Mountain gorilla trekking is one of the most popular safaris in Africa. It involves guided treks in African jungles for a chance to encounter a creature that closely resembles humans.
How long is the trek to the gorillas?
It is often the loud grunt of the mighty silverback that is first heard even before you see any of the group members. Take you time to observe the group during the one hour assigned. You will watch the family feeding, siblings grooming, juveniles playing, mothers breastfeeding and the silverback always on the lookout.
Gorillas are very gentile primates compared to chimpanzees or many of the other smaller primates. The silverback has complete control of the group and leads with charisma not force unless it is required. He ensures that all members of the groups are in line and accommodate each other. If there is any threat from the outside, the silverback will deal with it. Although gorillas are gentile, it is important to follow the gorilla trekking rules at all time. Always follow instructions from the park guides. Never get to close to the gorilla group and ensure that you never appear to surround them.
When is the best time for gorilla trekking?
Gorilla trekking is carried out throughout the year regardless of whether it rains or not. Gorilla tours occur even on public holidays. The only time when the activity is stopped or suspended is if the there is a security concern or a natural occurrence that requires closure of the park.
Treks to see gorillas last between 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on the location of the gorilla group you are assigned. The exercise begins with a briefing from the park rangers and guides. After the briefing, groups consisting of 8 individuals each are assigned a particular gorilla group depending on overall fitness, age and preference. Each group heads out to different directions in search of a particular gorilla family.
The rangers always know the exact location of each gorilla group as a team is sent out into the jungle to locate the primates based on where they were last sighted the previous evening. This advance team is in constant communication with your team leader and lets him/her know which route to follow in order to find the primates.
The hour with the gorillas
It is often the loud grunt of the mighty silverback that is first heard even before you see any of the group members. Take you time to observe the group during the one hour assigned. You will watch the family feeding, siblings grooming, juveniles playing, mothers breastfeeding and the silverback always on the lookout.
Gorillas are very gentile primates compared to chimpanzees or many of the other smaller primates. The silverback has complete control of the group and leads with charisma not force unless it is required. He ensures that all members of the groups are in line and accommodate each other. If there is any threat from the outside, the silverback will deal with it. Although gorillas are gentile, it is important to follow the gorilla trekking rules at all time. Always follow instructions from the park guides. Never get to close to the gorilla group and ensure that you never appear to surround them.
When is the best time for gorilla trekking?
Gorilla trekking is carried out throughout the year regardless of whether it rains or not. Gorilla tours occur even on public holidays. The only time when the activity is stopped or suspended is if the there is a security concern or a natural occurrence that requires closure of the park.
