The Experience
Mountain Gorilla tracking experience can take from thirty minutes to three quarters of the day so one needs to prepare for both and also requires a certain level of fitness. This depends on several factors that include, mountain Gorilla movements, where the gorillas stayed the previous night and the mood of the gorillas. It may also depend on the people in your group since the guides/rangers move following the slowest person in the group. Katland Safaris Ltd is happy to provide all relevant advice
Gorilla habituation experience is a learning process of how Gorillas are made familiar/used to human beings/people in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The Uganda Wildlife Authority decided to give tourists an opportunity to have the real experience that the rangers and researchers go through when habituating the mountain Gorillas in four hours. With this four-hours mountain Gorillas habituation experience you will have to pay USD1500.00 for a gorilla habituation permit. Please note, unlike Gorilla tracking where you are given an hour once you meet the Gorilla, Gorilla habituation experience and the four hours start counting when you meet the fresh trails of the Gorillas. Gorilla habituation safaris are currently taking place only in Rushaga sector located in southern part of the forest.
Gorilla trekking is an activity whereby a group of tourists/people go searching for Gorillas in the wild (not actual dictionary definition). Gorilla trekking is currently available in three African countries of Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic republic of Congo. The process of seeing these Gorillas involves hiking or trekking in the forest in search for the rare Mountain Gorillas. One needs to acquire a Gorilla permit for Bwindi National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Volcanoes National Park or Virunga National Park to be able to see these Mountain Gorillas. The process of Gorilla trekking normally starts with an early morning briefing at a respective park office, then a hike or walk into the forest following the trail used by Mountain Gorillas and once found, you spend only one hour with the Mountain Gorillas. You will then return back and be offered a certificate as a soveniour. The trek itself may take from 30 minutes to three quarters of the day but once you find Gorillas, you are allowed to spend only one hour with them
The most asked question about Gorilla trekking is the chances of seeing the Mountain Gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda. We are glad to confirm that chances of seeing Gorillas in the either in Bwindi National Park or Volcanoes National Park is 98%. Many tourists tend to book two or more Gorilla treks in the fear that they may fail to see the Gorillas on the first trek and therefore may be lucky with the second trek. The truth of the matter is that Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks in Uganda and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda has a special organized way in that there is an advanced team of trackers/National Park rangers who wake up every morning to find where these Gorillas are. Once they find them, they will then communicate to the park headquarters and your ranger guide of the day of the where about of these Gorillas. You will then start your trek from where the Gorillas would have spent the previous night up to when you find them. The advanced team will keep communicating with you guide to make sure you don’t get lost. If the Gorilla family in question keeps moving very fast, communication will be made and should they feel that you cannot cope with the speed, the park authorities may decide to take you to another family.