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5 reasons to do gorilla trekking in Uganda

5 reasons to do gorilla trekking in Uganda

Mountain gorilla trekking though very fantastic and a favorite to many wildlife lovers, the experience is limited to only three countries which are Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo in the whole world. However, even among these limited three destinations, one needs to choose carefully which country is able to give the exceptional uganda gorilla safari experience that suits the traveler’s curiosity about mountain gorilla tracking. Mountain gorillas are endangered and they only survive in the wild, the only chance you have to see them is by trekking into their native forests. Visiting the silent cold ground of a Ugandan forest for an hour can turn out to be one of your greatest life experiences. There are about 900 mountain gorillas in the world today and embarking on a gorilla trekking safaris presents you an opportunity to interact with these amazing and intelligent primates.

Mountain gorillas are found in only four habitats within the three countries including in the dense vegetation of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and the other three parks share borders are within the Virunga Conservation area comprising of Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.

The population of mountain gorillas has greatly increased from 254 that were left in the world by 1981 to about 1004 estimated to be in the jungle today. Thanks to the intense international conservation efforts that have been undertaken to help in the increase of these animals. Mountain gorillas cannot survive in captivity and therefore the only way to see them is by trekking to their natural habitat in their misty cloud forests that can reach 14,763 feet altitudes.

Below are some five guiding reasons to make Uganda your perfect mountain gorilla trekking destination

Highest Number of Mountain Gorillas

Uganda has got this number of mountain gorillas within her two gorilla trekking spots of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. When it comes to the mountain gorillas within the parks of the Virunga conservation area, they don’t respect political borders and therefore the populations within the three border-sharing parks are relatively fluid but still Uganda has got an edge given that Bwindi alone has half of the world’s mountain gorillas whose families are permanent in this habitat. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is also known as “The place of darkness” due to its dense canopies with her montane and lowland forests sitting on 128 square miles. Due to its incredible biodiversity and the large number of endangered species, the region was named a UNESCO World Heritage site. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park may not have the vastness and gorilla variety of Bwindi but boasts full accounts of 13 square miles with three of the major eight Virunga peaks including Mount Gahinga, Mount Muhabura and Mount Sabyinyo.

Cheap and Affordable Gorilla Permits

The conservation and protection of the gorillas in Uganda to promote tourism is evidenced right from the price and accessibility regulations. Regulations enforce limited daily accessibility of gorillas in the parks to ensure that gorillas stay wild and healthy in their habitat. The cost of gorilla permits in Uganda is 600 usd for foreign non-residents, 500 usd for foreign residents and 250,000 shs for East Africans paid all year round. This makes Uganda gorilla tours far more affordable when compared to gorilla trekking permits in Rwanda that are being sold at $1,500 throughout the year.

Support local people to prevent Gorilla habitat Destruction

Gorillas are facing a big threat of habitat destruction to human activities mainly farming and settlement de to increased poverty and high population in the adjacent communities. There are various channels through which trekkers can contribute to the communities they visit. One of the most popular one is by hiring a reformed porter who is a local resident and a former poacher. The porter will help you through the difficult and unpredictable landscape in the park and they also guide trekkers through River crossings and the steep, muddy slopes. Another option is to take part in the community-led activities like village walks and cultural tours that are steered by young adults in Bwindi who get trained in hospitality through rigorous classes and practical work experience.

At Mgahinga gorilla national park, the elders of the Batwa tribe take the visitors through a forest tour along the Batwa trail. During this tour, the elders explain to the visitors how their forest-dwelling tribe used the forest plants for food and medicine and exhibiting their former hunting skills.

Enjoy Adventurous Experience

The terrain in Southwestern Uganda is characterized by terraced hills and rolling volcanic slopes that are not for the faint of heart to climb. Taking on such a challenging terrain while on your Uganda gorilla trekking safari can turnout to be an adventure of your lifetime. Reaching the gorillas is very unpredictable and requires hard work since they don’t stay at a particular place for their visitors to find them. You are likely to navigate uphill and downhill and go through thick tangles of vine, thorns and roots. Don’t forget that the impenetrable forest is only accessible by foot with no clear paths, signs and no directions. The park rangers and guides always carry machetes to clear the passages. However after all this hard work, the reward outweighs all the hustles encountered and you quickly realize that the challenge was worthy taking.

Home to More Other Primates

Uganda is one of the favorite destinations for primate-lovers. Mgahinga has not only got gorillas, it is also a home to another endangered species, the golden monkey. High up in the bamboo forests is where you can find these furry, comical monkeys. Unlike gorilla trekking, tracking golden monkey is less challenging though the searching process for these sister primates is very similar. Bwindi has got more primates that include L’hoest monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabays and blue monkeys. Uganda’s other national parks also provide a safe home to a variety of primates like the dominance of chimpanzees at Kibale Forest National Park, Patas monkeys are common at Murchison falls National Park where as Queen Elizabeth National Park has got numerous blue monkeys and red-tailed monkeys. In addition to primates, Ugandan parks have also got a huge number of non-primates like lions, Leopards, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, just to mention a few.

The above lucrative factors are to guide you to a fantastic and unforgettable gorilla tracking experience in Uganda. They are further supported and confirmed by the unfavorable gorilla trekking factors in the neighboring countries like security-entangled Virunga national park of DRC and the unaffordable Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda with highly priced gorilla permits.

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