Gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda are such a top priority for travelers visiting the country as gorilla trekking offers such lifetime safari memories of the unique encounters with the giant mountain gorillas.

Gorilla trekking is one unique primate tracking safari activity where tourists take a walk through the natural forests in search of the mountain gorillas. This gives an up close viewing experience of 1 hour and about 2-6 hours of trekking around the forest depending on where the gorillas are spending their day.

During the gorilla trekking safari in Uganda as you trek, the gorillas are also trekking because they are in their natural habitat and always on the move as they are not enclosed. The gorilla trekking experience is so much of a hike because the activity is done on an altitude of 2,607 meters above sea level on a rugged surface with narrow valleys intersected by rivers and steep hills.

Gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda can be experienced on short or long gorilla trips as desired and planned by Vacanza Adventure safaris, your experts in Uganda gorilla safari planning. The chances of seeing the mountain gorillas is 99.9% which is assurance that on every trek, you will see the gorillas. This is so because a group of rangers go early to the forest in the morning to search for the gorillas then use verbal calls to direct the ranger coming with the tourists on where to find the gorilla group. So as you plan for that gorilla safari to Uganda, be assured that you will see the mountain gorillas.

There are 2 national parks in Uganda for the gorilla safari experience which are Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and then Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Both parks situated in south western Uganda are home to the mountain gorillas and can be visited for the gorilla trekking experience.

What is the Mountain Gorilla trekking Experience like?

Before setting off for the gorilla trekking experience, expect to have a briefing session by the park rangers that starts at 8:00am. During this time, you are briefed about the gorilla trekking etiquette, the dos and don’ts during the activity.  During the briefing the park rangers clearly give the guidelines on what you should and should not do during the trek or in the presence of the gorillas.

Depending on the number of people available for the trek that morning, each 8 members are allocated a family to trek. If there are not 8 individual available for the trek that morning then the ones around go with the rangers for the trek.

When the briefing session is done, the actual gorilla safari experience starts with a walk to the forest.  You will be accompanied by an armed park guide who will lead you to where the gorillas are spending their day and also tell you all about mountain gorillas, their way of life and conservation efforts.

After you get to the place where the mountain gorillas are spending their day. A maximum of 1 hour is what you spend in the presence of the gorillas and at this time you have the opportunity to take all of those stunning memorable pictures and videos only using a non-flash photography camera.

After spending the allocated 1 hour with the mountain gorillas, you then are led by the ranger guide back to the park headquarters. Arriving at the park headquarters, you are welcomed back and then given a congratulatory gorilla trekking safari certificate as a sign of a successful gorilla trekking experience.

Is the Gorilla Trekking safari Experience in Uganda Safe?

Before taking on such an up close experience with the giant mountain gorillas that are much more energetic than human beings, one should be aware of their safety. Mountain gorillas go through a habituation period that lasts about 2 years before tourists are allowed to trek. This means they are surely accustomed to human presence and are not capable of causing any harm.

Being habituated it means the gorillas have been carefully exposed to human presence and have learned that humans are not a threat.  However, they are still cautious and act accordingly, that’s why you should follow the gorilla trekking rules and regulations.

On each gorilla trek a group of tourists move with armed park rangers who are familiar with the gorillas and whole forest habitat. With the set guidelines, park guides and surety that the mountain gorillas have been fully habituated you can have your Uganda gorilla trekking safari knowing that it is safe.

What is the best time for gorilla trekking in Uganda?

After choosing to plan a gorilla tour to Uganda, there are suitable months of the year when you should prefer to undertake the activity because of the low rains. However, this doesn’t mean that the other times of the year there isn’t gorilla trekking, the activity is open all year round.  Best time for gorilla trekking in Uganda for both Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is during the dry season months of June, July, August to early September which is the long dry season and the short dry season which is December, January and February.

Choose your preferred kind of safari, time of the year and trust Vacanza Adventure safaris to customize your trip.