What makes trekking with mountain gorillas in Uganda so special is that there are only 800 left in the world and half of them can be found in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Mountain gorillas are difficult to find in the wild because their habitat is so dense and remote. It takes the knowledge and skill of local trackers to locate them in order for tourists to spend time observing them.
What to expect when trekking with mountain gorillas in Uganda
Trekking can take up to 8 hours. While there are paths at the beginning of your trek you will inevitably have to leave this to locate the gorillas. At this point, the rangers and guide use machetes to clear the forest for your group. There are lots of steep inclines but the rangers are extremely helpful. They encourage you to take it slow and always make time for breaks.
We were extremely lucky that trackers were able to locate a family a mere 1 hour from the Rushaga Camp starting point. Once you have reached the gorillas you get 1 hour of contact with them (to avoid overexposure to humans).
During our time with the gorillas, we encountered a giant silverback who was completely unphased by our presence. He just continued to munch away on his lunch. About 20 meters away we observed a female gorilla maneuvering herself around to avoid the sun and create shade. Then finally, two baby gorillas came into the clearing with another mother gorilla and started hysterically playing with her. We watched as they jumped, tackled and bit each other. The mother amusingly tried to hold them down – one with her feet, the other with her hands.
Our guide Florence gave us lots of information about the animals, their habitat and their plight to avoid extinction. It was stunning how human-like their expressions and interactions were. It was a striking reminder of how important the conservation and preservation of our wildlife is.
- Are you a fan of ethical wildlife travel? Why not check out my guides to:
What to wear when trekking with gorillas
- Long breathable pants are a necessity. There are lots of bugs you want to avoid biting your legs!
- A short sleeve shirt with a long sleeve overlay. Most online guides will recommend wearing a long sleeve shirt but I personally got really hot during the trek and appreciated being able to take off the long layer. When we got into the more dense areas (stinging nettles and sharp trees) I just put the long sleeve back on. As a note: I used a rain jacket as my “long sleeve” to avoid having to carry both a long sleeve shirt and a raincoat.
- Hiking boots. It is possible to do the trek in running shoes/trainers but I was grateful for the extra support.
- Sunscreen and insect repellent.
- I did not use gloves during my trek but I heard on certain routes they help avoid being stung by the giant nettles when using branches for support. I brought them along just in case. Better to be safe than sorry!
- 5 L of water and snacks (nuts).
- If you suffer from motion sickness I would highly recommend taking a tablet before embarking on the drive to the beginning of the trek at Rushaga Camp, the roads are windy and very uneven.
- The camera gear I used:
- Canon 60D DSLR (50-200mm lens)
- Spare SIM Card and batteries.
- iPhone 6 (Insta-Stories).
- GoPro Hero 5.
- WG Gimble.
How to book trekking with mountain gorillas in Uganda
I booked my trek with gorillas in Uganda as part of my Tucan Travel Tour through East Africa. Before booking through Tucan you will be able to clearly identify whether permits are still available. You can follow this link to see my full itinerary, prices, dates and availability.
Please note there are variations of this tour (longer, shorter etc.) so take some time to explore their website to see if there is a tailored tour that suits you.
Why book your gorilla trek through a tour?
As you guys know I usually travel independently. However, I highly recommend traveling East Africa as part of a tour. Personally, I have found some of this region difficult to navigate by myself so having a tour leader made a huge difference. Particularly, I really appreciated the fact that my permit, transport, accommodation, and logistics were all organised before I arrived. This meant I didn’t have to worry about any chance of not being able to complete the trek.
Trekking with mountain gorillas in Uganda… on a budget
If you decide to book your permit independently I would highly recommend first confirming the price of your transfer to the trek starting point. This drive can take between 2-3 hours each way and could be costly. Our transfers were organised through Tucan Travel.
The gorilla permits are a fixed price and are undoubtedly expensive. Where you can save money, however, is on accommodation and food. I would recommend basing yourself at Lake Bunyoni as this is an attraction in itself and there are lots of backpacker accommodation options (around 20 USD per night). It’s also a great place to relax for the day after your trek.
I bought food in Kable (the closest town to Lake Bunyoni) at a supermarket that we passed on the way to avoid eating out every meal (and breakfast was included in our Tucan Tour).
Overall,
Looking at my Instagram you guys have probably caught onto the fact that I am pretty obsessed with wildlife encounters. Trekking with gorillas immediately became one of my favourite animal observation experiences. I am already thinking I will have to save up and head to Rwanda to try trekking with them in another country!
Check out @suitcaseandi for all my favourite pictures from my East Africa Tour so far 🙂
