Gorilla trekking in the UNESCO world heritage site of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is remarkable that one most thrilling primate adventure. A glimpse into the pensive eyes of the giant mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is of no doubt a magical wildlife encounter any trekker on Uganda safari shouldn’t miss out. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies in southwestern Uganda, approximately 8-10 hours’ drive away from Kampala capital city. It is home to nearly half the total number of mountain gorillas (a total of about 1004 mountain gorillas) that still thrive on the planet today.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park
The forests of Bwindi offer a great opportunity for you to get close to a group of massive mountain gorillas while in their natural habitat. Tracking mountain gorillas in the Impenetrable Forest is such a rare primate adventure experience. Within the Bwindi Forest, gorilla treks start in any one of the 4 main trailheads; Rushaga, Nkuringo, Buhoma and Ruhija, the four designated regions where tourists assemble at 8.00AM and get briefed about how the experience is to be conducted. Within each of these gorilla trekking areas, there are habituated families for visitors to trek.
The oldest sector, the Buhoma sector in the north of the park is the most known and it requires an early booking to get a spot for a gorilla trek in the region. It is the pioneer region for gorilla trekking. It comprises of popular gorilla families that include Habinyanja family, Rushegura, Katwe and Mubare. The Rushaga region offers moderate hikes given its terrain. It consists of families that include Rwigi, Kutu, Mucunguzi, Busingye, Mishaya, Nshongi, Kahungye, Bweza, Bikingi. In the North East, there is the Ruhija sector that also offers moderate hikes. It has Kyaguriro gorilla family, Bitukura, Mukiza, and Oruzogo. Of all the four sectors, Nkuringo is the hilliest and it is quite loved by travelers looking for challenging hikes. Here you will find the Nkuringo gorilla group, Christmas and Bushaho gorilla group.
Gorilla treks in Bwindi National Park start early in the morning with a briefing at park headquarters and at 8:00 am, visitors embark on an actual trek with a park ranger guide. Treks to see mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can take you about 3-6 hours but this depends on your hiking speed, nature of habitat and location of gorillas. It is a breathtaking adventure and involves you hiking through the dense rainforest and steep slopes. Upon finding these creatures, you have an hour of face to face encounter with them, take photos and explore their behaviors as well as body gestures.
Gorilla trekking rules and regulations
On the actual trek within the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, trekkers are briefed on the set rules and regulations that they have to observe while on the trek to see mountain gorillas. You will be at a respective trailhead in Bwindi National Park as your gorilla permit directs you.
Among other rules and regulations that will be briefed to, you include:
- Only 8 visitors are allowed to track a habituated gorilla family
- Only one hour is given for visitors to have a face to face encounter with gorillas
- Visitors must maintain a distance of 7 meters and the 7-meter rule should be kept all times while in presence of the mountain gorillas
- No flashlight camera is allowed when taking photos
- Only persons above 15 years are allowed to track gorillas
- Visitors are not allowed to drink, eat or smoke near gorillas or in their habitat
- Visitors with communicable diseases are not allowed to track the endangered mountain gorillas.
When to go for gorilla trekking
Bwindi National Park is an all year round safari destination. But it is best to explore Bwindi National Park while on a gorilla trekking tour during the dry season whi