How Safe Is Eastern Lowland Gorilla Trekking In Kahuzi Biega National Park?

Eastern lowland gorillas live in Kahuzi Biega National Park which experiences some political instability due to rebel activities, illegal mining, lumbering, poaching and others some times. Amidst all odds, gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park is still going on. D.R.Congo security agencies collaborate with ranger guides of Kahuzi Biega National Park to keep law and order in and around the forest.

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Kahuzi Biega National Park is situated in Eastern D.R.Congo Bukavu town. This park is home to the eastern lowland gorillas one of the four gorilla species living in the world. At the moment about 5 gorilla trekking families are open to the public that is Nganwa, Mpungwe, Bonniani, Mugahuka and others. One must purchase a gorilla permit from the Virunga Tourism office to get the opportunity of one hour with the eastern Lowland gorillas.

As a tourist, you must attend a briefing prior to the gorilla trek as a compulsory step before the gorilla safari. during this morning session, you are given insight into the rules of gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega National like do not walk into the forest without an escorting ranger guide, staying closer to the group trekking with in order not to get lost in the jungle, provoking the gorillas is forbidden because you may not know what you are communicating.

Even though Kahuzi Biega National Park is a tropical rain forest that receives untimely rains that leave the ground slippery and soggy, tourists have to wear the right safari gear like safari boots, garden gloves for personal protection.

While booking transport to Kahuzi Biega National Park, it is safe to have a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle in good condition because the roads in this area are in poor condition.

When with the gorillas, tourists must uphold the guidelines of gorilla trekking in order not to cause these primates to charge. Even though gorillas are shy and calm primates, when provoked, they may charge and when the situation escalates, they thump their chests hard, pull grass around them or walk into the deeper ends of the forest.

When Is The Best Time For Doing Gorilla Trekking In Kahuzi Biega National Park?

The dry season that is June, July, August, September, December and January is the most preferred time to do gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega although this is an all year round safari activity. During this time, demand for gorilla permits to Kahuzi Biega National Park is high with bookings from all over the world.

Despite the increasing demand for gorilla permits to see the eastern lowland gorillas of Kahuzi Biega National Park during the high season the number of permits open to the public is a maximum of 8 per family. This measure was taken to minimize the number of people in the forest which is the major source of food for the eastern lowland gorillas.

The gorillas and other forest inhabitants are full of life during the peak season because they must search for food that with support their bodies through the day and night. During the dry season, there is a limited food supply in the forest to satisfy most forest dwellers. Other than spotting the gorillas, you may also see other primates like the black and white colobus, blue monkeys, olive baboons, and others.

The dry season is high tourism season too so even other logistics that support you while on safaris like accommodation, transport all require advance booking as options run low with time.

Even in the low season gorilla trekking is still a sure deal. The low season is usually March, April, May and November and this is normally the low tourism season. There is limited demand for gorilla permits in this season opening chances to last minute bookings. Even when you wish to have less company while on safari with the lowland gorillas without spending extra the low season may be the perfect timing. 

Why Do Gorilla Trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park?

Taking a gorilla trekking safari is an unforgettable safari experience with a chance to be just 10 meters from the few living lowland gorillas. Even with the limited number of gorilla permits open to the public, that is a maximum 8 per day per gorilla family count yourself lucky to have been one of those chosen to be just a few meters from the gorillas.

Kahuzi Biega National Park is a biosphere reserve hosting different species like birds, primates, butterflies, wide range of natural tree species, and much more.  The dense network of rivers makes the forest a desirable destination full of natural wonders for adventure seekers. 

Purchasing the gorilla permits is an opportunity to contribute to the conservation of the eastern lowland gorillas. A portion of the money collected from the sale of the gorilla permits is used to conserve the gorillas and their habitat.

During gorilla trekking one can hire porters to help carry the gorilla trekking gear and this one of the direct ways to give back to the local community. To conserve the gorillas, the local community needs to be sensetised as away to enlighten them about the relevancy of having the lowland gorillas and their habitat in their midst.

How Much Is The Cost Of Gorilla Trekking Safari To Kahuzi Biega National Park?

At Encounter Africa Safaris, we package our gorilla safaris according to upmarket, midrange and basic but each package has varying costs because of its inclusions. The cost of the gorilla trekking permit for Kahuzi Biega National Park cuts across all packages that is $450 for international nonresidents, $250 for international residents and $25 for local Congolese.

There are other logistics included in the cost of the gorilla trekking safari like transport, accommodation, driver guide hire, and much more. The cost of these logistics is influenced by factors like number of days on safari, number of people traveling with, time of booking the gorilla safari, additional safari activities, and much more.

Our safari consultants are always at your service to make a suitable quotation for you to cover your holiday time and interests.

How Sure Can I Be To See The Eastern Lowland Gorillas In Kahuzi Biega National Park?

Seeing Eastern lowland gorillas is a sure deal as these primates are habituated first before allowing humans to see them. Gorilla Habituation is a process by which a wild gorilla family is helped to get used to human presence without altering their nature. This process takes some time until the gorillas are proven ready for human visits. Gorilla habituation process helps the lowland gorillas to stay in the presence of humans for at least one hour.

Each gorilla family conquers a particular location for some time until food becomes insufficient for the entire family. The gorilla family then relocates to another area. This is why the gorilla families can be traced by rangers who lead tourists on the trail toward where these gorillas were last seen the previous day. 

While on gorilla trekking adventure in Kahuzi Biega National Park, tourists are advised to follow the clues left behind by the Eastern Lowland gorillas like footprints, fresh dung, listen to their sounds, hairs, and much more. Even though the gorillas may desert their previous location, they may be quicker to trace where they headed to using these clues. 

Is Gorilla Trekking In Kahuzi Biega National Park Tiresome?

The walk in the jungle to find the lowland gorillas of Kahuzi Biega National Park is quite tiresome. The walk goes through the dense jungle with slippery ground because of the regular rains that fall and decomposing matter. This hinders fast movement while searching for the gorillas.

When the gorilla family moves into the deeper ends of the forest, this requires some fitness and patience. Finding the gorilla family may take more than two hours which is quite hard to withstand. Instead of getting bored, open your mind to seeing other interesting forest occupants like the birds, other primates, waterfalls and other stunning sceneries.

When you locate the gorillas, only one hour is, allowed with the gorillas.

What Is The Age Limit For Gorilla Trekking In Kahuzi Beiga National Park?

15 years and over is the age limit for gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park. This age limit is restricted because participants have to walk in the forest which may be challenging for a person below 15 years.

At first sight, the body structure of the eastern lowland gorillas may be quite scary because of their dark furred bodies, deep brown sunken eyes and knuckle locomotion are quite scaring. This may send a cold chill down the spine. All tourists are required not to show any signs of freight as appears suspicious before the gorillas.

When do you return from Gorilla Trekking in Kahuzi Biega?

Return time from gorilla trekking in Kahuzi Biega National Park is hard to determine. The gorillas move freely in the wilderness with no restrictions on where to go. Although some tourists have located the eastern lowland gorillas in 120 minutes, the search at times goes beyond. 

To find the lowland gorillas in Kahuzi Biega National Park, some of the factors that influence this include food location, death of a family members, weather conditions of the day, pace of fellow tourists, and others. To trace the gorillas, the ranger guide follows the trails leading to where the gorilla family was last seen the previous day or the clues of the possible hangout spot for the gorillas as per the observation of the early risers.

Having some level of patience and bearing some level of fitness are some of the support factors to completing this adventure. Seek other interesting features in the forest to keep the spirits of finding the lowland gorillas high until locating them.

Upon finding the lowland gorillas only one hour is allowed with them but maximize every moment. Take as many photos as you can to keep memories of your experience.

Which Accommodation To Book For Gorilla Trekking In Kahuzi Biega National Park?

Kahuzi Biega National Park accommodations are categorized into Upmarket, mid-range and basic but each category has limited options. 

Accommodations at Kahuzi Biega National Park include Orchid Safari Club, Coco Lodge Bukavu, Hotel Begonais Bukavu, Panorama Hotel, Exodus Hotel. 

The infrastructural development of Kahuzi Biega National Park is quite slow because of the unstable political environment in this park and beyond. 

Dos and Donts of Kahuzi Biega National Park

• Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the lowland gorillas when you locate them. This is to prevent chances of passing an infection to these primates, as they are highly susceptible to communicable diseases like flu, cough, COVID-19 and others.
• In case you are sick with a communicable infection, volunteer to stay behind so as not to pass it to the endangered lowland gorillas.
• If you want to eat or drink while before the lowland gorillas, do it in atleast 200 meters away from them. They are wild animals that must search for their food.
• The age limit for gorilla safari is 15 years and beyond. This is because the way to locate the gorillas has rugged topography which requires you to hike sometimes to find the lowland gorillas.
• Never go into the forest without an escorting ranger guide. Although the lowland gorillas are fully habituated to human presence, some forest dwellers are not and may be dangerous to you alone.
• When you need to defecate, ask the ranger guide to dig a hole for you atleast 30 centimeters deep and cover well beyond recognition.
• Try to stay in a tight group when with the lowland gorillas because surrounding them may cause them to feel ambushed.
• Don’t attempt to provoke the lowland gorillas because they are wild animals that even though habituated to human presence. They still possess wild behaviors 
• When taking photos, do it with a flash-less camera in order not to scare the lowland gorillas, they are often scared by unfamiliar occurrences in their presence.
• When tracking the lowland gorillas, keep your voices low so as not to scare the gorillas and other forest dwellers that may be interesting to add to your wildlife photo collection.
• Never dump garbage in the wilderness as this alters the nature of the forest where lowland gorillas live.

Contact our team to plan your safari today.