Gorilla Safaris Blog

Gorilla Tracking in Uganda

2011-10-13T17:37:00.002+03:00

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.

Sustainability of Gorilla Safaris in Uganda Rwanda & Congo

2011-10-12T07:17:00.001+03:00

Sustainability is one of the most common and hot topics today. For gorilla safaris, the sustainability of all the activities that go with gorilla trekking is worthy more important than just the "business" of visiting the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.

When Uganda took the leas in developing gorilla tourism, it chose to take the path of ecotourism in order to be rest assured about sustainability. Today we wonder whether there are appropriate measures that have been taken to ensure sustainability of gorilla tourism not only in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo! To ensure sustainability of gorilla safaris in Uganda, can you ask yourself the following questions;

1. Which tour operator are you using? Are using a responsible tour operator?
2. How do you ensure sustainability of the activities you take?
3. How does the local community benefit from your holiday?
4. Do you follow all the set rules for gorilla trekking?

History of Gorilla Conservation in Rwanda

2011-07-13T21:37:00.002+03:00

Rwanda is well known for its mountain gorillas. First brought to international attention by the conservation efforts of Dian Fossey in the 1960s and 70s, Rwanda’s gorillas have featured in numerous documentaries and have in the recent past been visited, for example, by Bill Gates, Natalie Portman and Ted Turner, who have all participated in the annual gorilla naming ceremony.

Rwanda and Uganda are the only two countries in the world where mountain gorillas can be visited safely at the moment. In 2008, about 17,000 people visited the Volcanoes National Park (VNP) to see the gorillas,http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif a large increase from the late 1980s and an impressive recovery from only 417 tourists in 1999 after the reopening of the park. Rwanda has also seen gorilla tourism as a valuable conservation tool, enforcing strict rules for the habituation and trekking of gorilla families.

Tourists are willing to pay high fees for a limited number of permits, which are usually sold out. Most of the gorilla safaris are sold out early enough. The revenues from gorilla tourism provide funds to the national parks and facilitate conservation activities. Five percent of park revenues are disbursed for community projects.

There are several aspects that have contributed to the successful revival of the tourism sector in Rwanda. First and foremost, the government has shown a clear commitment to the development of the tourism sector and has established itself as a safe destination in the region. The early development of a strategy and policy demonstrated this commitment. Furthermore, the government involved the private sector from the start and has implemented a good strategy to market Rwanda as a destination. The business environment has improved markedly, promoting private sector involvement. In addition, Rwanda has always seen tourism as an instrument to reduce poverty, for example by directly involving local communities.

Top 5 Gorilla Safaris in Uganda

2011-07-13T21:27:00.002+03:00

Well, July is the peak season for gorilla travel in Uganda. Given that this is a peak season, most of the gorilla safaris have been booked and a few last minute deals are still available but scarce to find. Below are the top gorilla safari trips for 2011. It is never too early to start planning for an end of the year trip abroad...

3 Days Gorilla Safari

4 Days Gorilla Trekking - Two Treks

4 Days Bwindi Gorillas, Lake Bunyoni

5 Days Gorilla & Queen Elizabeth

7 Days Gorillas, Chimps + Wildlife

Uganda - Africa's Top Favorite Destination

2008-06-12T10:09:00.004+03:00

Uganda has once again become an outpost to many travelers taking their safaris to Africa. With unique tourist attractions and improving tourist facilities, travelers have returned in ever-increasing numbers to enjoy Uganda's stunning landscape, green rolling hills, lush rain forests, snowcapped mountains, majestic rivers and massive lakes—and its fascinating wildlife, including about half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas.

Uganda has become one of Africa's major tourist destination in the past 10 years. Bordered to the west by the Rwenzori Mountains, named a World Heritage Site for their eerie, craggy tips and giant vegetation, and the majestic Virunga volcanoes rise along the southwestern border with Rwanda, Uganda is one of Africa's top favorite destinations. First proclaimed the Pearl of Africa by Sir Winston Churchill in 1903, Uganda is the source of the Nile that empties out of Lake Victoria—the world's second-largest lake—at Jinja.

The country is home to more than 1,000 species of birds, making Uganda one of the richest birding destinations in Africa, and its richly varied savannah wildlife—large herds of elephant, tree-climbing lions, snorting buffalo and peering giraffe all make Uganda a wonderland destination in Africa. Uganda is also a favourite to primate seekers! The country is home to more than half of the remaining 700 mountain gorillas in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, complemented by one of the highest density of chimpanzees in Kibale Forest National Park, Kaniyo Pabidi and Semuliki Forest National Park. Other primates in high concentration include both diurnal and nocturnal primates species that include pottos, galagos, bush babies etc.

With this Uganda has become famous for gorilla safaris, chimpanzee tours, wildlife safaris, mountaineering tours among others. Bwindi National Park, is the country's premier gorilla-tracking destination and the hottest tourist destination. Other safari parks visited by many tourists include Murchison Falls National Park the most loveliest, Queen Elizabeth National Park, the highest biodiversity conservation area in Africa and probably in the world, Lake Mburo National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park etc. Though Uganda experienced several political instabilities during the 1970s, in the past 20 years Uganda has once again regained much of its luster and it has been re branded the "Land Gifted by Nature".