GORILLA TREKKING: THE OUT OF THIS WORLD ADVENTURE EXPERIENCES

A juvenile Mountain Gorilla. Photo credit: Andrei Duman Galleru

Quite often we aspire to live our childhood dreams and get the feelings of real experiences we watch on movies, listen to from friends and our idol personalities or read in the magazines. We feel this is an ideal dream life we want to experience in our lifetime and feel on top of the world. Mountain gorillas are probably the largest of all primate species in the wilderness. Only less than a thousand individuals of this species (yes less than only 1K) are surviving in the thick jungles of the Virunga corridor at the amalgamation where East meets West of Africa regions; in the Uganda, DR Congo and Rwanda countries to be specific. The survival and existence of Mountain gorillas hangs in balance due to humankind activities some reckless and others intentional; consistent encroachment on their natural habitat, poaching for bush meat and other body parts, confiscation for research and scientific purposes, bush burning, killing in retaliation for human crop raids, accidental deaths in snares intended for other wildlife species and many others. Please be informed the Mountain gorillas cannot survive in any other conditions other than their natural habitat and therefore the only way of ever interacting with them is through trekking them with ranger escorts in the above respective countries.

To many true African wildlife adventure travelers no tourism activity comes close to trekking the mountain gorillas for it gets you on the ground of real African lifestyles brings out the best of adventure activity anywhere. Only superlatives explain the humbling feelings one gets of meeting up and rubbing shoulders with the Mountain gorillas. The chosen few of humankind who have had an opportunity to trek and interact with these gentle apes cannot easily express their happiness and the humbling feeling they get of rubbing shoulders with the Mountain gorillas. They have volumes of stories permanently written on their foreheads to talk and brag of.  Many more harbor live hopes of ever interacting with them and live their childhood dreams, what generally are the basics of gorilla trekking?   

Because of the above factors, scientific, social, health, security and many other reasons, it is prevalent on us therefore to get some basic information, the right processes and procedures to get us close to living our Mountain gorilla trekking dreams.

Gorilla trekking is done in only fourof the world’s protected areas; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda) a separateentity altogether and in the larger Virunga corridor; Virunga National Park (DR Congo), Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda) and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (Uganda) with enjoined boundaries.

Mountain gorillas live in families under a dominant silverback (an old giant male gorilla with silver lining of hair on its back) that controls activities of the family quite often with few other grey backs, adult females, a few juveniles and infants. To access andtrack any gorilla family one needs to have an authentic gorilla trekking permitpreviously procured from a registered tour and travel agency in the respectivecountries. A group of only 8 members is allowed each day to trek a gorilla family and contact time with the gorilla family is limited to an hour or less depending on how the rangers read the gorilla moods. This is intended to minimize human contact so that they stay as wild as possible and also to reduce on chances of contracting or transmitting viral diseases between each other.

Each Mountain gorilla trekkers is checked for age, physical and health fitness before rangers let you trek the gorillas. Proper hygiene must be upheld to keep away chances of exposing the risks of sicknesses. Littering and rubbish throwing in the forests, smoking, eating food or taking drinks, making a call of nature in the presence of gorilla are all prohibited. Disabled trekkers are given special care and extra assistance to make them achieve their gorilla trekking dreams. Please when turned down for trekking on health grounds, do not take it personal. In many ways it’s for entire humanity and gorilla survival, another time may be arranged for your trekking or your permit refunded.

Mountain gorilla trekkers need to keep their voices low to grasp as much information as possible about other wildlife species from ranger guides, to let rangers follow the right leads to their feeding locations and not to excite the gorillas. To fully enjoy your gorilla trek allow a 7m distance apart from gorillas. They feel comfortable and not threatened by your presence and will be relaxed allowing maximum opportunities of interaction. The gorillas though habituated are still wild. You can never estimate their reaction to your unnecessary noise.

Gorillas like other primates get feelings and show moods. You may get them excited like in fruiting seasons, may be sad like after fights or and somber like loss of a colleague. They are generally calm and mild but sometime may be nervous when they feel threatened or uncomfortable with human presence. Therefore be alert of abrupt mock charging you at full force, sometimes breaking branches and shrubs and throwing them at you. They do this to dominate threats. Follow the advice of the rangers; stay still and calm. Do not look direct in their eyes, run away or show signs of being bothered.  They will just retreat, feeling bossy after humbling you.

A Giant Silverback from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Photo credit: Macado Photographer

Lest I forget, Mountain gorilla trekking is a once in a lifetime experience many adventure travelers would die for. Just get the strongest camera batteries and sharpen your camera shooting skills to grab that post card photo. Bear in mind camera flash light blurs Mountain gorillas’ vision, irritates them, awakens their wild moods and is therefore prohibited. Besides the gorillas, the mist covered thick montane forests are full of interesting wildlife each unique in its own way. Remember to pack an extra wilderness adventure appetite; for sure there are lots of adrenalin rising scenarios. The dos and don’ts are merely guidelines intended to make you hit your target and never aimed at reducing your adventure happiness. Following the guideline and a combination of other factors like the experience of ranger guides, previous sightings, weather and doses of luck, it’s just a matter of time before your name gets inscribed amongst the list of the respected  gorilla trekking achievers.