How to Trek Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
How to Trek Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest: Trekking mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the popular activities in Uganda that involves hiking through the dense jungle in search of the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural setting. In Uganda, trekking gorillas takes place in only two prominent parks, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, all located in south western Uganda. Bwindi is more popular than Mgahinga due to its abundant gorilla population that is distributed across the four sectors of Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo, and Rushaga. Travellers planning to visit Uganda for gorilla safaris should know that during gorilla trekking, there are certain processes you have to undergo to make your gorilla trekking trip a success.
Gorilla Tracking process in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Gorilla trekking, particularly in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and other gorilla trekking destinations such as Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda), Virunga National Park (DRC), and Mgahinga National Park (Uganda), has procedures to follow when conducting the exercise.
Trekkers planning to do gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park must have a gorilla permit, which is the crucial requirement issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), an autonomous government body whose role is to regulate, manage, and conserve the country’s wildlife. The gorilla trekking permit is issued depending on the sector a visitor intends to track. On the other hand, the cost of the gorilla permit depends on the visitor’s nationality and the status of his or her residence.
Here, a gorilla permit for non-foreign residents costs $800, for foreign residents it costs $ 700, and for Citizens of East Africa it costs UGX 300,000. There are 22 habituated gorilla families in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park reserved for gorilla trekking, and one semi-habituated gorilla family located in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi. However, only 8 people are recommended to track a particular assigned gorilla family a day. Therefore, it is advisable to book your gorilla permits in advance, about 3 months before the tracking date.
Gorilla permits are attached with specifications such as the gorilla trekking sector with specific dates of tracking. However, it is advisable to seek the services of a licensed and trusted tour operator like Caracal Explorers , who will save you from the hassle of the whole process but also get you to the trekking destination and return home effortlessly.
Upon reaching the park on the tracking date, it’s mandatory to undergo a briefing at the park headquarters about the rules and regulations of the activity. Trekkers are assigned gorilla families in groups of 8 people per family. These groups are led by armed rangers into the jungle to search for the endangered mountain gorillas. This search can only stop trekkers’ movement upon seeing these gentle giants.
The gorilla trekking search may take from 45 minutes to 6 hours in the jungle, and upon seeing them, trekkers spend a maximum of an hour to interact and study the gorillas in terms of their behaviour and social dynamics, such as feeding, lifestyle, and family activities. For gorilla trekking to be judged complete, you will take photos and videos as a true record of the experience. After, you will head back to the park offices to receive your certificates as proof of having successfully participated in the activity and conservation of these mountain gorillas.
What is the Duration of gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
The gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is more likely to take from 45minutes to 7 hours (3/4 of the entire day). This means that the experience varies depending on several factors such as the location of the visitors assigned to a gorilla family to track, where the gorillas spent their last night, the trekkers’ pace and movements of the gorillas, among others. In this case, if trekkers are moving at a low pace, where sometimes you may need to trek through the lush vegetation and hike up the hills, your speed may also impact the duration when searching for mountain gorillas.
Best time to trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi- How to Trek Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is an all-year-round activity. However, the best time of the year to trek mountain gorillas is during the dry season that runs from June to September and December to February. These months receive little rainfall, leading to dry roads that make accessibility to Bwindi very possible, with clear scenic views of wildlife species and trekking trails.
On the other hand, visitors can visit Bwindi during the rainy season, which runs from March to May and October to November. However, these months work best for budget clients who always get discounts, mainly on accommodation, with fewer crowds. Additionally, visitors should also note that these months are characterised by thick vegetation due to heavy rains, which may at times lead to slippery and slick tracks, making some of the park roads impassable.
How to access Bwindi Impenetrable National Park- How to Trek Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
For travellers to access Bwindi, they can either use the road or air transport. By road, travellers can drive from Entebbe International Airport along Mbarara-Kabale Highway, which takes about 9-10 hours to access the park to your booked lodge. On the other hand, by flight visitors can fly at a duration of about 1:15 minutes from either Entebbe International Airport of from Kajjansi Airfield to Bwindi using either Kihihi Airstrip located in the northern part of the park or to Kisoro Airstrip in the southern part of the park in Kisoro District and after you connect to the park on road in less than an hour.
