On Your Gorilla Trekking Hike In Bwindi Things You Must Observe And Respect

On Your Gorilla Trekking Hike In Bwindi Things You Must Observe And Respect the following; Going gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable national park is a dream come true Africa Safari experience but excitement should not make you to forget the principals of this activity.

Briefing before gorilla trekking is a must for every tourists and missing may disqualify you from attending. Although a number of rules have been set and written about gorilla trekking, like humans, the mood of the mountain gorillas change.

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For every gorilla group, there are family traits that the ranger guides know that may not be amongst the rules of gorilla trekking. You need to attend in person briefing even if you are doing more than one gorilla trek.

Bwindi Impenetrable National park is one of the renowned home of the only mountain gorillas in the world. They are endangered creatures that need to be conserved for the future generation to find.

To do gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable national park you need to know where your gorilla permit is booked. The permits here are booked per area and four gorilla trekking areas make up this area that is Buhoma area and Ruhijah area in the northern section of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Rushaga area and Nkuringo area in southern park of Bwindi.

In Uganda briefing for gorilla trekking is done at about 0730 hours per day and later distributed into groups of maximum 8 trekkers. Before starting the trek, you can hire a porter to carry your belongings at a friendly price. This is the one of the ways to directly give back to the local people.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a biosphere reserve having about more than 310 butterfies, 10 primates including the mountain gorillas, 200 tree species, 51 reptiles, 20 mammals and others. This is mean while on your way to locate the mountain gorillas, you need to respect all these creatures.

Things To Observe and Respect In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

No littering the forest.

This is home to the mountain gorillas and other creatures so altering the nature of the habitat where they thrive any slowly cause there extinction. Even when you find indecomposable waste, pick it and carry it out of the forest.

The environment has been disturbed by improper ways of dumping garbage so try not to drop wraps, cans, cigarettes and other waste in the wilderness.

Sneeze or Cough away From The Mountain Gorillas

Mountain gorillas are some of the highly susceptible human infection victims. They have a DNA of about 96% that of human. During the outbreak of the Corona Virus, some gorillas in other countries were found victims of the Covid-19 virus.

 This is why you need to reduce on the chances of spreading infectious diseases to the mountain gorillas. The conservation campaign has come along way and is still going on.

Avoid Spitting on Vegetation or Soil in The Park

It is unhygienic to spit on the vegetation because its food for the mountain gorillas. Even regular tourists will find it disgusting too. In order to protect the food for the gorillas from chance of being contaminated, try not to spit on the vegetation on which the feed and lounge.

Wear a mask when with the mountain gorillas and sanitize too

To further emphasize the reason for protecting the mountain gorillas from human infections, you need to wear a clean mask before meeting the mountain gorillas. The outbreak of Corona virus led to putting out this policy in order to reduce on chances of passing the Virus to the gorillas.

Even before starting the trail leading to where you are to trek the mountain gorillas, you have to step into disinfected soil to begin the trek.

Burry all Fecal material beyond recognition During gorilla trekking

In case you wish to take along call, ask the ranger guide to dig a hole for you about 30 cm deep and burry everything securely beyond recognition.

Ensure no traces or clues are left behind that will entice the primates to exhume the waste.

Volunteer To Stay behind If You catch an Infection Disease

The mountain gorillas cam easily catch human infections like corona virus, cough, cholera and others. Stay behind in case you catch this infection so that you do not pass it to the primates.

You stand chances of being disqualified from gorilla trekking when you attend with an infection that is discovered. You may not be refunded according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority terms and conditions

 in case you push your way to go gorilla trekking yet you are sick. In case you are noticed before meeting the gorillas, you are disqualified with penalties attached.

Age Limit For Gorilla Trekking Is 15 years

The age limit for gorilla trekking is 15 years and above because of the nature of the topography of this area where you need to hike to get to the mountain gorillas. You need some level of fitness and patience in case you are to meet the mountain gorillas.

Meeting the mountain gorillas may stimulate some adrenaline causing observer to show some freight. This may not go well with the mountain gorillas that are very suspicious with new people in there environment.

 You appear suspicious before the mountain gorillas when you show you are scared of them.

No Noise making When Gorilla Trekking

The mountain gorillas are very calm and serene and so for you to have peace being with them, you need to be calm. Making noise scares them into hiding. In case you cannot keep quiet, try to murmur so that you do not cause them to fear you.

Never surround The mountain Gorillas

When you meet, the mountain gorillas do not surround them. It makes them feel ambushed. Try to stay closer to your group. The dominant silverback is always observing what is happening in the family so in case they feel trapped on, they will flee into the deeper ends of the forest.

Give them chance to freely do there day to day activities so that you can enjoy your presence too. They are able to trust your good intension when you respect there boundaries too.

Keep Distance Of about 8 Meters From The Mountain Gorillas

In order to reduce on the chances of body contact with the mountain gorillas, leave about 8 meters gap from them. They are wild animals even after being habituated to human presence. This reduces on the chance of you catching any infection from them and them acquiring it from you.

 You get a wide scope of there action when watch from a distance than when rubbing shoulder with the mountain gorillas.

Use Of Flash Photography is Forbidden During Gorilla trekking

The mountain gorillas are suspicious of unfamiliar occurrences in there vicinity and taking photos in no exceptional. In order not to cause confusion amongst them, you need to use a camera without flashlight.

Mountain gorillas are scared off by even the clicking sound of the cameras so try to put this off. Keeping memories of your encounter with the mountain gorillas is fantastic. You can keep referring back to those moment later when you cannot travel any more.

No provoking the mountain gorillas

Although they are serene creatures, the mountain gorillas need to be given peace and not disturb them. When they get agitated, the pull grass, thump there chests, walk on one leg and so much more. Even touching there infants is forbidden.

Never Feed The Mountain Gorillas

 They are wild animals that must search for there own food. When you feed them, they may lose focus of how to fend for themselves. An adult mountain gorillas has to pick atleast 200 pounds of foliage a day to support its sheer body through day a night.

When food is finished in a certain location, the dominant male searches new feeding grounds for the family. This may be one of the reasons why mountain gorillas cannot thrive from anywhere other than there natural habitat.

Only One Hour Is Allowed With The mountain Gorillas

The mountain gorillas have been habituated to be human presence for just one hour. You need to fully exhaust that hour or in case you need more, you can join the gorilla habituation adventure, which takes 4 hours with the mountain gorillas.

Yu can also opt for a second gorilla trekking day or more days to immerse into the life of the mountain gorillas fully.

The gorillas cannot copulate with humans observing so reproduction will not take place. Even feed and grooming there infants is obstructed by human presence. They need to be left enough time to go on with there day today activities.

Observe The Ranger Guide’s Instructions during Gorilla trekking

The ranger guides know more about the behavior of the mountain gorilla families despite the general rules of gorilla trekking given during briefing. The ranger guides have a personal relationship with most of these gorillas and can explain in detail at times how every member of the family behaves.

You need to listen to the advise from the ranger guide and keep abreast with the rest of the group so that you do not delay the trek.

What Time Do You Locate The Mountain Gorillas

Mountain gorillas day today life is dominated by feeding, grooming infants, creating family bonding, lounging when tired and so much more.

For most of this to happen, some movement may be required especially with feeding. When the family runs low on food in a certain area, the dominant male has to search for new feeding grounds.

This explains why locating the mountain gorillas may be challenging at times.

In case the gorilla family loses a member, they go into a somber mood like humans so locating them may be quite challenging.

The birth of an infant is exciting too even winning a fight may cause the family to celebrate. So locating them is affected by these celebrations too.

 You must note that every morning a team of observers and ranger guides follow where the mountain gorillas might have overnighted and gibe feed back to the authority. The ranger guide leading the party on the trek follows these guideline to locate the mountain gorillas, despite these clue, this doesn’t mean they will remain stationed in one place.

Why Book A Porter For Gorilla Trekking

Porters carry your gorilla trekking gears for you so that you are not fatigued by them during that moment when with the mountain gorillas.

In order to directly give back to the local community for conserving the mountain gorillas, the small fee you pay to take a porter they use it to support there families.

How difficult Is Gorilla trekking

Gorilla trekking is exhalation but challenging at times especially when the mountain gorillas feed from the slopes. You need to wear a suitable pair of safari boost that can walk through the soggy ground and tangled vegetation.

When it rains the mountain gorillas feed from the slopes when the ground is flooded by rivers that cover the ground. You need to have some level of fitness to maneuver the challenges that come with hiking to locate the mountain gorillas

 In case you have some disability, you need hire porters with a sedan chair to carry you through the trek.

Where to Buy Gorilla Trekking Permits For Uganda

 The Uganda Wildlife Authority is gorilla permit selling body for Uganda. You have to check availability status and make payment for the permit as soon as possible. This is because availability changes anytime.

The demand for gorilla trekking permits is high and yet supply is low with a maximum of only 8 gorilla permits released for public booking each day.

At Encounter Africa safaris we book gorilla permits for our clients and collect them on  their behalf. We advise our clients to purchase their permits in advance to avoid last minute panic. Even other amenities that support gorilla trekking like accommodation, driver guide and others get scarcer as time goes on.

Booking your gorilla permit at least 6 months in advance gives you chance to relax.

Contact us for more information and check out our trip advisor.