Trekking new or old habituated gorilla families in Uganda. Pros and Cons

Trekking new or old habituated gorilla families in Uganda. Pros and Cons. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is a top tourist activity that attracts thousands of tourists per year to come and experience a one-on-one experience with the Mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Carried out in Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks found in southwestern Uganda, gorilla trekking is only possible after habituation, a process which involves observing and making sure that the Mountain gorillas get used to the presence of humans in their habitat. Gorilla habituation is carried out by researchers who release the gorilla families when they are ready for trekking.

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Trekking new or old gorilla-habituated families offers the same experience; the only difference is that the old gorilla families are more popular with tourists as compared to the newly introduced Mountain gorillas. Tourists are, however, advised to trek the new gorilla families as well because this helps them get used to the presence of humans and it also helps with the conservation process. Get in touch for more information.

Pros: The pros of trekking new and old gorilla families in Uganda include the following.

• The population of the habituated gorilla families in Uganda is the highest in the world, with about 21 habituated gorilla families, including both the new and the old. This ensures that tourists have a 99% chance of spotting the Mountain gorillas.
• The trekking permits cost the same for both the new and old families, and these are quite affordable at $800 foreign non-residents, $700 foreign residents and UGX300,000 EAC citizens. These are purchased from the Uganda Wildlife Authority through a trusted tour operator.
• The trekking trails are extremely adventurous, offering some of the best views, including bird species, forest animals including antelopes, primates including red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, baboons and Golden monkeys in Mgahinga.
• Tourists also get to see unique tree species that are found in both Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
• The purchase of trekking permits and trekking has helped in the conservation of the gorillas and increased their population, which had greatly reduced due to the poaching and encroaching on their natural habitat.

Cons: The cons of trekking both the new and old gorilla families include the following.

• New gorilla families are still shy and not used to people around them and they might retreat in case they feel overwhelmed.
• Gorilla trekking is an expensive activity from purchase of the permits, accommodation, transport and other services rendered. One needs to be ready to cover all these costs and know that every penny spent is worth the trip.
• The physical and mental demands of the safari are some of the things that need to be put into consideration as you prepare for the safari. You must be ready for the change in terrain and patient to be able to enjoy the trekking safari.
• There are large crowds of tourists, especially during the dry season, and the purchase of permits is a first-come, first-serve issue.
• The unpredictable weather in Uganda with rains coming down throughout the year usually messes up the trekking exercise. In a few moments, it will be shining, and the next, it will be raining, so all tourists should be ready for the change in weather conditions.
• The remote location of the national parks where gorilla trekking is carried out. The National Parks (Bwindi and Mgahinga) are almost 9/10 hours away from the capital city of Uganda, Kampala.

The cons might be disappointing, but note that gorilla trekking in Uganda is important for the conservation of the Mountain gorillas, and tourists have the time of their lives as they trek through thick forests in search of the Mountain gorillas.

New gorilla families: After years of habituation, Uganda in 2024 introduced new gorilla families in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the different sectors of Nkuringo, Buhoma, Rushaga and Ruhija. The new habituated gorilla families were introduced on 17^th January 2024 after 4 years of habituation and there are 5 new gorilla families in Uganda. Below is a list of the newly introduced gorilla families and the sectors where they are located.

Buhoma sector has two new gorilla families and these are the Muyambi gorilla family and the Bunyindo gorilla family. The Muyambi gorilla family separated from the Mubare gorilla family and currently has 8 members and the Bunyindo gorilla family at the moment is led by the silverback known as Bunyindo and has 9 members.

Nkuringo Sector has one newly introduced gorilla family and this is the Posho gorilla family. Posho has 14 members and is led by the dominant silverback known as Magara.

Rushaga Sector has two newly introduced gorilla families and these are Tindatine and Rwigi gorilla family. Tindatine gorilla family has 8 members and Rwigi gorilla family has 10 members after breaking away from the kahungye gorilla family.

The old gorilla families: The old habituated gorilla families are popular among tourists because they have been around for a while and are used to humans trekking and observing them. Below is a list of old gorilla families found in Bwindi and Mgahinga.

Buhoma sector has four old habituated gorilla families, and these include the Habinyanja gorilla family with 12 members, the Rushegura gorilla family with 19 members, the Katwe gorilla family with 9 members and the Mubare gorilla family with 9 members.

Nkuringo sector has three more habituated gorilla families, which include the Christmas gorilla family, with 9 members; the Nkuringo gorilla family, with 12 members; and the Bushaho gorilla family, which has 9 members.

Rushaga sector old gorilla families include the Nshongi gorilla family with 7 members, Kahungye gorilla family with 13 members, Mishaya gorilla family with 8 members, Bweza gorilla family with 12 members, Busingye gorilla family with 9 members, Mucunguzi gorilla family with 12 members, and Bikingi gorilla family with 12 members.

Mgahinga National Park has one habituated gorilla family known as the Nyakagezi gorilla family.

Locating Mountain gorillas takes time depending on several factors and these include the following:

The location of the gorilla food: Mountain gorillas, in most cases, move from one place to the next in search of foliage, leaves, fruits, insects and soft stems that are used as food. They feed from one place, and when the food is done, they move on to the next step in search of food. When the Mountain gorillas move deeper into the forests, it becomes harder to trek and find them making it a longer trek.

Winning a battle: There are times when gorillas fight battles and when there is a champion, they end up celebrating for a while. During these celebrations, gorillas tend to move to stay in nearby areas to show off making it easy and faster to locate them.

The birth of new gorillas: The birth of new gorillas is a call for celebration to all the gorilla family members. The new parents and the entire family stay around to show off to the rest of the gorillas making it easy to trek and locate them because of the noise that they make during their celebrations.

The current cost of gorilla permits in Uganda

As of 1^st.In July 2024, the Uganda Wildlife Authority increased the cost of the gorilla trekking permit in Uganda, and this was to improve the state of the national parks where gorilla trekking takes place and protect the Mountain gorillas.

Foreign non-residents $800

Foreign residents         $700

Citizens from other countries    $500

East African Citizens                     UGX300, 000

The Bwindi habituation experience cost was also increased and the cost of the habituation permit is as below.

Foreign non-residents    $1500

Foreign residents             $1000

Citizens from other countries    $1000

East African citizens UGX750,000

How and when to purchase gorilla permits in Uganda

The Mountain gorilla permits are purchased from UWA through a trusted tour operator like Encounter Africa Safaris and this needs to be done at least 6 months to the trek date. Contact your operator with the necessary information, including the date for trekking, as this will help them check for the availability of the permits on those dates. You will also have to provide a copy of your passport with a visible passport number and country of origin. After the operator has checked for the availability of the permits, they will contact you so that you make the necessary payments for the permits and note that no permit will be purchased unless you make payments for the permit. The earlier the payments are made, the better as it protects your trekking spot and purchases are made after confirmation of payments. When the gorilla permits are purchased, a copy is sent to you for record purchases.

When you are purchasing gorilla permits and are assigned a specific sector, especially in Bwindi, (the sectors include Buhoma, Rushaga, Ruhija and Nkuringo), you have to make sure that you note it down because once a permit has been purchased and assigned to a specific sector, it cannot be exchanged and used in another sector. Contact us for more information.

The gorilla trekking experience

The gorilla trekking experience in Uganda is one of the most exciting things in the world because you not only get to meet the endangered mountain gorillas but also participate in the conservation of these primates. The exercise always starts with a briefing in the morning where tourists are divided into groups of 8, assigned gorilla families and reminded about the rules that need to be followed when gorilla trekking in Bwindi and Mgahinga. After each group has been assigned a gorilla family, the trekking exercise will begin with experienced armed rangers and guides. The exercise, depending on the location of the Mountain gorillas, can take between an hour to six hours or more. When you decide to go for gorilla trekking, you need to be patient and follow the guidelines given. Also, note that the gorilla trekking experience for the old and new gorilla families is the same.

Accommodation booking for gorilla trekking

There are several accommodation facilities that you can choose from when planning a gorilla safari to Uganda, but you need to make sure that it fits your budget and your preference and is not far away from the trek starting point. Accommodation comes in three categories, including luxury, mid-range and budget facilities, and these are found in the nearby towns for the case of Mgahinga National Park and within the sectors for the case of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. When you are assigned a sector, make sure that the accommodation you choose is in the provided sector. Some of the accommodation facilities you can choose from include Clouds Lodge, Gorilla Forest Camp, Bwindi View Bandas and Trekker’s Tavern, among others.

Getting to Bwindi and Mgahinga for gorilla trekking

Tourists get to use two modes of transport to get to Bwindi and Mgahinga and these are road or air. Your preference will determine what you use.

Road: Driving to Bwindi or Mgahinga from Kampala takes about 9 to 10 hours, and this is the most commonly used mode of transport because tourists get to see the beautiful scenery along the way, including making a stopover at the Equator monument in Kayabwe. Tourists also have an option of driving from Kigali in Rwanda through the land borders of Uganda and Rwanda to Bwindi or Mgahinga and this takes between 4 to 5 hours.

Air: Flying to the national parks is easy with the availability of domestic chartered flights from Kajjansi Airstrip in Entebbe or Entebbe International Airport to Kisoro Airstrip or Kihihi Airstrip, and this takes about an hour. After getting to the Airstrip, a 4x4 safari vehicle will transfer you from the airstrip to either your accommodation or the park headquarters.

Mountain gorillas need to be protected at all costs and this can only be done when tourists keep on coming to Uganda to gorilla trek. The more tourists receive, the more gorillas are habituated, and gorilla families are introduced to the public. Note that habituation takes a long time but is worth it because visitors get to meet the different families and identify their various characteristics.

Get in touch with us at Encounter Africa Safaris for more information.