Category: Gorillas

5 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Gorillas

Gorillas are among the intelligent primates the world host today. When it comes to primate safaris, gorillas should be a must see! They are intriguing animals and worthy seeing! They are capable of using tools like sticks, stones and pods among others. They use sticks to scoop termites from the ground, stones for defense and pods to collect drinking water from the streams. During a gorilla visit in either Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or the Virunga Region, you will come to learn about the life of the mountain gorillas and how they survive in the wild.

Gorillas Live in Families

Gorillas are known stay together in large groups known as ‘troops’. Each troop consists of members ranging from 5 to 40 depending on the size of the habitat. The largest gorilla group in history existed in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.

Who Takes Care?

The females take good care of their young ones and they communicate with each other in a variety of ways. They not only warn their troop members of the approaching dangers, but also warn others to stay away from them.

Male gorillas are also important in grooming the young ones. On many occasions, you will find male gorillas interacting with the young and juveniles, teaching them the way things can be done e.g crossing rivers, building nests etc.

Maturity of Gorillas

A male silverback Gorilla, an adult of 13 years or more, is the head of each group. Only this Gorilla is allowed to mate with the female gorillas of the troop.

The other male members leave the troop once they mature and go on to form their own troops.

Females also leave the troop after maturity, in order to find a suitable silverback so that they can be a part of his troop.

Diet of Gorillas

The usual diet of a Gorilla consists of flowers, fruits, leaves, stems, bamboo, etc. The eastern lowland gorillas however, indulge in ants and other small insects, alongside vegetal matter.

Makeshift Homes

On a gorilla trek through the impenetrable forest, you will look out for the nests that they build daily for their stay. Upon meeting the nests, it is evident and clear that you are close to encountering a gorilla family. The size of the nest also differs with the composition of members.

Gorillas do not sleep in one nest twice….. Gorillas sleep in nests, which they build on the ground or in trees, depending on various variables, such as the vegetation and the security situation. Every evening mountain gorillas construct a new nest, even if it is only a few meters from the nest they used the night before. Each animal builds its own nest; only infants sleep in the same nest as their mothers. About half an hour before it gets dark the gorillas settle in the nest. Occasionally, they also build nests for the midday rest.

To build a ground nest, the animals pull the branches of bushes and other plants into the centre, layer them and anchor them to each other. Other plants are bent in to form the nest rim. Tree nests are built mainly in forks of branches or similar structures. The nest has to be constructed in such a way that it can carry the weight of the gorilla. Females and young animals prefer to sleep in trees, whereas silverback males hardly ever do.

Comparing Gorilla Safaris in Volcanoes & Bwindi Forest National Park

Uganda and Rwanda are gifted with counts of the critically endangered mountain gorillas in their respective parks of Bwindi Impenetrable and Volcanoes National Park presenting an ideal ground for gorilla trekking safaris and tours in Uganda and Rwanda. Undertaking gorilla safaris in Bwindi and Volcanoes is a life time adventure that will stick with you for years of your life. Encountering the maiden Apes thriving in the lush of their habitats after traversing hilly forested landscapes is a wonder that cannot be listed as ordinary. Comparing the gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda and Rwanda covers a range of aspects.

One of the aspects is the price of a gorilla trekking permit. Uganda offers a gorilla permit at $600 while Rwanda offers a gorilla permit at $750 thus creating a gap of $150. Additionally to note is that Uganda also offers discounted gorilla permits during the low season months of April, May and November to $350 something that is not in Rwanda.

The second aspect is transportation and travel distance. It can be noted that Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is at a good distance from Kampala about 527km. These journeys take not less than 10 hours whereas the Volcanoes National Park in the destination Rwanda is 116km from Kigali a journey that cannot exceed 3 hours holding other factors constant.

Uganda presents a scenic country side and a range of features that offer impressive en route stops that make the long day transfer rewarding contributing to the memories of gorilla safari in Uganda. Ranging from the Equator site at Kayabwe where the world’s main latitude crosses the country to the traditional range lands of Ankole where Lake Mburo National Park is located with myriad wildlife like Rothschild Giraffes, the Topis, the Cape Buffaloes, the Impala, the Burchell’s Zebra, the warthogs, the Deffasa Water bucks, the leopards, the Bush buck along with aquatics in Lake Mburo like the Nile Crocodiles the second largest in all the world’s reptiles and the gigantic Hippos not forgetting the close to water birds like African fin foot and the African Fish eagle, Uganda is a myriad of wonders. There is also Igongo Cultural Center that features a cultural museum with collections of all the tribes of south western Uganda, a traditional restaurant, cultural village and lush gardens, the Mbarara town which is the largest in the sub region and eventually the magical Kigezi Highlands after which you arrive in Bwindi. It is a whole day of transfer but a day tour of itself. In Rwanda, one can be mesmerized by the hills and the settlement which are short-lived as he / she soon arrives in Volcanoes.

Regarding the roads, Uganda features smooth tarmac to the nearby towns that are close to the park and the travelers would drive through challenging sections on their last connecting roads to the park negotiating through rolling hills which is an experience of its own but Rwanda offers a smooth transfer throughout making accessibility easier for those on gorilla safaris in Rwanda.

The third aspect is the gorilla trekking experience itself. Uganda features a mountainous terrain in the gorilla habitats that is Bwindi. In Bwindi, the forest is thick with dense undergrowth, tall trees with canopy and is perched on rugged terrain which at times makes it challenging and ideal for the adventurous travelers. The gorillas can be seen in this destination but at times, the duration tends to be extended as the trekkers hike the slopes up and down in search of the mighty apes enjoying the bird sounds and sights since Bwindi is Africa’s number one birding site and enjoying lush flora which gives more value for money compared to Volcanoes Rwanda where at times the trekkers have been able to come to sight with gorillas in 30 minutes of their trek.

How to Track Mountain Gorillas Of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

The Gorilla trekking experience is the highlight of your safari on your Ugandan safari and when    you visit Bwindi Impenetrable National park in the south Western part of the country.  You will be required to visit the park headquarters at the Uganda Wildlife Authority as early as 7:45 from where you will be allocated a guide before heading into the Impenetrable forest for the activity. Do not forget a walk stick which will be offered to you at the head quarters thus you should take this very useful because it will help you in slippery conditions. Porters to help you with your luggage are available at the park head quarters and these are very   helpful during the rainy season.

If you are involved in the gorilla habituation group, it will take you a minimum of two years with daily visits which allow the gorilla group to tolerate your presence. It should be noted however that it is only when gorillas are happy with the presence of human beings that  visitors are allowed to share the  daily  hour of contact with them  and only a maximum of eight people are allowed to  track  each habituated gorillas  and the walk to find these gorillas may be  as short as two hours.

While tracking the gorillas, the park rangers and guides will clear the way and will assist you through the forest thus you will need very good fitness to make this walk a success though the walk may be slippery. Spending time, sitting with the mountain gorillas is one of the most amazing wildlife experiences one will ever have and dominant male silver back can weigh over 200 kilograms. You are required to come with the following during tracking;

For you to enjoy gorilla tracking expedition, you should come along with;

A minimum of two litres of water

Packed lunch

Some money

A gorilla permit and passport which will be asked at the check in

Long parts are required to be worn by you while walking in the bush

Walking boots and hiking socks are recommended to be worn

Layers are best as conditions in the tropical rain forest can change from hot to wet and cold in an instant. At the end of the track, you will have to be given tracking certificate

Gorilla families habituated in Bwindi Impenetrable national park

Currently, there 12 gorilla families which are habituated for   viewing and these include; Mubare Gorilla family which is the oldest habituated gorilla group in Uganda. Habinyanja Gorilla family and visitors tracking this family need about 3-8 hours.  Other gorilla families include Reshegura gorilla family, Nkuringo, Nshongi, Mishaya, Kahungye, Bweza, Busingye, Nyakagezi and Kyaguriro Gorilla family.

The Mubare group was the very first group to be habituated for tourist in 1993 and was named after the stunning of Mubare Hills in which the group was discovered. The Habinyanja group was habituated in 1997 for tracking and received the first visitors in 1999. Rushegura group was habituated in 2000 and started receiving tourists in 2002. The Bitukura group found in the Ruhija region while the Mishaya is found in the Rushaga region. The Nshongi group is currently the biggest habituated gorilla family with over 25 members

The Nkuringo Region of Bwindi Forest is one the most physically challenging regions although it is very rewarding in the forest for the enjoyment of Gorilla tracking. The accommodation facilities in Nkuringo offer a very good environment to view the Nkuringo gorilla family and this group comprises of 19 members and most people who have tracked gorillas in Bwindi say, it is a favorite to track this gorilla group. For bookings contact us through info@gorillasafarisadventure.com or call our hotline +256751552950.

What is the time for an adventure travel: gorilla trekking in Uganda

Uganda is on e of the three countries that host the rear specie of gorillas and these are mountain gorillas and the rest of the countries are Rwanda and DR. Congo. The mountain gorillas are the largest primates in the world as they weigh an average of 140kgs an adult one. They are only 880 mountain gorillas left in the world and Uganda has a half of the population of the gorillas of 420 gorillas and these are found in Bwindi impenetrable and Mgahinga gorilla national parks. These mountain gorillas are critically endangered species of gorillas that are almost getting extinct. However, efforts have been made by the different organizations both local and international to save these wonderful primates from getting extinct.

These elusive animals are one of man’s closest relatives in the animal kingdom as they have almost the same nervous, respiratory, immune systems and skull structure. These animals have 98% DNA almost similar to man. These have unique social behavioral ways that are similar to mankind i.e. the way they neatly organized in their families. It is very had to find a gorilla solely on its own. They are always with a families which is composed of silver back the father gorilla, like four female adult gorillas the mothers of the young gorillas, the other adult female and male gorillas that are about to make their own families that is the uncles and the aunts and the young ones. The family is normally composed of 8-30 gorillas and always headed by the silver back.

Words cannot explain the feeling and excitement one accumulates when he/she meets the gorillas in their natural habitat. Come to Bwindi impenetrable national park or Mgahinga hear captivating stories about the gorillas from the gorilla patron and also have that exhilarating experience of making a nerve cracking eye contact with the gorillas. The mountain gorillas are very peaceful animals that are not problematic to humans if its privacy is not intruded. While at Bwindi, you have an opportunity of taking a picture of a gorilla and if you are lucky, you can be captured with the gorillas.

Besides the gorilla trekking in Bwindi, you have a chance of encountering the most interesting people of Uganda the Batwa. Take a Batwa trail after gorilla trekking. Meet the shortest people in Uganda get involved in their culture.

The gorilla adventure also makes one to stay in one of the most amazing lodges on earth as the lodges around Bwindi are all eco lodge. Come to Bwindi and live on the green world of the earth. Everything that is involved in the gorilla safari is nature sensitive.

The gorilla adventure makes one come so close to nature and understand how nature is good to humans as it is very bewildering looking at the gorilla doing their unique antics in the jungle.

Why Gorilla trekking Is Good For Conservation?

To many tourists in Uganda, the most unforgettable part of the safari is encountering the endangered mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga National park in their natural habitat. This encounter and interactions involves touching them, walking with them. Most of the safaris goers have got a great chance to participate in the thrilling wildlife related activity with their own discretion and this means that the tourist can very selective and boycott questionable operations and the activities which may endanger these gorillas.

There are programs where animals are kept and bred in captivity have been under scurrility and it worth questioning whether the tourism activities with the free- roaming the world animals are very ethnically sound. There are abundant of the non- profit and business that offer these wild activities the market in their adventures as being beneficial to the species which are involved and for  wildlife  conservation as a whole, animals encounters are unfortunately not always good for the animals or for conservation.

Investigating the impact of gorilla trekking on the conservation is very crucial because the endangered mountain gorillas are so much critically endangered and the world fund has reported that there are about 880 individual mountain gorillas which have been left in the whole world. This therefore calls for attention which is to be put in mind that the African gorillas have very few natural predators apart from human beings who are the leading driving force for the extinction of the endangered gorillas thus the population of wild gorillas has to be considered

When gorilla trekking is going to be carried   out , permits which are relatively expensive are required  to trek these gorillas in the national parks of Bwindi and Mgahinga which  need to be arranged  in advance   limited number of trekking permits are issued aimed at restricting the number of tourists groups and the size of  the groups, that visit the gorillas.

Before gorilla trekking, the park authorities brief the visitors on the regulations before they can set off with a much trained ranger with the assistants, who help the tourists who trek gorillas to maintain good trekking relations.

During the real activity of gorilla trekking, when a gorilla approaches a tourist,   the instructions have been put across and this means that gorillas and people do get closer to each other than the safe distance required. A maximum of 8 people are allowed to go to trek gorillas at a time, with up to three groups tracking every day and if you sneeze or cough while with the gorillas, you are requested to cover  your mouth  and turn away from the gorillas and where wearing masks improves safety this is responsible  precaution to protect the primates

The Uganda wild life authority has employed many veterinary officers in the conservation areas who keep the endangered mountain gorillas, healthy and gorillas have been successfully treated by gorilla doctors by UWA which is a non-profit organization  which provides a life saving medical care in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. However in the pearl of Africa, conservation through public Health has worked hard to improve health care in local communities and to educate gorilla trekkers and other people about disease transmission, livestock issues, and human health and mountain gorillas. The gorilla trekking industry is largely having positive impacts on the communities around and in the national parks where gorilla trekking is being carried out and there is also a local community/people benefit where gorilla tourism and are enlightened more about these primates in their relationship with these great apes and human –wildlife conflicts in most cases is reduced when the people involved in learning about this understand gorillas better.

Mountain Gorillas – How Do Gorillas Sleep?

Mountain gorillas are known descendants of ancestral monkey that thrive in the mountain ranges of the Virunga and the Bwindi Forest! These great apes live in tropical rain forests shared by countries of Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo as well as the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.

Mountain gorillas are the star attraction of the region and that is why many travelers seek for gorilla tours in Uganda and Rwanda all year round. One of the reasons for the development of gorilla tourism is creating awareness about how gorillas live in the wild! Many visitors to the gorilla parks wonder about how mountain gorillas spend their overnights in the environments where they live and a cross section of trekkers would feel mesmerized after encountering these great apes.

It should be noted that gorillas sleep in nests just like their relatives, the wild chimpanzees. The gorilla nests are built in trees or on the ground considering the security and vegetation. Interestingly to note is that gorillas put up new nests every evening and this can be encountered while on gorilla safari and tour in Uganda and Rwanda. Gorillas have to put up new nests even when the ones that they used previous night are very close to them.

Every night mountain gorilla constructs its nest except for young gorillas that put up with their mothers. They enter their nests approximately 1 hour to the dark and at times construct nests for midday rest which can be seen on gorilla trekking safari in Uganda and Rwanda.

A gorilla nest is built by pulling branches of bushes along with other plants to the center where they are joined with one another to form a nest and this is common with ground nests. Other branches are then bent to form the roof of the nest. The tree nests are constructed using tree branches and other materials and have to be strong enough to carry the weight of gorillas. This explains why most of the time young and female gorillas tend to spend their overnights in trees while the male gorillas especially silverbacks dwell much on the ground. These disparities can be encountered while on Uganda gorilla safaris and tours.

Would you like to learn more about the gorillas and how they survive in the wild? Why not take a tour to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the best place to encounter these great apes! Lots of prepackages gorilla tours are available from various tour operators or you can get started with planning an independent gorilla visit!