Mountain gorillas exist in central Africa in a few ecosystems and the Bwindi impenetrable national park is one of those, it hosts half of the world’s remaining population of mountain gorillas a subspecies of the eastern gorilla beringei, they live in the distributed sectors of the national park amicably together with other forest creatures, the conservation area is situated in the south western corner of Uganda, it is one of the oldest montane forest regions of Uganda gazette as a way of protecting its resident species the mountain gorillas in 1993,it is Uganda’s incredible destination attracting travelers from many places of the world.
Gorillas are characterized by their strong fur bodies, brown eyes, gentleness, and calm behavior, they nest on the ground feeding on the forest plants like mimlopsis, dead tree backs, mushrooms, fruits, and grasses, gorillas do not feed in one place for long, they move to allow a regrowth in the area, they know how to prepare their food before eating it like striping of stems to get the inner part. They live in families of up to 20 members led by a silverback, other members consist of Juveniles and black backs, mountain gorillas can only survive in high altitude zones.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is an epic once-in-a-lifetime experience, it is quite the dream of every primate lover, these are the world’s largest primates roaming freely in the conservation area, trekking begins at 8:00 am with entertainment from the community members, after which there will be a briefing from the Uganda wildlife authority, they will take you through the etiquettes of how to conduct your self while in the forest, as your guide assists to register, led by a guide, the hike to the forest sparks off in groups of eight members per gorilla family, there is a team of porters who can be hired at $20 per porter in case you would be interested in getting one for your backpack or equipment, for elderly travelers the community offers a sedan chair also commonly referred to as “an African helicopter” there is a chance for everyone to see mountain gorillas.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park is flagged by the Uganda wildlife authority through its permits, these can be obtained through your ground handling tour operator, at $700 per permit for foreign non-residents, $600 foreign residents and 250,000 shillings charged to East African citizens, trekking gorillas is such a tedious activity but experiential when you finally meet the brown-eyed species the tiredness feeds away to melt into the playful juveniles humping from one tree to another, coming one on one with the mountain gorilla is an unexplainable situation you can only witness physically.
While thinking of a gorilla safari, it is important to know what to pack, here is a travel checklist to consider for your Uganda safari, waterproof hiking boots, hand gloves, hats, long-sleeved clothes, warm sweaters, gaiters, insect repellants, any other items of personal nature. Other activities of Bwindi include birding through the forest, guided nature walks, and the gorilla habituation process.