Category: Gorilla Safaris

Double Gorilla Trek in Rwanda Uganda

I recently returned from the 7 Day’s Rwanda Uganda double gorilla trek tour arranged by Jackie and guided out by Emma both working with gorilla safaris tours. From the first email to Jackie to the last day with Emma, the experience was experience was excellent and exceeded my expectations and I would definitely recommend this company. Jackie responded promptly, thoroughly and professionally to all of my emails. Emma was an exceptional guide throughout the trip. He was pleasant, knowledgeable, polite, punctual and an excellent driver.

As a woman traveling alone, I never felt unsafe or awkward. He has a keen eye for wildlife including birds large and small and could spot them from incredible distance and recognizes a wide variety of bird calls and knows their identifying features. He went out of his way to find monkeys, birds and other wildlife as well as the best places for photos during our long drives which made the drive itself pleasant. In addition, he knows about Ugandan history and politics which quite interesting.

The trek in Rwanda was difficult for me due to the altitude but the ranger and porters were quite understanding and helpful with plenty of rests and helping hands. The trek in Uganda was at times steeper and muddier than Rwanda but was not as difficult. I would definitely recommend hiring porter or two which is well worth the $15 to $20 per porter which included carrying camera equipment and water and lending hand when needed. The gorillas themselves were beyond description and amazing. In Rwanda the family appeared completely relaxed on the ground and carried on with their business of interacting with each other in the most endearing ways. In Uganda most of the gorillas were in the trees but a few were on the ground and easier to observe. In both cases, some of the gorillas would pass by in close proximity, seemingly undisturbed by our presence.

We also visited Queen Elizabeth National Park famously known for its diverse wildlife species like tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector, elephants, and buffaloes, herds of hippos, water bucks, and crocodiles, among others. As this park harbours 600 bird species, we saw many of them on game drives and boat cruise. Basically cruising on the Kazinga is one of the most eye catching activities in the park. The boat cruise is one of the amazing activities to enjoy in this park as we were able to enjoy watching elephants, buffaloes along the banks, crocodiles, hippos, water bucks, birds among others.

Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda in Kibale Forest National Park was much easier. Kibale National Park is home to 13 primate species and mostly known for chimpanzees. Nothing is amazing as having time with the chimpanzees in their natural home. It is always a thrilling and an unforgettable experience meeting chimps face to face and watching them engage in their daily activities like jumping, feeding, playing, while we were taking amazing photos and videos of them. Most of the chimpanzees were in the trees though a few did come down towards the end, we saw black and white Colobus monkeys, grey checked mangabey, L’Hoest monkeys, beautiful birds, papyrus plants and more.

I also was taken on the swamp tour towards the end of my tour which thought was also enjoyable as we met different people that stay there and also we saw different birds like Great Blue Turaco and more primates like the baboons, otters among others. With visitors are in love with primates, this is must do trip both in Rwanda and Uganda.

Best Places to Go Gorilla Trekking in Africa

Africa is one of the loved continent in the whole world due to its magnificent exhibited and hidden in its country, this loved continent offers the best gorilla trekking safaris and this is done nowhere else other that its three countries of Uganda, Rwanda and the DR. Congo. These three countries host a great number of tourists who flock in to have a memorable experience of these wonderful primates in their true natural setting within the forests and mountainous areas.

Rwanda only offers a wonderful trekking experience in her Volcanoes National Park in the Northern Province bordering DR. Congo and the mighty Uganda. Rwanda is recognized as a “Land of a thousand hills” due to her extensive mountains spread all over the country. Despite of the country being a landlocked one, it has got a better and an incredible biodiversity within her Albertine Rift Eco-zone.

Kigali being the capital city of the country, is where the Kigali international airport is found, the country is one of the smallest countries in Africa and therefore there is a shorter distance from the airport to the Volcanoes National Park where the endangered mountain gorillas are tracked, therefore visitors may afford a two days gorilla tracking safari within the country since it’s a 2-hour’s drive from the capital city to the park.

This park is composed of a variety of mammals and birds to be seen in the process of gorilla tracking, tracking within this park starts at 8am after being briefed from the park rangers. Rangers escort every particular group on track and the gorillas permit here is at USD 1500, the park has got around eight Gorilla groups that are tracked including the Susa, Karisimbi Susa A, Sabyinyo, Umubano, Titus and Amahoro and Agashya, Kwitonda plus Hirwa, Bwenge and Ugenda groups providing an opportunity to accommodate a number of trekkers on one day though each group is tracked by 8people per day.

Alternatively, Uganda is best known for her largest number of gorillas, Uganda is also a land locked country and it is also known to be the “Pearl of Africa”. The country is bordered by Rwanda in the southwest, Tanzania in the south, Kenya in the east and DR. Congo to the west with a portion in the south being occupied by the largest African Lake Victoria.

The country is also located in the east African plateau with an equatorial type of climate though being different depending on the altitude, Kampala is the capital city of Uganda and Entebbe International Airport is the country’s main airport.  Gorillas in Uganda are tracked from her two different national parks including Bwindi impenetrable national park, this is located in the southwestern part of the country and it’s covered with Uganda’s biologically diverse rain forest.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park only protects over 324 mountain gorillas and this is considered to be almost half of the word’s left mountain gorillas, gorilla trekking permits are bought at USD 600 and habituation permits at USD 1500 for foreign non-residents. Members of the East African community only pay UGX 250000 for a gorilla trekking permit. Bwindi has got four sectors each with different Gorilla groups and these include the Ruhija, Oruzogo, Habinyanja, Mishaya, Nkuringo, Mubare, Nshongi and the Bitukura gorilla group.

Trekkers are only awarded one hour of gorilla enjoyments whereas those who are on habituation experience enjoy the activity throughout the day in the forest. Visitors may also do gorilla tracking from Mgahinga national park; this is also located in the south western Uganda in the tip corner of the country sharing the part with the Virunga ranges. The park sits on an altitude of about 2227m and 4127m, the park is of great significance due to its extinct volcanoes that are seen in each and every corner of the park and these includes the Sabyinyo, Gahinga and Muhavura mountains.

This is where the Nyakagezi gorilla group is tracked and this is why the park has gained its fame at a larger extent since many visitors cannot leave the pearl of Africa minus having a tour to this park, this is where the first people to live in the forest known as the pygmies “the Batwa” can be traced and therefore, there is nothing much that can be left out while on a tour to Mgahinga National Park.

Besides the two East African countries where mountain gorillas can be tracked, another alternative can be got from a one and only central Africa country that’s DR. Congo. DR. Congo offers amazing gorilla trekking safaris since it has got both the lowland gorillas and the Mountain gorillas. Gorillas in Congo are tracked from the Virunga mountain ranges where the Virunga national park was demarcated; this was before known as Albert national park. In Virunga national park is where the endangered mountain gorillas are tracked at a fee of USD 400 per person.

Tracking from this park starts from Bukima where all trekkers meet their guides for briefing and also starting their journey to the mountain ranges for gorillas. This offers a number of chances to the trekkers also to see some crater lakes around and on top of the mountain. Also, to track are the lowland gorillas seen in the thick forest of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park but prior bookings are required in all the two national parks. All this offers a reason as to why many people from different destinations enjoy visiting Africa for the amazing gorillas.