What to Expect on a Gorilla Trekking Safari?
After boking your gorilla safari with African Vacation Safaris and now that your gorilla permit is ready, and have packed all the necessary gears like gloves, trekking boots, long sleeved wear, rain jackets, snacks and packed lunch, walking stick, among others, this is what you expect on a day of gorilla trekking.
Bring your passport with you as head to the park headquarters for an early morning pre-tracking briefing by park officials. Your gorilla permits will be crosschecked with your passports to verify that you are the right owner of the permit. At this moment, you are expected to be ready with your packed lunch since no one is certain about the time you will take to see these endangered gorillas.
You will enjoy a cup of coffee as you are being entertained by the local traditional dances to give you a good start of a strenuous yet exciting day, before the ranger guide gives you tips on how to conduct yourself on this trek. After a quick briefing on safety measures and what to expect during the day, you will be grouped in groups of 8 people maximum and each group is assigned one gorilla family to trek. Rwanda has 10 habituated gorilla families and Uganda has 21 habituated gorilla families to track on a particular day.
Assigning the groups highly depends on the fitness and age of the guests, for example those about 45 years and less fit are assigned the easy to find gorilla families which do not wander far away from the trail heads. However, even those with special interests about specific groups may inform their guides to talk with the rangers before assigning the groups such that they may be assigned those species groups too.
Since mountain gorillas are wild animals, finding them in their natural habitat is not as easy as they wander as far in search for food and therefore, it is not guarantee that they must be near or easy to find. Generally the gorilla trek is regards as strenuous, the duration is hard to predict which makes the experience more interesting.
Each gorilla tracking group consists of a main guide and two scouts who carry AK-47 guns, one walking in front and another behind the group. The reason for armed rangers is for protection of the trekkers while in the forest against wild animals including elephants or angry and wild gorillas. These rangers are trained to fire shots into the air first in order to scare away the animals but this is done on rarest occasions when all other options like hiding away from the dangerous animals have been done. In the years of organizing gorillas treks in Rwanda and Uganda, we have never heard of any case of such animal attacks on tourists and the scouts had to fire bullets though on most occasions, they advise to hide or remain still until the animals go away. However, the policy of the national park is to be safe rather than sorry.
Also, your group will have a pair of trackers who will have been sent out in the early morning (prior to your arrival in the park) to find the location of your specific gorilla family to assess where they may be headed. Trackers communicate the gorilla’s movements to the guide so that he can decide on the best approach to meet the gorilla family.
If you do not trust your fitness, please endeavor to let your guide known such that he may help you to hire a porter at the park gat. A porter is hired between $15 to $20 depending on what he is going to carry.
Trekking to Find the Mountain Gorillas
The length of your over gorilla safari in Rwanda and Uganda and the amount of time it will take to actually meet your gorilla family varies widely. It may take as little as 30 minutes to find your gorilla family as long as five to seven hours.
The forest is verdant, humid and somehow light and there are no discernible trekking paths. The terrain is full of hills and steep volcano slopes where you will be required to pull yourself up steep grades and grasping onto branches, plant roots, bushes and more.
Follow the lead of the guide as to the best path and form to take. If you need a break, let your guide know. Also, it is advisable that you carry with you some energy giving snacks and bottled mineral water to quench your thirst and give you more energy.
Actual Encounter with the Mountain Gorillas
Once you find the gorilla family, the time with them starts ticking. You are advised to stay quiet, move slowly and avoid sudden movements in order not to irritate the gorillas. Instead, sit down and avoid looking directly into the eyes of the gorillas as this may also irritate them thinking that you want to fight them.
It is not a problem to look a gorilla in the eye, but if the silverback begins charging at you, hold your ground but lower your eyes to indicate that you do not want a confrontation but rather you are submissive. Prepare your cameras and get ready to take as many photos as you want but please remember to remove the flash lights and sounds.
The gorillas may be feeding from the ground resting, moving around or up in the trees playing about in the branches. Try to get yourself the best view of photographs and learn all their behavior. Follow them in case they are moving but at a recommended distance which should be not shorter than 7 meters. The most important thing is you staying near your guide and following his instructions always.
Often the trackers will clear the bush with their machete so you can get a clearer and closer look at the gorillas. It is incredible how graceful and peaceful these animals are especially considering their incredible size. You will be amazed when you see the silverbacks (matured males), you will be amazed when you see the silverbacks get up and move around showing control over the territory.
After your amazing time with the gorillas, trek back to the park headquarters, meet your guide and return to the lodge for an evening of relaxation or indulge in some of optional experiences around the gorilla trekking parks.
