What Time Are Mountain Gorillas Most Active During Gorilla Trekking

According to research, the mountain gorillas are most act in the morning and afternoon. Gorilla safaris  start early morning with verifying documents, briefing, allocating each tourist a gorilla family to trek and others. You can choose to do gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience depending on your preference. Book Now

When the mountain gorillas de-nest early morning, they are hungry and each wants to find breakfast. The dominant silverback has the responsibility to find the feeding locations with food that can satisfy the whole family throughout the day and night. During mid-day time, the mountain gorillas tend spend most of the time napping to rejuvenate.

Each day a team of ranger guides wakes up earlier than tourists to track the mountain gorillas where may have spent the night and establish there possible direction for the day. Ranger guides communicate these details to the ranger guides at the station who use them as clues to locate the mountain gorillas.

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Where to Do Gorilla Trekking Safari

In Uganda

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation experience all happen in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which is about 327 square kilometers wide. This vast area is divided into four areas for better execution of administrative matters around Bwindi forest that is Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo.

At the moment about 20 gorilla trekking families are open to the public but booking the gorilla permit is according to these areas. Gorilla habituation experience is another activity open in Bwindi forest where maximum four tourists accompany a team of ranger guides to spend four hours with a semi-habituated gorilla family.

More to the mountain gorillas living in Bwindi forest are about 9 other primates including blue monkeys, chimpanzee trekking, olive baboons, grey cheeked mangabey, red tailed monkeys and others. Over 350 bird species are residents of Bwindi forest including Albertine rift endemics. More than 51 reptiles, 200 tree species, 310 butterflies are residents of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Mgahinga National Park

The Mgahinga National Park which is situated in the far southwestern part of Uganda is home to so far one gorilla trekking family called Nyakagezi. This untamed Mgahinga forest is home to golden monkey too an endangered monkey species with a population of about 4000 of them living in the world so far.

More than 115 bird species find home in Mgahinga forest including Albertine rift endemics. In addition, the presence of the three Virunga Volcanoes that is Mountain Gahinga, Muhavura and Sabyinyo. These mountains can be hiked in a day. Note that Mgahinga National Park is one of the few untouched wildernesses in the world that are less visited yet rich with flora and fauna that has survived over centuries.       

In Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park is so far home to more than 12 gorilla trekking families that traverse its highly mountainous environment turning the entire gorilla trekking adventure of Rwanda quite steep. The topography of Volcanoes forest is composed of five of the six Virunga Volcanoes that is Mountain Gahinga, Sabyinyo, Bisoke, Karisimbi and Muhavura.

In addition to the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, this park is home to other primates including olive baboons, grey cheeked mangabey, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus and others. More than 200 bird species have also been confirmed as residents of Volcanoes forest too.

What is the starting time of gorilla safaris

In Uganda, the gorilla trekking adventure is expected to start at about 0800 hours but document verification and briefing is done prior to this time that is why you are required to report to the station earlier. The gorilla trekking tour in Rwanda is expected to start at 0130 hours from the ORTPN.

The ranger guide follows the trail leading where the mountain gorilla family was last seen the previous day. The ranger guides also use the assistance of the clues provided by the team of early trackers who follow the mountain gorillas right from morning to establish where they may have spent the night. Finding the mountain gorillas may take about 2 hours or more.

Return time from gorilla safari is hard to determine because the mountain gorillas move freely with nothing stopping them from exploring the forest. This may explain the reason for the possibility of a delay to locate these primates. The environment where mountain gorillas live is often soggy and boggy because of the regular rains that fall yet less sunlight is allowed to get through the dense canopy to the ground.

The time of finding the mountain gorillas is also influenced by pace of fellow tourists, weather conditions influencing the day and others. Having some level of patience is very important before finding the mountain gorillas as this keeps the quest to see these primates still high.

Upon finding the mountain gorillas, one hour is allowed with these primates during gorilla trekking and four hours are allowed with these animals during gorilla habituation experience.

Do I Need Fitness For A Gorilla Safari In Uganda Or Rwanda

Yes, some level of fitness is required during gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience in Uganda or Rwanda. The topography of the area where the gorilla safaris happen has rolling hills because of the volcanic actions that affected this area leaving several highlands including ridges, plateaus and others.

No need to do vigorous exercises as you prepare for the gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience in Uganda or Rwanda. Start with the simple strides that are more than the usual then increase as per the advise of your fitness instructor.

When Can I Book The gorilla Safari Permit

Booking the gorilla safari permit is best before 90 days to gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience date because of the high competition for them yet supply is restricted.

Steps to take book the gorilla permit, start with finding the date when to do the tour, identify the number of gorilla permits in order to help with checking availability. Upon finding the mountain gorillas, it is best to book the gorilla permits in the shortest time possible because there status may change without warning.

Finding gorilla permit availability at the last minute is hard especially in the peak season when they sell out in advance. Even the logistics that support tourism may be hard to book at the last minute.

What Are The Odds Of Finding The Mountain Gorillas

Finding the mountain gorillas has about 99% chances no matter the season because they are habituated a process that helps them get used to the presence of humans. The mountain gorillas also occupy a particular location for sometime as its feeding area and can only be move foot is insufficient.

The mountain gorillas have bulky bodies incapable of moving fast so even when they relocate, it may not be far from there previous area.

What may cause the mountain gorillas to move may be if they are disturbed by fellow wild mountain gorillas, death is a family member especially the dominant silverback, an attack from another gorilla family and others.

The tracker ranger guides who monitor the gorilla families keep record of some of these occurrences and possible mood of the gorilla family and this is part of the details that are given at the briefing point.

Is Gorilla Safari Safe

Gorilla safaris are safe even the semi-habituated gorilla habituation experience is secure too. By nature, the mountain gorillas are calm primates even with there scaring dark outfit covering the bodies and massive size. There locomotion style is scaring too because they move by knuckle style.

Even with this output, mountain gorillas donot normally use it to scare there visitors as portrayed by animations and films instead they shy away. Try hard not to cross the lines of gorilla safari rules as these are meant to prevent provoking the mountain gorillas.

Because the mountain gorillas have feelings, they can charge too but donot be quick to run away as this may escalate the situation.  When you notice unfamiliar behavior amongst the mountain gorillas, wait for the ranger guide to establish the cause of the matter. Be ready to emulate the ranger guide’s new tactics aimed at showing that you come with good intentions. Sometime you may be required to show submission, try eating foliage and much more these are possible ways to control the situation. At most, the mountain gorillas may run into hiding.

Why Do Gorilla Safari In Uganda Or Rwanda

Gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience is a special moment where you get to face the few surviving mountain gorillas there is in the world yet living in only three countries Uganda, Rwanda and D.R.Congo.

By purchasing the gorilla permit, you contribute to the conservation of these primates whose population is only about 1000 mountain gorillas as of the last census. More funds are still required to support the existence of the mountain gorillas as part of it is used for external medical even though the mountain gorillas must depend on the provision of the forest.

When you hire a porter before the gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience safari, you support the community around the destinations that would engage in illegal activities within the park. There is need for more community sensitization in order to make them appreciate the relevancy of having these primates in there environment.

The photos and films of the mountain gorillas in there natural setting are adorable and unique especially for nature lovers.

How easy or difficult is the gorilla safari in Rwanda and Uganda

In general gorilla safaris are quite challenging because of the highlands situated around the park. You need to bear some level of fitness in order not to muscle pull or fail to complete the adventure. Sometimes the mountain gorillas spend time on the slopes of these highlands or deep in the valley where you have too hike in order to get to these primates.

The Virunga area has creepers that drape the tree stems, ridges and plateaus and may obstruct the way but the ranger guide with a machete uses it to trim the way and create a path.

The ground in the forest where mountain gorillas take place gets soggy, slippery and boggy from the water that over flows from the rivers and steams

When Is The Best Time To Do A Gorilla Safari

The best time to do the gorilla safari is the dry season when the environment in the wilderness is expected to be less moist. The Virunga area is known to receive untimely rains that fall without raining. Even the dense network of rivers and streams flows in the normal course during the dry season keeping the ground passable.

The mountain gorillas are known to spend more time closer to the ground because there is food scarcity as competition for these supplies is over the top. The mountain gorillas are full of life and freely traverse the forest to find a meal that will saticify there bodies through the day and night. In the dry season, the mountain gorillas love to chewing on foliage situated closer to the ground. There is more sunlight let in through the dense canopy creating a beautiful ambiance and the vegetation is vibrant too.

Note that more tourists are expected to join the gorilla safari in the dry season because this is the peak tourism season too.  The demand for gorilla permits is over the top in the high season yet there supply is restricted to minimize the effects of mass tourism to the environment where mountain gorillas survive.  Even demand for other related safari logistics is high including accommodation, transport that support your stay during the gorilla safari.

The wet season may not be bad timing to book a gorilla safari because no matter the season, seeing the mountain gorillas is guaranteed. There may be some challenges during the search for the mountain gorillas because the ground gets quite slippery out of the decomposing matter from the falling leaves and soggy. When you find the mountain gorillas, one hour is allowed with the fully habituated gorilla family that is gorilla trekking and four hours with semi-habituated gorillas family which is gorilla habituation experience.

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