Is Gorilla Trekking a Good Investment? Yes, gorilla trekking is well worth investment, effort, and time invested. Visitors who have gone gorilla trekking will undoubtedly agree with me that the pleasure of seeing the magnificent creatures is well worth the trouble, expense, plus time you put into preparing for your trip.

Nevertheless, this blog generally focuses on people who may not have done it, and they wonder if gorilla trekking is worth the money?

People come here to see the natural habitat of gorillas in Africa and experience this extraordinary venture by themselves. Generally, different species of Mountain gorillas exist in the sphere. We have two subspecies of gorillas in Western gorilla species: the Cross-river and Western Lowland gorillas. Under the Eastern gorilla species, we have two subspecies include; the Mountain gorillas and the Eastern Low land gorillas. The most common gorilla subspecies is the Mountain gorilla.

Mountain gorillas attract tourists who travel to Africa only to see their natural habitat. Trekking gorillas in Africa can only be done in 3 countries: Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Travelers who wish to trek gorillas will undoubtedly have to buy the gorilla trekking permits at $1,500 each in Rwanda, $600-700 dollars in Uganda, and $400 in Congo. Although the price of hiking gorillas is costly in Rwanda compared to the neighboring countries (Uganda and Congo), it offers not deterred site visitors from trekking gorillas in the nation. The charge upon your gorilla trekking permit covers park entrance fees, a fee of guide, state tax, park warden fees, and concession fees. However, the gorilla permit fees will not cover expenses such as; your flight ticket, transport, accommodations, meals, visa fees, and other costs associated with personal nature. Visitors on a fixed budget can always reduce costs when this comes to lodging and choose cheaper lodging options; ensure that you seek advice from your reliable travel consultant concerning the best budget options.

Understanding if Gorilla Trekking is Worth the Money Spent on it?

The cost of a Gorilla permit now is USD700 per person in Uganda or USD1,500 per person trekking gorillas in Rwanda seems like a lot of money just before knowing that it is well worth your time for a lot of things, such as protection and conservation of the once seriously endangered Mountain Gorillas whose RUI Red list status was just lately re-classified as decreasing in numbers and no much longer critically endangered, thanks to the cash from the sale of gorilla permits that are widely-used to finance further research and gorilla conservation that requires paying off the people living near the forest that assists in mitigating the wildlife disputes arising from habitat loss caused by people encroachment on the forest. Knowing there is up to 10% earnings sharing with the local communities is essential.

The US$700 paid for Gorilla permits in Uganda, and US$1,500 for permits in Rwanda will pay for the Habituation of the Gorillas, which takes up to 2 years; the local communities are educated to see the benefits associated with protecting the Gorillas.

Although we realize that US$700 or US$1,500 spent on purchases of gorilla permits is a lot of money, we like to request that you look at it as an investment into your survival and protection of the Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the surrounding communities such as the original people of the forest: the Batwa Pygmy group.

Is it worth the time spent time with gorillas? The 1-hour with the Gorillas

01 hour is the recognized time allocated for gorilla trekkers to view a group of habituated mountain gorillas. This might be the most marvelous, memorable 1 hour of your life experience because there are no zoos where you can go to view a Mountain gorilla other than in the wild forested Virunga that straddles three nations; Uganda, Rwanda, and DR Congo.

What are three no Mountain gorillas in the Zoos? Mountain Gorillas have never made it to captivity: they are born free. They will live free, and you will only visit them in their habitats, including the one in the forest of Bwindi Impenetrable or Volcanoes National Parks.

Why is the gorilla trekking strictly 1-hour? The 1 hour is suitable for the well-being of the mountain Gorillas since they continue using their day. This helps lessen the chance of infections such as colds, flu, measles, and other things; remember, they carry up to 98% GENETICS similar to people.

New in Uganda: Uganda has developed new gorilla merchandise dubbed” Gorilla Habituation” this permits visitors up to 4hours with the gorillas and costs US$1500 for every permit.

The guidelines are so strict: The gorilla trekking rules are in place to protect the Mountain Gorillas and were presented after much research and suggestions from the Gorilla Doctors. They perform regular forest visits, including significant surgical procedures on injured mountain gorillas in the wildlife of woodlands. Care of the Mountain Gorillas is on every guest’s mind, which is how it should be. It is all about conservation and not merely tourism; tourism and leisure pay for preservation.

Additionally, organizations must research to ascertain whether there are any new disease threats that the Mountain Gorillas can pass on to Humans.

The discomfort – Hiking for Long Hours

While using treks through the impenetrable forest of Bwindi lasting 5 to 6 hours in total, occasionally, it may last the entire day. We absolutely can’t sugar-coat the event but agree that that is discomforting. Yet, those who have to see the mountain gorillas often lament that the trek was rough, but the experience is well worth it.

Top tips on managing discomfort

• Take a Local Porter. To control the distress in your next gorilla trek, we recommend taking a local porter to assist with holding your backpack and giving you a hand through your entire hike. Keep in mind that all porters usually are locals who may have grown and worked in this place their whole life and learned how to go about it.
• Dress appropriately. Bringing and wearing the proper gorilla trekking attire and gear may reduce the distress associated with packing and wearing the wrong equipment or outfit.
• Know when you should go. While gorilla trekking can be done throughout the year, it is vital to fully grasp that the experience in the course of the dry season is a whole lot different from after you opt to head for gorilla trekking throughout the rainy season when the ground is wet, soggy, as well as slippery.

What does Gorilla Trekking Involve?

Gorilla Trekking is a great activity that includes visitors finding the Mountain gorillas from their natural habitat. This activity typically involves gorilla trekkers hiking mountains and walking through forests, tracking gorilla footprints, fresh waste, broken plant shoots, and locating the gorilla group or family.

Gorilla trekking activities usually begin early in the morning, with a brief of gorilla trekkers by head rangers in the national parks exactly where gorilla trekking activities are offered. The exercise can take 4-8 hours tracking, with 1 hour allocated to trackers once the gorillas have been found.

Gorilla trekking activities take place in groups of 8 individuals for every gorilla group/ family. Usually, gorilla trekkers are accompanied by a professional and educated park guide and an armed ranger to guarantee the safety of both gorillas and trekkers.

Where can one do gorilla trekking?

Holidaymakers who wish to participate in gorilla trekking can embark on this activity in Africa. However, suppose you seek to trek specific gorilla subspecies like mountain gorillas. In that case, you can go towards the National Park of Bwindi Impenetrable or perhaps the National Park of Mgahinga Gorilla in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, or Virunga National Park in Congo. These are the only spots where tourists can easily see mountain gorillas in the wild.

Is Gorilla Trekking Safe?

Gorilla trekking is safe. All the above-mentioned national parks prioritize ensuring their visitors are secure when trekking gorillas in the forests. Gorilla trekking happens in the group’s not more than eight members per group, and armed park rangers also follow trekkers. The armed park ranger ensures the security and safety of both visitors and gorillas in the park. They also protect trekkers from external threats such as poachers and aggressive wildlife and guard the gorillas against poachers.

Additionally, nearly all of the gorilla groups that travelers trek with are habituated, ensuring that the gorilla group you will tour is now familiar with humans and even, therefore, doesn’t look at you always to be a threat. Habituating a group of gorillas is a good process which in turn may take between 1-3 years to habituate a gorilla group successfully. a team of researchers, gorilla behaviorists, and park guides are involved in Gorilla habituation. It involves an entire working day with a given gorilla group.

During this time with gorillas, the studies of gorillas also give each gorilla a name based on an exclusive feature on the gorilla and their behavior, etcetera. The more extended the group takes with the gorillas, the more they get used to being within their presence. Consequently, it is much more secure for tourists to trek a habituated gorilla family or even group.

You can find 1 to 18 gorilla families in the National Park of Bwindi Impenetrable. 15 groups are available for tourists to trek, as some only for research. Mgahinga Park has two habituated gorilla groups that visitors can trek. There are 15 habituated gorilla categories in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park which visitors can travel to, and eight habituated gorilla groups present for tourists to trek in the National Park of Virunga in Congo.

Finally, Gorilla trekking is undoubtedly a fantastic activity to do and a memorable experience that any vacationer in Africa can have. You get to spend among the gorillas is impressive and makes the gorilla trekking experience worth your money!

Contact Sight View Safaris and Book now for Rwanda gorilla trekking safari, Uganda, or Congo,