family allocations, in this article, we try to elaborate or educate clients on how mountain gorilla habituated families are allocated for visitors taking part in gorilla trekking experience. In Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, and Mgahinga national park in Uganda and volcanoes national park in democratic republic of Congo (DRC).

When gorilla trekking first started, Bwindi impenetrable forest in Uganda and volcanoes national park in Rwanda, both had different ways in which gorilla families where allocated to visitors on gorilla trekking. Looking at Rwanda. Rwanda used to allocate gorilla families according to the interest of each individual interested in the activity, for the case of Uganda, gorilla permits are allocated according to each habituated gorilla family. For example, by then Bwindi had only 1o habituated gorilla families opened for gorilla trekking located in each sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest all having different names allocated to them. With all the information trending on the internet, travellers would read the information about gorillas, gorilla families and names of gorilla families and would therefore decide a particular gorilla family they would wish to trek. These meant that gorilla families with few members or no silver and young gorillas would be left out since they would not be of interest to the travellers but this after some time, affected gorilla permit allocation whereby Mubare gorilla group used to be the least booked while Rushegura gorilla family was the most booked gorilla family this would lead to the shortage of gorilla permits for that particular gorilla family and also reduced on the revenue since other permits would be left out unsold. But today, that’s not the case since Bwindi added a number of habituated gorilla families to 17 gorilla habituated groups for trekking. The gorilla families are split in all the four sectors of Bwindi forest and gorilla trekking takes place in all the four sectors of the park. Uganda therefore followed Rwanda system of permit allocation in order to maximize the sale of gorilla permits from Uganda wildlife Authority.

How Gorilla Trekking Family Allocation Is Done in Uganda And Rwanda

Bwindi impenetrable national park has got four sectors opened to gorilla trekking, including Rushaga and Nkuringo situated in the south , Ruhija in the east and Buhoma in the northern side of Bwindi and each gorilla family having different habituated gorilla families .after Uganda wildlife authority established the allocation pf gorilla permits for different sectors of Bwindi, they went ahead and introduced gorilla permits allocation, based on the region of each tourist interest, age, physical fitness and many other reasons. Each region has habituated gorilla families, travellers having interest in gorilla trekking, can now book their gorilla permits according to the region you will be trekking from and it’s from that region where by you will choose particular gorilla family of your interest and suites you for gorilla trekking experience. Clients can only show interest on which gorilla family he wants to trek on the day of gorilla trekking but not during permit bookings. During your day for gorilla trekking, you will come knowing the exact region you will be trekking gorillas from but not the gorilla family since its from there when you can choose the gorilla family you will be visiting on that particular day. Adventure in the wild safaris is one of the leading Tour Operators in Uganda organizing primate safaris to Uganda, Rwanda and democratic republic of Congo (DRC) and will help you with all the information concerning gorilla trekking family allocation, gorilla permit bookings and planning your gorilla trekking safari to any of the east African countries of your choice where you would like to go for gorilla trekking.

 

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Gorilla Trekking Briefing Bwindi impenetrable forest Uganda and Rwanda

Mountain gorilla trekking, is done both in Uganda in Rwanda for travelers taking part in the activity before they can head in to the forest for the start of the activity. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is done in Mgahinga national park and Bwindi impermeable forest, Bwindi comprises of four sectors for gorilla trekking that is Buhoma, Nkuringo, Rushaga, and Ruhija, visors taking part in gorilla trekking will be briefed in each sector according to where you will be trekking gorillas from. In Rwanda, gorilla trekking is in done in volcanoes national park and in Virunga national park in democratic republic of Congo. During gorilla trekking, no one will be allowed to enter the forest without first the briefing at the park headquarters. Gorilla briefing is done in order to remind travelers about the dos and the don’ts while with the gorillas in their natural habitat, mountain gorilla briefing is normal for any country taking part in gorilla trekking these helps to promote security to both tourists and the gorillas and also protect the life of gorillas from any cause of harm when visited by the tourists. Therefore, its advisable to have a briefing before going in to the forest to trek the gorillas.

When is gorilla trekking briefing?

Gorilla trekking in both Uganda and Rwanda take place early morning during the start of the exercise at the respective headquarters in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, gorilla briefing starts by 8:30 am every morning of each day of gorilla trekking. These therefore means that all travelers taking part in gorilla trekking will be require to rise up earl morning and be at the park headquarters by 8:30 am in the time for gorilla trekking briefing. Gorilla trekking helps to remind visitors about the rules and regulations and how to conduct one’s self when you encounter the gorillas and how to behave while in the forest during the trek in search for the gorillas. For travelers who book gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda, with adventure in the wild safaris, we always provide our clients with documents talking about gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda so that you all the necessary knowledge and information about this kind of activity. We also do pre gorilla briefing, this is mostly done by one of our tour guides who will be taking you for the safari, this guide is your driver for the safari , he will drive you early morning to the park headquarters for early morning briefing at the park headquarters and also he will be with you through the safari even in the forest trekking gorillas he will help locate the gorillas for you and also answer all the questions you have a bout the gorillas and also he will keep reminding you bout the rules and regulations for gorilla trekking so that you will have the best of your gorilla trekking safari in Uganda or Rwanda.

Before Your Gorilla Trekking Briefing in Uganda And Rwanda

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda takes place in volcanoes national park, before gorilla trekking, visitors are given a briefing at the park headquarters about the dos and the don’ts of gorillas, gorilla briefing in Rwanda takes place ta kinigi park headquarters by 8:30 am Rwanda time. Gorilla briefing in Rwanda is done in one place where by all trekkers converge in one place for the briefing before entering the forest fort the start of your activity, which is not the case with gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest in Uganda, Bwindi has four sectors for gorilla trekking and gorilla briefing, takes place in different sectors depending on where you are trekking gorillas from. Gorilla trekking briefing in Rwanda is much more exciting as the locals come in to show case their performances for the visitors like the traditional dances, help motivate visitors as the start the activity of gorilla trekking also as you wait for gorilla trekking briefing, all visitors are offered a cup of coffee or tea to generate energy as you start the activity.

For the case of Uganda, before the start of gorilla trekking, all visors are warmly welcomed by the Uganda wildlife authority ranger guide who will direct you where you will be sited as you wait for the briefing. Normally as you wait for the briefing, a documentary is always showed to the tourists taking apart in gorilla trekking so that you can have knowledge a bout mountain gorillas in the highland areas so that when you begin the trek you will a clue about gorillas and gorilla trekking experience. While you are watching, the Uganda wildlife authority representative will be cross checking all your passports, gorilla permits and all the necessary document that will be required of you before you enter the forest for gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest, Mgahinga national and volcanoes national park in Rwanda. the passports are normally checked for the nationality of the clients as well as age of each traveler due to participate in gorilla trekking. The nationality is checked in order to establish who and which country sends many tourists in Uganda and also for record purposes, this helps in marketing purposes for the tourism industry. Age is also highly recommended for gorilla trekking since there is a set age required for gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda, the current age for gorilla trekking is 15 years and any one below the age is known to be a child and will not be allowed to trek the gorillas in their natural habitat, therefor, adventure in the wild safaris, we advise our clients to always take note of that so that we try to avoid such incidences from happening in case a person is discovered to be below the required age for gorilla trekking and he/ she is denied to trek gorillas.

The second and most important expect of age limit for gorilla trekking is that if there is any elderly person who has come to trek gorillas and may not be in position to trek on steep slopes in the forest, they will be advised to take porters with them or sedan chairs used for carrying them to and from the forest after the encounter with gorillas. The importance of sedan chairs is that no one is left out to reach his/ her dream of seeing the mountain gorillas either disabled, old person or any person who cannot walk longer distances, we got you all covered.

The other reason for checking gorilla permits during gorilla briefing is that gorilla trekking permits are issued according to the exact date of your gorilla trekking, therefore, cross checking this permits means that its valid for gorilla trekking on that particular day or date as you will not be allowed to trek gorillas incase you come a day before or a day after your exact date for gorilla trekking. We advise our clients to take note of the date of your travel and the exact date for gorilla trekking so that you don’t miss out on the activity. Also note that Bwindi impenetrable forest has got different sectors or starting point for gorilla trekking including Nkuringo, Buhoma, Rushaga, Ruhija sectors. Gorilla permits are sold depending on each sector of Bwindi you are trekking gorillas from and also book accommodation closer to sector you are trekking for an early morning rise for the start of the activity with the briefing at the headquarters of each four sectors of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. This therefore implies that, incase you have booked a Rushaga gorilla permit and you end up in Buhoma, you will not be allowed to trek gorillas in this region because you will be a wrong place at the right time and you will not be allowed to trek gorillas. Adventure in the wild safaris, we always give information to our clients on the region they will be trekking gorillas from and also book lodges in advance closer to the region.

More a bout gorilla trekking briefing and frequently asked questions and answers for gorilla trekking

Further to my previous comments, gorilla trekking briefing takes place in each of the three east African countries park headquarters noted for gorilla trekking experience, in Uganda, you will visit Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga situated in southwestern Uganda and in Rwanda, in volcanoes national park and Virunga national park in Congo. When you book your safari with adventure in the wild safaris, we make sure that you have the right gorilla trekking permit for the exact location you will b trekking gorillas, we also make sure we book lodges closer to the starting point or park headquarters so that the guide will transfer you early morning for your briefing on dos and the don’ts of gorillas.

Also, during the briefing, the ranger guide will highlight on the procedure of gorilla family allocations. Number od people for each habituated gorilla family, the time taking trekking and the spend you will be allowed to spend with the gorillas. The guide will also mention about the rules and regulations, also encourage travers the purpose of taking a porter with them for gorilla trekking or hiring a sedan chair for those who can not trek for long distance on steep slopes. Then after, visitors are allowed to ask questions that they would need some clarification and you begin the activity of gorilla trekking.

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