What are the chances of seeing Mountain Gorillas in Uganda? is one of the popularly asked questions by tourists planning to undertake gorilla trekking tours in Uganda. The fact is that no Uganda gorilla safari tour operator will assure a traveller a 100% chance of seeing Mountain Gorillas because these are wild animals. However, the chances of tracking mountain gorillas and interacting with them are about 99% assured due to the fact that the gorillas are known to live in specific places and conserved. Ever since Uganda gorilla tours started in the early 1990s, there no travellers who have failed to see mountain gorillas on their safari in Uganda. Mountain gorillas are ever on the move and their movements cannot be controlled but travellers are assured of seeing the mountain gorillas. If the gorillas are always on the move, how then are trackers able to see them? The park management of both Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park where mountain gorillas are found have very well-coordinated management is this is what is done to ensure every gorilla trekking tourist see Mountain Gorillas.
Every day, before tourists start their gorilla trekking safari in Uganda experience, an advanced team of rangers sets off into the forest to find where the gorillas are. They normally start from where the gorillas slept last night following their footsteps until they find them. Rangers do this to make it easier for tourists to find them. Gorillas are always on the move as they are searching for food or water. Sometimes, if there is a fight between habituated and non-habituated gorillas, they will tend to move far and sometimes become hostile. The work of this advanced team is to establish the state in which these gorillas will be and then, they will communicate to the Park Head Quarters to tell them where the gorillas are. Tracking is therefore taken to where the gorillas are making chances of seeing gorillas approximately 99%.
Gorillas live on a high altitude however, not all of them are in the same point, some might reside at a lower altitude whereas others on a high altitude. Trekkers are urged to disclose their physical fitness levels to the park rangers during the time of family allocation. This will help park rangers to allocate a family according to the information given by the trackers offering either a short, medium or tough hike. Physically unfit trackers and the aged are in most cases allocated gorilla families that are easy to find. This makes easy for every trekker to see mountain gorillas considerably.
It’s always advisable to book your gorilla trekking permit early since it offers a chance to choose the sector to trek. Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the popular gorilla trekking safari Uganda destination with mountain gorillas found in the four sectors of the park (Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo). The purchase of a Uganda gorilla trekking permit is dependent on the availability of the permit in a specific sector. Early booking of a gorilla trekking permits helps ensure that each tourist has a gorilla family to trek. This is far different from many of the Uganda safari activities especially wildlife safaris in Uganda where by you undertake the activity without booking early enough.
Mountain gorillas are rare and an endangered species but thanks to conservation efforts, trekking is possible on Rwanda gorilla safaris and Congo gorilla trekking safaris. On a gorilla safari Rwanda or gorilla tour Congo, always remember to book early for your safari since the chances of seeing the Mountain gorillas is high. Mountain gorilla trekking whether on a Uganda tour, Congo safari or Rwanda tour is expensive but then in all times, you are assured of having a lifetime experience with these rare species.
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Samuel
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