A gorilla safari experience is one of the aspects that have raised a series of questions and some of which have not yet been answered.
From time memorial, visitors get confused or misled by what they have read or heard and they end up asking questions like; which gorilla group is easier to trek? How is gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda-which one has the hardest or easiest gorilla families to track?
The list is really endless and probably some of you have followed soot and at end of the day, you were left out with no direct answer. We can’t run from the fact that gorilla trekking is one of the world’s hunted natural travel experiences by trekkers to see, admire and take photos of the rare mountain gorillas in the thick rain forests in East Africa. It is also right to say that a gorilla trekking safari is costly and a breathtaking that any one can think of, since it comes with a series of astonishing and emotional experiences which are truly incomparable.
We must also agree that, the critically endangered mountain gorillas live in the wilderness not the zoo and there is no guarantee for tourists to see them stationery in previous place where they tracked them from. Like any other primates or wildlife species in the wilderness, the rare mountain gorillas do move in search of food and unbearably territorial fights can also force them to leave their usual families. At the end of the day, trekkers come up with different views regarding mountain gorillas and their families during the trek.
The fact about mountain gorilla safaris should remain in our minds that, the gorilla permit is a must to hold and it costs $600 in Uganda and $1500 in Rwanda. As soon as you obtain a gorilla permit either in Uganda or Rwanda, you get more than 95% chance of viewing a family of the mountain gorillas in the wilderness and so long as you are physically fit to go for the trek, then count it achieved. Globally, the mountain gorillas are less than 900 in number and they are only tracked in 3 countries (Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo).
To see a family of mountain gorillas at times requires tourists to spend long hours while hiking through higher elevations in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda or visiting the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. It all depends on the conditions of the destination, but in most cases tourists take few hours of hiking and just within a little period of time they achieve their dreams with meeting the gorilla family that they were allocated.
Immediately you get your gorilla group, then count your dream achieved especially that one (1) hour that you spend within the distance of 7 meter staring and exploring the daily behaviors of these spectacular creatures, mean while the tour guide will be readily available to interpret and explain to you some of the unique body gestures that are portrayed by mountain gorillas.
It is really more than cultivating exciting memories but also educational or learning moments for visitors! We all need these memories, but considerably, tourist’s interest, age and abilities are important factors if you are interested in gorilla trekking. Guides also use the same factors to help them allocate Habituated Gorilla Families to visitors for rewarding and classic trekking experiences.
Uganda
In Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, there are two habituated gorilla groups to be tracked by visitors. The Nyakagezi gorilla group and the Hirwa Group that relocated from Rwanda are the only two gorilla families that are set for tourism in Mgahinga Gorilla Park. Though these groups are known to wander through the Virunga Region, you can enjoy easier treks in Mgahinga than in any other destination for gorilla tracking.
Rwanda
In Rwanda, the Volcanoes National Park has 10 Habituated Gorilla Groups. The most important gorilla families in the Volcanoes National Park include Susa, Sabyinyo, Kwitonda, Amahoro, Agashya and others. Gorilla trekking in the Volcanoes National Park involves two different stages.
The first stage comprises of hiking from the vehicle park to the forests and the boundary of the national park and the tourists can spend around 30-60 minutes but this depends on the visitors speed and the gorilla family to be tracked. Starting the trek is some times predictable and normally it is on gentle slopes and therefore it is less demanding a part from visitors who trek the Susa ‘A’ gorilla family because it is a little bit steeper and takes time to hike up. The second stage of gorilla experience is unpredictable since it all depends on the geographical location of the gorilla group to be trekked in the course of the day and the kind of the terrain en-route. The ease or hardness of trekking a gorilla group depends on a series of factors which including the thick vegetation cover which might necessitate tourists to crawl and bend as well, the aspect of rainfall shouldn’t be left out especially when the ground is slippery or muddy.
In conclusion, the question of “which gorilla families are easier to trek in either Uganda or Rwanda” is unavoidable and there is no direct answer for it. It is important that trekkers consider various factors that underlie gorilla trekking. Gorilla trekking is a breathtaking experience that needs the tourists to be physically fit so as to challenge themselves in the steep terrains where the mountain gorillas live.