The Mountain Gorillas of Uganda attract people from around the world. They are the major reason that Safari Travelers come to Uganda and venture to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or Mgahinga Gorilla Park and recently discovered The Parc National des Volcanos in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in Congo. The Gorillas of Uganda have become celebrities when the Uganda Wildlife Authority introduced them to the world via their "Befriend a Gorilla" campaign and a gorilla tour in Uganda is worthy taking! While Uganda tour operators venture tourists to all the different national parks with gorillas depending on the tourists’ area of interest.
Unlike Pandas, Orangutans, Chimpanzees, Mountain Gorillas' cannot be found or visited in a zoo anywhere in the world. You can only find Mountain Gorillas in three countries in Africa, Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. About half of the mountain gorillas in the world can be found in Uganda in two spots – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
What people may not realize is that unlike seeing lions in the wilds of Uganda, or searching out Giraffes, Elephants, Warthogs, Crocodiles and Hippos, there are a limited number of visitors allowed to view and visit the Mountain Gorillas of Uganda. Presently there are 8 groups that have been habituated and two have just been opened for visitation. (Habituation simply means that the Mountain Gorillas are used to Human Beings, a process that can take up to two years) There are over 30 Mountain Gorilla Groups in Uganda in total -both habituated ones and those who are not.
Each Mountain Gorilla group can have a maximum of 8 visitors each day for a period of about one hour. Gorilla Groups vary in size from 6 to up to 30 in number.
You meet at the appropriate park office, depending which group of gorillas you are tracking – it can be at Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, or Nkuringo.
Best have a packed lunch with you, 2 liters of water, hat, tough pants, boots, long sleeved shirt, rain jacket, backpack, insect repellant, lots of batteries, you can get a walking stick locally and the assistance of a porter if need be.
At the Gorilla tracking orientation you are assigned to your guide who is an expert on the group of gorillas and most often was a part of the gorilla group’s habituation process and visits your gorilla group daily and knows their ways and patterns of movement since gorillas move on a daily basis and build new nests each day.
The tracking time can take up to 8 hours. You cannot just drive up to their location – it can be quite a hike, especially in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. However in spite of a strenuous hike, your surroundings in either Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and or Mgahinga Gorilla Park are simple awesome, breathtaking and beautiful. Not only will you see your Mountain Gorillas up close and personal but also other mammals who call Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park their home.
There are birds endemic to the parks, butterflies, chimpanzees, forest elephants, and of course the rugged, scenic beauty you will encounter on your own Gorillas in the Mist experience in Uganda. Some people cannot get enough of the Mountain Gorillas in one day, so they schedule and plan for two days of Gorilla Trekking in Uganda then Rwanda or Democratic Republic of Congo the other day. Never have I had someone disappointed with their encounter with the gentle and majestic Mountain Gorillas of Uganda.
There are some restrictions to visiting the Uganda Mountain Gorillas: No flu, coughs or colds, not diarrhea problems, reasonably fit, and a minimum age http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifof 15. To some of the cost of a permit to see the Mountain Gorillas may restrict them from a budgetary viewpoint. The cost of one permit is 500 USD. The same cost applies to the other two countries where Mountain Gorillas are found. Uganda just announced a twice a year off -season price reduction to 350 USD per person for non-residents and foreign residence living in Uganda it is only 250 USD per person-quite a savings.
Source : Brenda - Travel Consultant at Brovad Safaris specialists in orgainising uganda safaris and gorilla tours in East Africa.
Unlike Pandas, Orangutans, Chimpanzees, Mountain Gorillas' cannot be found or visited in a zoo anywhere in the world. You can only find Mountain Gorillas in three countries in Africa, Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. About half of the mountain gorillas in the world can be found in Uganda in two spots – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
What people may not realize is that unlike seeing lions in the wilds of Uganda, or searching out Giraffes, Elephants, Warthogs, Crocodiles and Hippos, there are a limited number of visitors allowed to view and visit the Mountain Gorillas of Uganda. Presently there are 8 groups that have been habituated and two have just been opened for visitation. (Habituation simply means that the Mountain Gorillas are used to Human Beings, a process that can take up to two years) There are over 30 Mountain Gorilla Groups in Uganda in total -both habituated ones and those who are not.
Each Mountain Gorilla group can have a maximum of 8 visitors each day for a period of about one hour. Gorilla Groups vary in size from 6 to up to 30 in number.
You meet at the appropriate park office, depending which group of gorillas you are tracking – it can be at Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, or Nkuringo.
Best have a packed lunch with you, 2 liters of water, hat, tough pants, boots, long sleeved shirt, rain jacket, backpack, insect repellant, lots of batteries, you can get a walking stick locally and the assistance of a porter if need be.
At the Gorilla tracking orientation you are assigned to your guide who is an expert on the group of gorillas and most often was a part of the gorilla group’s habituation process and visits your gorilla group daily and knows their ways and patterns of movement since gorillas move on a daily basis and build new nests each day.
The tracking time can take up to 8 hours. You cannot just drive up to their location – it can be quite a hike, especially in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. However in spite of a strenuous hike, your surroundings in either Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and or Mgahinga Gorilla Park are simple awesome, breathtaking and beautiful. Not only will you see your Mountain Gorillas up close and personal but also other mammals who call Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park their home.
There are birds endemic to the parks, butterflies, chimpanzees, forest elephants, and of course the rugged, scenic beauty you will encounter on your own Gorillas in the Mist experience in Uganda. Some people cannot get enough of the Mountain Gorillas in one day, so they schedule and plan for two days of Gorilla Trekking in Uganda then Rwanda or Democratic Republic of Congo the other day. Never have I had someone disappointed with their encounter with the gentle and majestic Mountain Gorillas of Uganda.
There are some restrictions to visiting the Uganda Mountain Gorillas: No flu, coughs or colds, not diarrhea problems, reasonably fit, and a minimum age http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifof 15. To some of the cost of a permit to see the Mountain Gorillas may restrict them from a budgetary viewpoint. The cost of one permit is 500 USD. The same cost applies to the other two countries where Mountain Gorillas are found. Uganda just announced a twice a year off -season price reduction to 350 USD per person for non-residents and foreign residence living in Uganda it is only 250 USD per person-quite a savings.
Source : Brenda - Travel Consultant at Brovad Safaris specialists in orgainising uganda safaris and gorilla tours in East Africa.
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