Gorilla safaris, over the past years have ascended the ranks as one of the prime safaris to partake by many travelers all over the world. This is because these apes are acknowledged as being critically endangered due to poaching, habitat loss, diseases, and many more factors. Numerous visitors are therefore motivated to travel and encounter some of the surviving gorillas before they become extinct in the magical African jungle.
An encounter with a gorilla whether for the first (1st) or twentieth (20th) time is always a captivating and amazing experience to live and hold. Although the term gorilla is mostly used to refer to the mountain gorillas, there are 3 other subspecies of the eastern lowland gorillas, the Cross River gorillas, and the western lowland gorillas. We will cover the mountain gorillas and will refer to them as gorillas onwards plus find out how to enjoy a gorilla trekking experience to the fullest.
Where to have gorilla safaris?
Guests can only experience gorilla safaris in 3 countries of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the whole world. The gorillas are residents in an expanse of land known as the Virunga mastiff a chain of volcanoes that has been blessed as the sole place to support gorillas living in the world. These countries have four parks where you can have awesome gorilla safaris and these are Volcanoes national park in Rwanda, Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, and lastly Virunga National Park in DR Congo.
Gorilla safaris experience
There are two activities visitors can engage in while on a gorilla safari which are gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation experiences. Both of these are remarkable quests to partake in and will leave you with the adventure of your lifetime.
The gorilla trekking experience is practically the same process in all the gorilla trekking destinations and follows a certain procedure. Starting with a briefing at the respective headquarters early in the morning normally done at 7:00 to 7:30 am, this sparks the highlight of what you going to experience in the next few hours. After going through the rules and regulations like no littering, avoiding the use of flash photography, keeping a safe distance from the gorillas you will embark on a trek into the jungle in search of the gentle giants.
A trekking experience normally takes 2-6 hours where you track the gorillas from where they last nested last night and navigate the thick jungle of beautifully entwined undergrowth of ferns, vines in the trees. Depending on how far they have traveled when you finally encounter the magnificent creatures, you are permitted one hour of relishing them grooming each other, playing, mating, and bond making within the family.
Gorilla Habituation Experience
This experience is only done in the Bwindi impenetrable national park of Uganda and has the same basics of gorilla trekking but visitors are allowed to spend more hours with the gorillas than on a trekking experience. A habituation experience involves guests accompanying researchers deep into the forest to help with the orientating of wild unhabituated gorillas to become familiar with the presence of humans in the park.
How to enjoy gorilla safaris to the fullest?
Both experiences are enjoyable and guarantee visitors 100% opportunity to get the best out of their trips. A few factors help to enhance gorilla safaris such as the time you visit gorillas. Even though gorilla safaris are an all-year activity, the best time to visit is from December to February and June through August. This is the dry season when the countries receive less rain, fewer insects, and the tracks are less slippery plus temperatures are more endurable.
In addition, your health, physical fitness, and moving with friends and family can help you enjoy your safari to the fullest as you make one of the grand memories of your lifetime. Even if a few of these lack, encountering a gorilla family in the wild is an unmatched experience that leaves everyone in high spirits and is listed as one highlight to enjoy on any safari in Africa.
Uganda and Rwanda are the best gorilla safari destinations due to better road facilities, accommodation, stability, and much easier to locate the gorillas. Plan a gorilla safari to any of the gorilla destinations and be guaranteed to enjoy the best safari experience you can ever have.
