A holiday is termed as an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling. Travelers spend their holidays in cities and towns, wilderness, forests and mountains among others.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!You can enjoy your holiday alone (single traveler), two travelers (Couple, friend, relatives) or as a group. True, you can move as a family or colleagues at work among others. In most cases, holidays are longer.
As far as Gorilla trekking is concerned, Uganda protects almost half of the world’s existing Mountain Gorillas so, it’s ideal to pay a visit to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park or both for Gorilla trekking. Its should be noted that Gorilla trips are among the top Uganda’s safaris, followed by Chimpanzee trekking.
How to enjoy Gorilla holiday in Uganda?
Adequate preparation will enable you enjoy Gorilla holiday in Uganda: ensures that your Gorilla trekking is already booked before set off. You can get assistance from local tour operator to book for you or you can do it your self online. It’s recommendable to secure the booking of Gorilla permits in advance because the demand for permits remains high throughout the year.
Equip your self-trekking gear: hiking shoes, rain jackets, warming clothes, sun glasses, hut, insect repellent, Long sleeved shirts and trousers among others.
Have enough pocket money for use, tipping and so on. You may also want to enjoy extra activities a part from Gorilla trekking. Other activities you can do include Cultural trips, birding safaris, chimpanzee treks, nature walks and mountaineering among others.
Learn some common words in Uganda local language, it will help you easily associate with local people and quickly fit in their communities. While in local communities, expect to gain some skills, enjoy music, dance and drama, learn different cultures among others.
How is Gorilla trekking conducted in Uganda?
First and foremost, Uganda has two Gorilla parks as mentioned above. Bwindi has majority Gorillas with 19 habituated families while Mgahinga has only one Gorilla family known as Nyakagezi. Its up to the travelers to choose where to trek Gorillas from but all goes through the same process.
Gorilla trekking starts early morning at 7:30am with briefing. Briefing takes 30 minutes and then move in groups to encounter Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat. The maximum of eight people is allowed to meet a gorilla family. The trek takes approximately 3-6 hours basing on their movement of the gorilla group. On rare occasion, trekkers can spend full day in the forest while searching for Gorillas- it occurs when move in far distances. When trekkers meet Gorillas, they are given one hour to stay with; take photos, films, chat and then return to their respective accommodation.
Best time for Gorilla holidays in Uganda
Dry seasons are the best time for Gorilla trekking in Uganda. Dry season occurs in January, February, early March, June, July, August, early September and December. Dry season is termed as the peak season when Uganda receives many tourists. Rainy season is less desired because of many challenge trekkers experienced in the process of searching for mountain Gorillas. Rain season facilitates quick growth of undergrowth and slippery trails which limits the number of trekkers.
In conclusion, Gorilla trekking is still the major tourist activity in Uganda. The cost of a gorilla permit cost $600 and likely to increase to US$700 starting from 1st June 2020.