UGANDA’S THRILLING PRIMATE GORILLA TREKKING EXPERIENCE

Compiled by: Martin Musoke

Chief Editor (Impact Magazine)

Uganda may be a small country but memorable to those who decide to give it a tour. It is a wonderland from the mighty King Kong that rule the impenetrable forest of Bwindi to chimpanzees that are our closest cousins.

Gorilla trekking is a thrilling experience that any visitor on Uganda safari shouldn’t miss out. There are around 1000 mountain gorillas that still exist on earth today, Uganda being a home to half of all the mountain gorillas making it one of the only three countries in the world where mountain gorilla trekking is conducted.

In Uganda, trekking is done in two national parks: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park with over 18 gorilla families, 17 of which are tracked in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and only 1 is found in Mgahinga National Park. Both Bwindi and Mgahinga are in deep southwestern Uganda, near the border with Rwanda to the south and the DRC to the west.

Seeing the gorillas in their natural habitat is a truly breathtaking experience. Once contact is made, there is usually a silent wait as the gorillas come closer. The silence is always broken by the rustling of leaves as the gorillas play, the calls, whistles, and whoops of thousands of animal species for miles around which provides perfect music and melody.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi is located across the steep ridges of the Albertine Rift Valley. This ancient rainforest is one of the few forests in Africa to have existed throughout the last Ice Age. The national park has 90 mammal species, including 11 primates, of which the black-and-white colobus, with its lovely flowing white tail, is prominent. Bwindi is Uganda's main gorilla trekking destination. Here, habituated families can be accessed from four trail heads: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo.

Gorilla trekking is done on any of Bwindi’s 4 major trekking regions namely;

• Ruhija sector in the east which comprises of gorilla families such as Mukiza, Oruzogo, Bitukura, Kyaguliro;

• Buhoma region in the north and consists of gorilla groups like Habinyanja, Katwe, Mubare and Rushegura;

• Nkuringo region trek: Nkuringo, Bushaho

• Rushaga region trek: Kutu, Bikingi, Mishaya, Bushigye, Kahungye, Rwigi, Bweza, Nshongi, Mucunguzi

Each trail head has its own characteristics, families and levels of difficulty. Access to the gorilla territory requires hiking through the thick vegetation, up the muddy hills and down into the valleys.

Mgahinga National Park

Mgahinga is located close to the border of Uganda with Rwanda. It is the only place in Uganda where you can trek Golden Monkeys. Mgahinga is more secluded than Bwindi and the treks are not as challenging. There is only one family habituated to make contact in Mgahinga called Nyakagazi. It has five silverbacks, two adult females and three young gorillas.

Mgahinga is also situated so closely to the lakes Mutanda and Bunyoni, and while there, you can also climb the volcanoes at Mgahinga - all pretty intense hikes surpassing 4,000 metres with 8-9 hours hiking, but a very rewarding adventure.

Mgahinga accounts for around 10% of all gorilla treks in Uganda, the vast majority are done at Bwindi!

During the rainy season, the trekking routes can become very slippery and much more challenging due to the steep ridges and valleys, following animal paths through tangled undergrowth. The rains can sometimes bring the gorillas to lower ground which can shorten the length of the trek.

The gorillas can be visited at any time of the year and this is an experience no one should miss.

Compiled by: Martin Musoke