Annoying things about gorilla trekking.
While going on a gorilla hike in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda or the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda is an incredible Africa Safari experience, there are some irksome aspects to it.
Thousands of visitors go to Rwanda and Uganda to engage in this pastime, which is without a doubt one of the greatest in Africa.
The public has access to a wealth of information on gorilla trekking in Africa, including from websites, travel magazines, newspapers, and other sources. While much of this material highlights the positive aspects of the sport, there are a few drawbacks.
Get up early. For the briefing about gorilla trekking
You must get up early in order to meet the gorilla trekking briefing’s early morning time. Make sure you have everything you need for gorilla trekking, have breakfast, and get ready to travel to the ranger station for a briefing. Don’t forget to wear a mask and bring a lunch.
Some visitors may not like the early morning, particularly if they are not informed in advance of what to anticipate while gorilla trekking. Visitors sometimes spend time in the Buhoma Region of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park’s northern section while trekking gorillas in the eastern portion of the forest. This implies that visitors must rise at about five in the morning in order to make the two-hour trip to Ruhija.
This is rather frequent as the Buhoma area is home to some of the best resorts, including Mahogany Springs, Silverback Lodge, Gorilla Forest Camp, and Buhoma Lodge. Both the lodgings and the gorilla permits for this area tend to sell out fast.
When you remain in Kabale while tracking in Ruhija, the same thing occurs. The road between Kabale and the Ruhija region is marram, which makes it sometimes impassable or very slick. Kabale is 95 miles away. To get to the starting site, you will need to get up early and travel for around 1.5 hours.
If you choose to stay in Kisoro town in the southern region of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you will still need to travel for up to two hours to go to Rushaga or Nkuringo. Driving the more than 35 km twisting route from Kisoro to Nkuringo would take you around one hour and forty-five minutes to reach the Nkuringo area briefing point. Because of the frequent rains in this location and the little sunlight it gets, the roads are often in poor shape.
The habituated gorilla family’s unpredictable behavior
Despite sometimes becoming used to human presence, mountain gorillas’ natural habitat remains unaltered. Since they share almost 96% of the same DNA as humans, they too experience mood swings. Even though they are assigned to that gorilla family for the day, the gorillas may exhibit some unexpected behaviors toward their guests.
To track the gorilla families that will be hiked, a crew of rangers rises earlier each day than the others. They report to the main park office after observing the general atmosphere. This makes it easier for the ranger guides assigned to each tourist group to inform the customers on what to anticipate from that specific gorilla family and prevent them from being startled while they are there.
On the day of the journey, visitors are assigned to gorilla families based on their physical and personal preferences. Compared to physically healthy people, older people have the opportunity to journey with a closer family. There is no assurance that the journey will be easy just because you are assigned a family that is nearby.
A gorilla family may be closer at times, and once they spot you, they may opt to move and hide in challenging areas, requiring you to travel for longer periods of time than you had anticipated. Although uncommon, this may occur at any moment and is annoying.
Trekking Pace Variations for Various Tourists
When a fellow traveler slows down other group members, it is inconvenient. There may be individuals in your group who move very slowly and others who move first.
According to the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s instructions, everyone in the group should follow the slowest person’s speed. As a result, this leads to disagreements among the group trekkers, which might eventually cause conflict.
Simply because one person was sluggish, a two-hour gorilla trip may take up to four hours. The only solution is to hire porters who can push or pull her while she is trekking or carry such a person.
Weather Variation While Trekking with Gorillas
The weather in the Virunga region is variable at all times. The dry months of June through September and December through January are included in the majority of gorilla trekking articles. During this time, one could want to go on a gorilla trekking safari, but unexpectedly, a strong downpour may occur.
Seasons vary at Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Rainfall is possible even during the dry season. Rain might make your gorilla trip more difficult since you have to go up and down in a slick terrain, making the whole experience gratifying but difficult.
For this reason, travelers are advised to bring energy-boosting snacks and appropriate gorilla trekking equipment, such as ponchos or rain coats.
Disturbing the Gorilla Trekker
During gorilla trekking, every visitor in the group wants to be in the best possible position to shoot pictures. Depending on the position and location of the mountain gorillas, a family may find it stressful to have more than eight individuals participating in gorilla trekking.
Once you have located your gorilla family, you may experience exhilaration. Many of your group members will end up blocking you and depriving you room to have nice shorts as everyone bends out to get their own camera to record gorilla moments. Although uncommon, this may occur and be inconvenient. When tracing the mountain gorillas, you have a single hour that you must make the most of.
Bringing Young Children on Gorilla Treks
When a parent wants to embark on a gorilla walk with their kids and is informed that they are too young, it may be frustrating. Anyone must be at least 15 years old to go gorilla trekking.
Authorities may seek documentation to confirm that you are at least the minimum age necessary if they have any doubts about your age. It might be time-consuming and inconvenient to provide the Authority with your passport or birth certificate.
It is preferable to keep youngsters under this age out of the forest since they may not be able to handle the conditions there. The mountain gorillas sometimes make fun of their guests, which may not be appropriate for a young kid.
For a youngster under the age of fifteen, even the trek to find the gorillas may be quite difficult. The current state of the forest makes it impossible to anticipate when you will locate the gorillas.
A youngster younger than this may not be able to finish the walk due to exhaustion, particularly if they are not physically fit. One can scream at the first sight of the mountain gorillas since they are so fearsome. Mountain gorillas may go on a rampage because they are afraid of strange noises in their surroundings.
Procedure for Booking Gorilla Permits
It might also be inconvenient to book gorilla permits directly from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. If you are unable to visit the booking office in person while in Uganda, you will have to send them an email, which may or may not be answered.
If you call their office, you may never be answered, but when you do, you will be instructed to transfer money to their account; however, if there is even the slightest discrepancy from the transfer, you will have to pay it before receiving your permits. It is advised that you reserve your gorilla permit and trip via a local tour operator, particularly those that are part of AUTO (The Association of Uganda trip Operators), even if the Uganda Wildlife Authority has improved its services.
Getting infected before going on a gorilla trek
No one with an infectious ailment is permitted to go gorilla trekking in order to protect the mountain gorillas. Wearing a mask before interacting with mountain gorillas is advised since the corona virus is one of the contagious diseases that might infect them.
It is admirable to volunteer to remain behind if you become aware that you have a communicable condition. If you notify this before the walk begins, you will get your permission back. Refunds are handled in accordance with Rwanda Development Board regulations or the terms and circumstances set out by the Uganda Wildlife Authority for gorilla trekking.
Since mountain gorilla conservation has advanced, there should be little possibility of causing widespread mortality. Since several national and international organizations have taken part in this conservation endeavor, their hard work must not be undermined by thoughtless errors.
How to Reserve Permits for Gorilla Trekking
You must obtain gorilla permits in advance if you want to go gorilla trekking in Rwanda or Uganda. whether you have chosen a date for the gorilla trip, the consultants must verify whether it is still available.
Since permits are sold out as quickly as possible, you must get yours as soon as possible if the availability is favorable. Additionally, it’s the only way to demonstrate your dedication to the gorilla trekking expedition.
Prior to the finest spots being taken, other parts of the gorilla trekking safari package are also reserved when you purchase the gorilla trekking permit.
The complete names on your passport, nationality, birthdate, passport expiration date, and other information are subsequently needed to be added to your gorilla permission card in Uganda.
What Guidelines Apply to Gorilla Trekking?
The mountain gorillas feel assaulted, so avoid encircling them while you are among them.
When you locate a gorilla, keep a distance of around 8 meters to minimize the risk of infecting both the gorilla and you.
Because the mountain gorillas are afraid of strange light, flash photography is not allowed when they are around.
The mountain gorillas may be compelled to take everything from you if you eat or smoke in front of them.
Cough from your elbow or cover your mouth if you need to sneeze or cough away from the mountain gorillas.
Cover all excrement securely in a hole that is about 30 meters deep to prevent the mountain gorillas from digging it up.
Steer clear of spitting on plants that the mountain gorillas eat. It is very unsanitary, particularly for other hikers.
Because the time of finding mountain gorillas and the circumstances in the jungle are uncertain, gorilla trekking is prohibited for anybody under the age of fifteen.
To avoid seeming suspicious when you find the mountain gorillas, speak quietly and avoid making excessive motions.
You have only one hour to find the mountain gorillas. Since they must find their own food during the day, this will enable them to continue feeding. Make the most of every minute and capture as many memories as you can with your camera.
Volunteer to remain behind if you have an infectious ailment that may not get along with the mountain gorillas, such as the flu, a cough, or COVID-19. They are susceptible to human illnesses since they contain around 96% human DNA.
