How hard is Gorilla Trekking in Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo? The challenge of gorilla trekking safari is best judged and discussed on an individual basis. This is a common inquiry/question, and while each case is different, the answer may depend on a number of factors. There are a few questions you should ask yourself before deciding how difficult this task is. To plan appropriately, you should learn how long gorilla trekking safari often takes from tourists.
Asking yourself questions like “Am I physically able to take on this action?” will help you assess your physical ability. You need to be in good mental and emotional shape to participate in this safari activity, as well as good physical shape. There are only three countries in the East Africa where tourists can visit, to trek the gorillas in their native habitat and on foot: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda.
In Eastern Africa, gorilla trekking safari is among the most sought-after adventures in the wild. It’s a more authentic and exciting safari adventure than game drives or birding tours in a wildlife reserve. This is because, after the initial briefing, the entire safari is conducted on foot while you look for potential gorilla resting areas. Visitors can walk through a forest that has been left in its natural state, complete with lush vegetation, small rivers, and rolling hills.
Because of these challenges, the safari experience is as authentic as it gets; yet, it is also quite demanding, and visitors are likely to emerge from the forest exhausted. Those who haven’t exercised in advance and aren’t used to walking for long distances may get muscle strains and sore knees. Pack a raincoat, wear water-resistant clothing and carry your medicine if you have altitude sickness because mountain gorilla trekking takes place in forested and hilly areas where you could experience rain showers or altitude illness at any time.
Although this is a strenuous physical safari activity, that does not mean that the rest of us are incapable of completing it. It’s better to be safe than sorry, since 98% of previously unfit people have completed their mountain gorilla expedition. Seeing other primates, various birds, and a wide variety of flora and fauna is part of what makes gorilla trekking such a rewarding safari experience. It’s more like a walk in the park, except with the added bonus of seeing mountain gorillas.
Although the four locations for mountain gorilla trekking safari are relatively close to one another, they each provide a distinctive safari experience due to factors such as the terrain, the number of gorilla families in the park, the cost of the permit, the ease of getting to the park, the quality of available lodges, the safety of the area, and so on. Guests have observed gorillas in less than an hour at some spots, but the average time spent in the jungle seeking is between thirty minutes and six hours. Just how challenging is gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Factors that determine how hard your gorilla trek in Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo.
Trackers have been keeping an eye on the gorilla families that guests will be visiting, and they have also helped with the habituation process. The gorillas have a social structure similar to that of a family, with one dominant male (the silverback) serving as the group’s leader. Assigning yourself to a close gorilla family will shorten your stroll time because these families love to hang out in one particular house.
The sick and the elderly are typically cared for by their closest gorilla family. You can be placed with any of the other families of gorillas if you are willing to spend more time in the wild. With the exception of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, all of the other parks feature at least 12 separate gorilla families.
Gorillas can be found in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Uganda’s Mgahinga gorilla national park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Virunga National Park and Kahuzi Biega National Park.
Trekking gorillas in any of these safari destinations will be enhanced by the variety of terrain and flora you’ll encounter. The Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, for instance, has the easiest terrain, and visitors may usually see the gorillas within an hour. Those in search of greater excitement and extended time in the jungle might visit Bwindi Wild or Mgahinga Gorilla Park.
Visiting the Kahuzi-Biega Lowland Gorillas. You may spend more time travelling through the forest in pursuit of these gorillas in Biega National Park, but this is likely due to the fact that they like to remain in the lowlands but move swiftly.
As was mentioned before, your level of physical condition will be entirely up to you and will determine whether or not your safari is a success in terms of your enjoyment and the most you can get out of it.
These are just the most crucial considerations; if you’d like to go through the others, please get in touch with us. We shall be super excited to help you arrange a gorilla safari in Uganda, Rwanda, or the Congo, or a double or triple gorilla trekking adventure in all of these countries.