DISCOVER AFRICA
Benefits of Gorilla Trekking in Uganda and Rwanda
Gorilla trekking is a popular tourist attraction in the East African area. Visitors from all over the globe travel to Uganda, Congo, and Rwanda on a yearly basis to see these incredible primates in their natural environments. Other tourism activities in these three nations include, among other things, game drives, nature walks, bird viewing, cultural visits, fishing, and boat excursions. Gorilla trekking is a thrilling pastime that involves traveling through deep forests in pursuit of gorillas. Gorillas may be seen up close at Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Virunga National Park, Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Although Uganda is home to the bulk of the world’s surviving mountain gorillas, some visitors choose Rwanda due to the shorter driving distance to the gorilla parks. Rwanda is the costliest of the three nations that offer gorilla trekking. Gorilla permits in Rwanda cost $1500, which is significantly higher than the fees levied in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Permits for gorilla trekking cost 700 USD in Uganda and 450 USD in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Gorilla permits are the documents that will grant you permission to see gorillas in the wild.
Benefits of Gorilla Trekking in Uganda and Rwanda.
Funding for Gorilla Conservation Organizations.
Mountain gorilla conservation requires financial assistance, which can be obtained by engaging in gorilla tourism. Every gorilla trekking safari or gorilla habituation experience requires the purchase of a permit, which is included in this financing. This money is utilized for gorilla research, pharmaceutical purchases, security, ranger guide salaries, park maintenance, and other purposes.
Protecting the survival of Mountain Gorillas in wild.
Mountain gorillas‘ survival is dependent on human knowledge of the need of safeguarding these once-threatened creatures. A census in the 1980s revealed that there were around 250 mountain gorillas on the planet. These primate species were on the verge of extinction. Mountain gorilla conservation, on the other hand, is saving them; there are over 1000 left in the world. Tourists and porters learn why mountain gorillas deserve to live another day while gorilla trekking. Although mountain gorillas appear frightening from a distance, when you get closer to them, you realize how gentle they are and how they do not deserve the hatred heaped upon them.
Every day, a squad of rangers gets up before everyone else to watch where the mountain gorillas may have spent the night or where they are spending the day. This material is utilized by ranger guides who accompany you on your trek to see the mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas help to ensure the survival of other primate species that live in the main forest. Even people who attend gorilla tourism workshops understand why the environment of these animals has to be protected.
Support Local Communities neighboring Gorilla Parks.
A percentage of the revenue generated by gorilla tourism is provided to the local community each year to fund programs like as water source upkeep, health care, road repair, and others. As a result, the villagers offer protection for the mountain gorillas, allowing them to gain additional support as a result of their presence. In many respects, gorilla trekking has benefitted the communities who live surrounding the parks. The funds raised by gorilla tourism have allowed the park’s administration to pay scientists like as veterinarians and researchers.
These scientists do vital tasks such as constantly examining the primates for illnesses, performing gorilla surveys, and determining ways to enhance their living circumstances if necessary. This is why the overall number of mountain gorillas is growing. The proceeds from gorilla trekking have allowed the governments of the three nations to hire Rangers, whose job it is to defend the primates from invaders, poachers, insurgents, and forest encroachment, among other things.
Gorilla trekking has also helped to keep poachers out of areas where gorillas are being hunted for meat, valuable body parts, or as pets. This is due to the presence of regular tourists accompanied by park Rangers. This benefits the populations surrounding the parks in that when the primates are protected from poachers, they and future generations will continue to benefit from gorilla trekking. Rangers, park guides, and backup patrol teams not only conduct gorilla trekking but also monitor the monkeys’ movement throughout the forests to determine where they last constructed their nests so that tourists may view them as soon as possible.
Mountain gorilla trekking has resulted in the growth and revitalization of other areas of the economy, such as upgraded road networks connecting to gorilla parks. As more people sign up for gorilla trekking, the money raised is being utilized to expand additional tourism sites/activities such as chimp and golden monkey trekking.
Visitors to the gorilla parks generally visit the nearby communities and participate in traditional activities. Learning traditional songs and dances, experiencing traditional African dishes, and purchasing traditional African crafts and souvenirs (mats, caps, stools, and music instruments) are among the activities available. Because of the constant presence of tourists in gorilla parks, local populations enjoy an enhanced quality of life since more options are open to them.
Tourists can also stay in locally owned safari lodges in the park’s vicinity and adjacent towns. This has resulted in the growth of local businesses who are responsible for the outstanding hotel amenities. Furthermore, many local teenagers have worked as porters in safari hotels and parks.
The Research on Mountain Gorillas Continues.
Much research on mountain gorillas has been undertaken since the time of American primatologist Dian Fossey. After arriving in Rwanda in 1967, Dian Fossey established the Karisoke Research Center, where she conducted the first extensive research on the life of mountain gorillas. Her study is the cornerstone of gorilla tourism, and further research has been undertaken since then to learn more about mountain gorillas. This data is used to educate people across the world about the invisible lives of mountain gorillas and other forest residents.
Most people who participate in gorilla trekking or habituation agree that being in front of mountain gorillas is a life-changing experience. Several conservation groups, both domestic and international, are collaborating to learn more about mountain gorillas, including the Gorilla Fund, Gorilla Doctors, and others.
Support Local Communities neighboring Gorilla Parks.
Other activities available in Bwindi impenetrable, Volcanoes, and Mgahinga forests have been made known to the world through gorilla tourism.
Primate Trekking
In this forest, one may go on a primate walk and witness various primates such as golden monkeys in Mgahinga or Volcanoes National Park, black and white colobus, chimps in Bwindi forest, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkeys, and others.
Mountain Climbing
Gorilla tourism has made a day’s guided trip to some of the mountains in the Virunga region possible. The following mountains can be found in this area: Mountain Gahinga, Mountain Sabyinyo, Mountain Muhavura, Mountain Karisimbi, and Mountain Bisoke.
Birding Watching
You have a good possibility of seeing many birds, including Albertine rift endemics, if you go gorilla climbing in Uganda or Rwanda. If you are an avid birder, you may have a better chance of observing some uncommon bird species if you go gorilla trekking or on a habituation safari.
Handsome Francolin, Shelley’s Crimson wing, Alpine Chat, Dusky’s Turtle, Red-faced Woodland, Rwenzori Batis Flycatcher, Collared Apalis, Banded Prinia, Mountain and Yellow Steaked Greenbul, and others can be found in this area.
Community/Cultural Tours.
Community programs in local communities involve tourists in their lives and help them understand how people live. Tourists will occasionally volunteer to help with local initiatives affecting local communities.
Buhoma or Nkuringo Community Walks in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where you may be able to visit a local homestead, a local beer brewery, a traditional healer, a blacksmith, and others. The Batwa pygmies led the Batwa Trail and Garama cave hike in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park after being evacuated from the forest in the early 1990s for conservation reasons. This 342-meter-long cave served as a refuge for the Batwas after invading the Bafumbira farmers. For the time being, it serves as an ambient setting for Batwa performances.
How to Purchase Your Gorilla Trekking Permits?
Choose a date for gorilla trekking, the nation for gorilla trekking or habituation, and the amount of permits you want to buy. When you email us a question, our safari expert examines the Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board lists for availability.
If there is still availability, we recommend that our clients acquire their permits as soon as possible because they sell out quickly. The gorilla permits are limited to a maximum of eight per household, despite the huge demand globally.
The only way to show your commitment to the trekking safari is to get a gorilla permit. We require personal information such as your entire name as it appears on your passport, nationality, date of birth, passport expiry date, and much more.
How much is a gorilla permit in Uganda, Rwanda?
The permits are the common cost of a gorilla trekking expedition, which costs $1500 in Rwanda and $700 per person per gorilla trek in Uganda. This expense applies to all budgets, whether they are luxury, mid-range, or cheap.
Other elements that contribute to the total safari cost include: The amount of individuals that visit gorillas for hiking or habituation. The gorilla hike safari may be booked during low or high season. The number of days spent on a gorilla safari since service providers charge on a daily basis. There are several additional activities that may be combined with gorilla trekking, such as chimp trekking, wildlife safaris, birdwatching, and so much more.
Where can you do Gorilla Trekking in Uganda and Rwanda?
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Bwindi Forest is Uganda’s biggest mountain gorilla habitat, home to over half of the world’s mountain gorillas. Currently, the forest is home to around 19 gorilla families that are available for gorilla trekking and two additional families that are suitable for gorilla habituation. This biosphere reserve is located in Uganda’s southwest corner. This park’s flora coils across a deeply fissured environment of steep, slippery valleys and high, draughty mountains. This is due to a large altitudinal range of 1447 meters.
Creating habitats ranging from 1160 meters of lowland forest to 2600 meters of Afromontane vegetation. Mountain gorillas, chimps, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, L’Hoest’s monkeys, and other primate species enjoy the pleasures of this virgin woodland. Keen birders may spot over 100 of the over 350 distinct bird species that have been known to live in this area. Furthermore, about seven bird species are on the IUCN red list at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Gorilla Trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Mgahinga National Park, which covers around 33—7 square kilometers of land, is one of the tiny mountain gorilla habitats. So yet, just one gorilla family, the Nyakagezi family, has been properly habituated and is ready for tourists.
Its geography is dominated by three separate volcanoes: Mount Gahinga, Mount Sabyinyo, and Mount Muhavura. You may experience the spectacular vistas of Mgahinga National Park with an 8-hour guided return walk to the top of any of these mountains. Other primates found in the park include golden monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, and red-tailed monkeys. For ornithologists, Mgahinga National Park is home to around 115 bird species, including Albertine rift endemics.
Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
This is Rwanda’s only mountain gorilla habitat, located in the country’s Northwestern region. The park now includes 12 gorilla families that are available for tourists. This park also has golden monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, and other primates.
Birders on the Rwanda gorilla trekking expedition have a quadruple chance of seeing a variety of species, including Albertine rift endemics. Shelley’s Crimson wing, Handsome Francolin, Kivu Ground Thrust, Alpine Chat, Malachite Sunbird, Rwenzori Turaco, and other bird species have been documented in Volcanoes National Park. A journey to the Dian Fossey Grave, named for the heroic primatologist who fought for mountain gorillas until her death, is well worth the effort.
