Planning gorilla trek in Africa can be a wonderful experience allowing you the opportunity to have a close encounter with these gentle giants of the jungle in their natural habitat. Uganda offers fantastic game viewing, chimpanzee tracking, heritage and cultural exchanges, adventure tourism which is added to gorilla trekking. So coming face to face with wild mountain gorillas is really an experience of a life time. Looking into the eyes of a large silver back gorilla and he’ll look back with thinking, intelligent gaze, mindful that you’re another individual is quite unforgettable experience.

For your great experience in Africa go for gorilla trekking expeditions which can be done throughout the year. The hiking itself can be more tiresome in rainy seasons from April to May and in November, but the most popular times for gorilla tracking are during the dry month which are between December and February and from June to mid-September.

Securing permits for gorilla trekking over these popular periods can be difficult at short notice, so you should plan well ahead. A maximum of 192 gorilla permits are available for each day and permits cost USD800 per person per visit during the dry season and $450 during the wet season for the months of April, May and November. This money may seem to be too much worthy your trek but the money provides Uganda with a compelling economic reason to conserve the park and pays for a 24 hour guard for each gorilla group plus education of the local communities.

Uganda’s main tourist attraction is the mountain gorillas which are found in Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga National Park. Bwindi forest provides walking trails which help in providing good spectacular views, bird watching, as well as a visit to the waterfalls. The guests can enjoy trekking which makes it a well- rounded safari destination in Africa. Uganda is also home variety of chimpanzees mainly found in Kibale National Park a primate capital of East Africa has attracted many tourists to trek them, Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda’s most popular tourist destination with variety of game viewing as well as bird species.

On the day of your gorilla trekking, you will set off very early in the morning to track the apes in the forest. Your driver will take you from your lodge to the park headquarter. Ensure to carry along with you rain jacket, drinking water, snacks, jungle boots among others. The guides will lead you inside the jungle to see the shy Primates for a group you have been booked for. Do not forget to take your lunch boxes and all the necessary gear to track the rare Mountain Gorilla, perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on earth.

The guides speak good English and they will be taking you to a specific group of habituated mountain gorillas, which they know well and are used to human visitors. You will be divided into 8 people per group. You will then be driven to the start of the trail to reach your mountain gorilla group. Your guide will then be driven to start of the trail to reach your mountain gorilla group. Your guide will then lead you to the clear paths up into the forest.

The trekking may take between 2 and 8 hours but its well worth the effort. The afternoon is spent on a village walk. The Community Walk gives you a great opportunity to see how the people surrounding Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. It also is a great way to support the local community in a direct way. The Walk begins with your guide at the rest camp. It is always informative and rewarding to the average visitor. It will amaze you how resourceful the local people are as you see and learn their ways.

The hiking is tiring and can be surprised if you feel a bit breathless at this altitude. Once you reach the gorillas you will be given 1 hour to be with them as you take pictures and videos of the adults foraging and grooming each other while the babies tumble and play. So witnessing gorillas’ express typically human gestures and emotions is a truly profound experience and one of the reasons that gorilla trekking is such a life changing encounter. You will have plenty of time to watch their activity as they play with each other, swinging from one tree to another, breast feeding, sleeping, and eating among others and to take photographs and videos.

Mountain gorilla share 98% of our DNA and they are susceptible to catching human infection particularly respiratory ones. So you should keep a distance of 7metres from the gorillas and when you your with your gorilla group, you should try not to make sudden movements and to keep your voices low so that the group remains come and relaxed, although these mountain gorillas are used to seeing people, you must bear in mind that they are still wild animals and can sometimes react unexpectedly, so you should always follow your guides’ instructions.

Gorillas live in montane forest so treks to see them are at altitude and pass through varied vegetation and terrain. So you need a reasonable level of fitness to hike the forest and willingness to climb up muddy slopes and through thick growth.

There is a maximum age to visit the gorillas. You must be at least 15 years old and there no flexibility to this rule. It is the same for both Rwanda and Uganda and it is enforced by the national parks.