What is it like to volunteer while on your gorilla trek in Uganda

While you plan to volunteer during gorilla trekking safari in Uganda, you need to elaborate on the category of activities you wish to engage in. State whether you wish to volunteer in wildlife conservation destinations, education related, social related, religious related, cultural related and more.

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Avail some of the essential details as to why you wish to volunteer during the gorilla trek in Uganda and this will be uses as back up to support your desire. Most organizations or bodies that receive volunteers wish to understand the purpose and possible end goal you wish to achieve. Include your Curriculum Vitea as back up of your experience in relation to the voluntary work you wish to be part of while on Uganda safari.

For gorilla trekking in Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park are the only destinations. These pristine forests are situated in south western part of Uganda in a highly mountainous area as it was affected by volcanic forces.

If you choose to volunteer in the wildlife parks of Uganda including Bwindi impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park below are some guidelines to follow.

Guidelines to Volunteering During Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

Send details of what you wish to do while at the safari destination and brief information about yourself, qualification, Curriculum Vitea with genuine cover letters from credible persons.

With such information, our safari consultant will get in touch with Uganda Wildlife Authority office responsible for volunteers and they will advise on what they require from you.

You need to bear some level of patience as response from Uganda Wildlife Authority is not on the spot because of protocol.

When advised on the details you have to avail before being accepted to volunteer while on gorilla safari in Uganda, you need to provide factual details that will convince those responsible.

In case you have to make some payments, especially for the gorilla permits, book accommodation where to stay while on safari and more, do it in the shortest time possible. Note that accommodations for Bwindi Impenetrable National park are booked according to the area where your permit is booked. The four sectors of Bwindi forest include Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the east, Nkuringo and Rushaga in the south.

Some times you may be required to take some inoculations or jabs especially if you have to get up-close with the mountain gorillas. This is to protect you and the mountain gorillas from possible infections.

What to expect on Gorilla Trekking safari in Uganda

During gorilla trekking safari in Uganda expect to report to the ranger station early morning for briefing with other tourists. Briefing before gorilla trekking in Uganda is compulsory. Do not forget to carry your identification documents with you for verification.

After briefing, tourists are randomly allocated a gorilla family to trek but the principles used are hard to determine. Later the ranger guide allocate to the trekkers leads the way using the trail where the gorillas were last seen.

Expect the humidity in the forest to be high most of the time because of the untimely rains that fall with less sunrays penetrating through the thick layers of leaves.

Do not miss out on the presence of other primates including black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey and more. Bwindi and Mgahinga forests are rich avian life destinations including Albertine rift endemics. Other rare mammals are residents of Bwindi or Mgahinga forests including forest elephants, giant forest hogs and more.

When you find the mountain gorillas, expect the ranger guide to prepare you to face them because you will hear them before encountering them. Wear a clean mask, incase you wish to eat, smoke or drink something do it before facing the gorillas.

Finall, when with the gorillas do not forget the rules of gorilla trekking as explained at briefing. Take photos concurrently with watching the gorilla family for the one hour allowed. Do not pick anything from the jungle and leave nothing other than foot prints.

How Safe Is Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

As a volunteer on gorilla trek in Uganda, may be bothered by your safe while in the jungle.

No need to worry so much about the mountain gorillas although their outlook is usually miss interpreted for a fierce look. Mountain gorillas have a large body covered in dark fur from head to toe. Their knuckle locomotion style makes the gorillas appear ready to launch an attack any time.

Even with these miss conceptions, gorillas are serene in character, very timid and usually retreat into hiding when agitated. In the history of gorilla trekking, no trekkers has so far registered an attack from the mountain gorillas.

Before starting the gorilla trek, all tourists must attend briefing where approved rules and regulation on how to behave before, when with and after gorilla trekking are communicated.

The gorilla families are first taken through habituation process and this enables them get accustomed to human presence without altering their characters. Through this process, researchers note down possible reactions of each gorilla family members and this is what is explained to tourists enabling them to stay with humans for atleast one hour.

Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas when you locate them. Even when they bridge the gap out of curiosity, try to retract without causing any suspicions.

Which accommodation to use during gorilla trekking in Uganda

Accommodations to use during gorilla trekking safari in Uganda are categorized into upmarket, mid-range and basic. When booking accommodation to use during gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, take note of the area where your gorilla permit is booked. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is divided into four areas Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the east, Nkuringo and Rushaga in the south.

Bwindi accommodations: Clouds Lodge, Gorilla Forest Camp, Ruhija safari Lodge, Silverback lodge, Buhoma community Bandas, Nshongi Backpacker’s Camp, Chameleon hill Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Engage Lodge, Buhoma Lodge

Mgahinga Accommodation: Gahinga Volcanoes Lodge, UWA campsite, Traveler’s Inn

How to get To Uganda Gorilla Trekking Destinations

From Kampala, several routes lead Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park in south western Uganda.  Road transport is available from Kampala with chance od both private and public transport.

Estimated drive time from Kampala or Entebbe to southwestern Uganda is about 8 to 9 hours excluding stopovers. Do not expect a smoot ride so in case you have road sickness take the necessary medication. As you get closer to Bwindi or Mgahinga forests, you notice a shift in the altitude and drop in temperatures.

Some of the possible routes from Entebbe or Kampala to Bwindi or Mgahinga include:

Kampala to Kabale to Kanungu to BUhoma

Entebbe/Kampala to Kabale to Ruhija

Kampala/ Entebbe to Ntungamo to Rukungiri to Kihihi to BUhoma

Entebbe/Kampala to Kabale to Nkuringo

Kampala/ Entebbe to Kabale to Kisoro to Ntebeko

Distance to drive from Kampala or Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is about 530 kilometers

Distance to cover from Kampala / Entebbe to Mgahinga National Park is about 540 kilometers.

Air transport

From Kampala or Entebbe, you can board air transport to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park ( Kihihi or Kisoro Air strip)

Each day, there are daily scheduled domestic flights from Entebbe to Kihihi or Kisoro. Which may take about 1 hour and a half to 2 hours. Sometimes because of weather changes, flight may be rescheduled although not often. Do not forget to hire a transfer vehicle from the airstrip to your lodge which may take about 2 hours or less.

Charter flights are available for more exclusive travel during gorilla trekking safari.

 What To Expect During Gorilla Trekking And Volunteering in Uganda

During gorilla trekking expect to meet the mountain gorillas, other primates because the habitats where these this is a biosphere reserve. Over the years, Bwindi forest and Mgahinga forests have accumulated along list of inhabitants as these forests have more than 25000 years of existence.

Briefing before gorilla trekking is compulsory but expect to meet other tourists and report to the station early morning for document verification. Later each tourist is randomly allocated a gorilla family to trek.

Expect to walk in a highly humid environment under a dense forest canopy with light sunrays sipping through. The ground is wet most of the time because of regular rains that fall no matter the season yet temperatures are moderate almost the entire day.

Time of finding the mountain gorillas may be hard to estimate as this is dependent on factors prevailing in the jungle but do not lose the vibe of finally finding the mountain gorillas. Focus on other features, sceneries, listen to the explanation from the ranger guide as a way of passing time.

Before facing the mountain gorillas, you hear them murmur as though alerting other of your presence then the ranger guide will give final instructions.

When with the gorillas, expect some to bridge the gap of 8 meters advised away from them anytime because they are curios primates. Do not leave your gears unattended while face to face with the gorillas because some of these primates may sneak and walk away with them. Only one hour is allowed with the gorilla family.

What to Expect As A Volunteer in Uganda

As a volunteer in Uganda, below are some of the general expectations

When volunteering in a wildlife conservation area in Uganda, expect to bide by the rules set by management of that place. Even though you are accustomed interacting with wild animals in the zoo or wildlife centers, those in the wilderness are quite different so stay away from them however calm they may appear to be.

Language barrier is still a problem amongst the local people in Uganda so you need an interpreter so plan for this in advance.

While in the town centers of Uganda, keep your valuable out of reach because just like most towns snatchers are on the look.

For the time you spend Volunteering do sleep under a mosquito net because Uganda is a tropical country where mosquitos are almost everywhere. Even when you are on  antimalarials, you can contract Malaria.

Do not drink un boiled water but you may drink bottled water to quench thirst. Tap water is at times not treated properly and it is still unsafe to drink directly.

Do not be surprised by the warm welcome you may experience from strangers in Uganda because hospitality is taught in most Uganda cultures right from childhood. Visitors are treated with ultimate care in Uganda.

In case you are volunteer in the communities around Bwindi or Mgahinga forests, expect to hike most of the time to get to them because of the rugged nature of the terrain of this area.

Is It Worth Volunteering During Gorilla Trek In Uganda

When you do a combo of gorilla trekking and volunteering in Uganda, you get face to face with the few leftover mountain gorillas in their natural home, immerse yourself in the aromas of nature, revive human evolution history and more.

As a volunteer in Uganda, you get on ground information about the country and its resources other than what is documented. A lot of research is being carried out about the mountain gorillas and beyond which may not be out in the public domain but as a volunteer, you may get the chance to this information.

As you purchase the gorilla permit to do gorilla trekking in Uganda, you get the chance to contribute to the conservation of these highly endangered primates whose existence was at the brim of extinction by 1980s. Over time the conservation of mountain gorillas has been on the forefront and more funds are still being solicited for sustainable conservation of these primates.

In case you volunteer in the community especially those that were affected by the conservation of the mountain gorillas especially the Batwa, you get to learn how they survived in the jungle. The Batwa were displaced from the forest when conservation took precedence and were assimilated into the communities around even though they still feel marginalized. When you support the Batwa, the proceeds acquired are used to support the running of their projects.

Contact us for further information and safari bookings.