Standing face-to face with a mountain gorilla is going to be one of the most magical and exhilarating moments of your travel experience. It will surely take your breath away. Under the guidance of highly trained rangers and guides this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will be on the list of your most epic adventures. It’s like being in a Tarzan movie. So amazing!
The mountain gorillas’ habitats can be found in protected national parks. There are 2 populations. The first group is in the Virunga volcanic mountains, scattered along Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda; and the second group lives in the Bwindi Forests of Uganda. Mountain gorillas are different than the gorillas that you see in the zoos. The zoo gorillas are lowland gorillas while the mountain gorillas are one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla and can only be found in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Many Mountain gorillas have been captured and killed by poachers. They were declared critically endangered; however, their numbers have increased in Uganda and Rwanda due to the conservation efforts of trackers and rangers. The gorilla permits bought by tourists contribute to the conservation of these very important and magnificent creatures. More than 1000 mountain gorillas remain today. Unfortunately, at the moment it is quite dangerous to go gorilla trekking in Congo. War, political instability and rebel groups have put a great threat to Virunga National Park in Congo, putting the apes in a crisis, threatening their existence and habitats.
I had two options to choose from, so, I picked Uganda to see the great apes, as I heard from other travelers that the deep and dense forests of Bwindi make this experience even more adventurous. Uganda is called the “Pearl of Africa and rightly so, because of its abundant biodiversity, tropical rainforests, beautiful clear lakes and magnificent primates and birds. This wildlife encounter was worth every penny and I look forward to another gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
For this trip, I took a flight to Kigali, Rwanda and from there I was driven to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. I used Devine African Safaris for my transportation services. My driver Boaz picked me up from the Kigali airport and we started our 8-hour drive to Bwindi. After a long, and towards the end, a bumpy ride, I finally reached my accommodation in Bwindi called Mahogany Springs Resort. Even though it was 11 PM by the time I reached, the kind people of this resort had my dinner ready. The staff of this resort were some of the friendliest people I’ve met. We had lots of wonderful conversations.
Finally, the big day was hear. I was about to do something that would become one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I was overwhelmed with all these feelings the night before and could hardly sleep. At 7 AM I met my driver at the hotel lobby. The nice staff of the hotel gave me my packed lunch and a walking stick for the hike. After that, my driver transferred me from my hotel to Bwindi National Park headquarters for a pre-gorilla trekking briefing and a wonderful song and dance performance by the girls of a local school.
The mountain gorillas live in an altitude of 2200 to 4300 hundred meters. So, you should follow directions and take it easy. One thing to keep in mind is that the trek is quite difficult and hiring a porter helps greatly. They carry your heavy belonging and help you navigate the steep and tricky paths of the trek. It is a very common practice by travelers and is a great source of income for the porters. So, you a greatly contributing to their community. It is up to you how much you want to pay them, but the minimum is $20. My porter David helped me so much. I wouldn’t have made it without his help. For that I’m so very grateful to him.
After the briefing, we were transferred to the gorilla trekking starting point with my group to track the Katwe gorilla family. Hiking time for seeing the gorillas are unpredictable. For us it took 3 hours, while another group hiked for 8 hours depending where the gorillas are located that day. The trackers visit the gorillas early to figure out their locations, so it’s very important that you follow their directions.
Finally, after one of the most difficult treks I’ve done, we finally came face to face with one of our ape cousins. It’s difficult to construct sentences to express that surreal feeling. Seeing these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat is so humbling. You get an hour to observe them and take pictures. That was an unbelievable hour of watching our ape cousins. It’s something you will never forget. There is no direct interaction with them unless they move past you. If a gorilla tries to approach you, you need to look down and be submissive. Trying to run away will portray you as a threat to them. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see a silverback but encountered about 8 magnificent gorillas including one carrying a baby on its back and one pregnant one.
A close encounter such as this with a mountain gorilla is the best wildlife experience.After a magical hour it was time to head back. The hike going down wasn’t as difficult as going up. However, it started raining so it got quite slippery.This was an experience of a lifetime, seeing mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, deep within the African forests of Bwindi, Uganda. I hope I get to experience this again. Can’t wait to try this again in Rwanda.
Tips on how to dress:
-Quality pair of boots will help you with the hike.
-Gloves will protect your hands from getting scratched when holding on to branches and vines.
-Long sleeved, dry-fit shirts are needed so that you don’t expose your skin to creepy-crawly or other bugs.
-A good pair of long hiking pants.
-Rain jackets are essential because you’re going into a rainforest so there’s a high chance that you will experience some rain.
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