How safe is Gorilla Trekking Experience

How safe is Gorilla Trekking Experience

Gorilla trekking is a wildlife adventure that allows tourists to spend a brief period of time with habituated gorillas in their natural habitat by hiking through dense forests under the guidance of guides. How safe is Gorilla Trekking Experience. Gorilla trekking in Africa is conducted in four national parks spread over three African countries, Rwanda [Volcanoes National Park], Congo [Virunga National Park] and Uganda [Bwindi Impenetrable National Park & Mgahinga Forest]

Rwanda Gorilla Trekking

Rwanda gorilla trekking takes place in the Volcanoes National Park, which is only three hours from Kigali, the country`s capital and is situated on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. There are 150 habituated mountain gorillas in the park, divided into 12 groups and many permits are sold to hikers per day.

The oldest habituated gorilla group is found in Rwanda.  The high-end, low-impact tourism industry in Rwanda doubles the price of gorilla trekking, which doubles the cost of a Ugandan permit and quadruples the price in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Attracting the most upscale resorts and offering them more incomes, as well as the local people near the Volcanoes National Park, where the gorillas reside, has always been Rwanda’s tourist strategy.

How much is a gorilla permit in Rwanda

For tourists from outside of Africa, a single gorilla permit [officially known as a mountain gorilla tracking permit] costs $1,500 in Rwanda. For residents of Rwanda and other East African nations, this price is reduced to $200.

Uganda Gorilla Trekking

In Uganda, gorilla trekking is conducted in Mgahinga National Park and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The Congo, which includes the Volcanoes National Park and the Virunga’s National Park, includes Mgahinga National Park. It has only one family of habituated gorillas. Eleven habituated guerilla groups are visited daily, while one group is retained for research and habituation. The remaining guerilla groups are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where there are up to 500 mountain gorillas divided into 37 social groups.

How much is Gorilla Permit in Uganda

The following are the main modifications to the revised tariff for 2024–2026: Foreign non-residents now have to pay USD 800 instead of USD 700 for a gorilla permit. To obtain a gorilla permit, East African Community members must pay UGX 300,000.

DRC Gorilla Trekking

In May 2018, during a period of intense conflict in the DRC, gorilla trekking was prohibited. The kidnapping of two British tourists and the murder of their guide made matters worse. But gorilla trekking will soon resume.

Since there have been numerous wars and conflicts on the Goma side, where the Virunga National Park is located. The nation continues to struggle with political stability. Africa’s most feature-rich game is Virunga National Park. Africa has the oldest and highest biodiversity in the planet. After hiking the mountain gorillas, you can choose to visit Nyiragongo Mountain, which is the world’s largest lava lake. You can see the smoking cone and boiling lava.

The guidelines established for gorilla trekking are designed to prevent the mountain gorillas from being encroached upon in their natural habitat. The maximum distance you are permitted to stand from the gorillas is seven meters. The guidelines for trekking with mountain gorillas in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda are unchanged. In front of the mountain gorillas, visitors are not permitted to eat or drink.

Rules of Gorilla Trekking

• Before beginning a gorilla walk, one should always wash their hands and be clean.
• During the trek, one should always speak quietly. And pay close attention to the park’s inhabitants, including birds, primates, animals, geckos, reptiles, and many others.
• You should keep trash in your bag. And take whatever you bring with you since it is not permitted to live in the park.
• After receiving a briefing on the laws and procedures of gorilla trekking in the morning. You will be divided into groups of eight and escorted into the jungle by a ranger.
• The rangers and guides will either tell you about the mountain gorillas or you will hear the sounds in the jungle when you get close to them. But, keep in mind that they are both wild creatures. And amiable primates, and they might change at any time, so don’t create noise out of enthusiasm.

Is Gorilla Trekking Safe

In general, gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda is regarded as safe. Since the Ugandan Wildlife Authority and The Rwanda Development Board have put policies in place to guarantee tourists safety while on the gorilla hike, the activity is not risky.

Apart from following these safety guidelines, a number of other precautions are taken to safeguard both hikers and peaceful gorillas. For everyone concerned, these safety measures guarantee a fun and safe experience. Rwanda and Uganda are both regarded as safe travel destinations.