A gorilla family in Bwindi Forest
Whereas an encounter with gorillas is restricted to an hour, the length of trekking before meeting mountain gorillas is a different case. The hike to see gorillas can be as short as 30 minutes or else a full day depending on several factors some of which are natural and unpredictable. At times, travelers booking gorilla safaris ask how long is a hike to see mountain gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo? Well, there is no specific answer to this question, it remains unpredictable. It uncertain to specify how long the trek to see gorillas will until you go for a gorilla tour yourself. However, from the experience of our past travelers, African Apes Tours & Travel gives you a guide on the anticipated length of gorilla trekking hike. The factors that determine the length of a trek to see gorillas include among others:
Location of a Gorilla Family
The trekking time will depend on the location of the mountain gorilla family you are allocated. Some gorilla families are located close to the park headquarters while others live uphill. For this reason, gorilla treks have been categorized into short, medium and long treks based on the ease and difficulty of trekking it. In the Bwindi forest, gorilla families are split into four sectors i.e Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo. Buhoma and Rushaga are believed to have the easiest to trek gorilla families, while the hilly Nkuringo is not for the faint-hearted. Therefore the location of a gorilla family you are trekking determines the time you are likely to spend in the jungle.
Speed of gorilla movements
The speed of gorilla movements will also determine how short or long a gorilla trek may be. At some times, a gorilla family keeps moving whenever travelers come to get closer to them which lengthens the trek. As wild as they are, gorillas will not settle for travelers to see them but rather they keep moving at their own pace. However, a gorilla family with babies normally walks at a slow speed which is an advantage for the trekkers.
Traveler’s physical fitness
Trekking through the jungle
Your physical fitness and hiking ability will determine how long your hike to see gorillas will be. Fast travelers quickly find their allocated gorilla families while the physically challenged find it difficult. For that matter, travelers are always asked to disclose their physical abilities to park rangers so as to get suitable gorilla families during gorilla family allocation at the start of the trekking day. During gorilla family allocation, aged and physically unfit are given short and medulla treks while the young, energetic and physically fit given long gorilla treks.
The weather of the day
On a sunny day, hiking is less difficult making it easier for travelers to trek through and find gorillas easily. On the other hand, a rainy day makes gorilla trekking much more difficult. The slippery muddy grounds associated with rain make it difficult to trek through the jungle forest resulting in longer hiking hours. Due to the unpredictable forest weather, travelers are advised to carry rain jackets for the rain showers. Also, hiking boots, gardening gloves, and a hiking stick will ease your gorilla trekking session.
An hour with the gorillas
An encounter with gorillas
Despite the many hour’s travelers spend in the jungle, the actual time to spend with the gorillas is strictly an hour. This hour is counted from the time travelers set their eyes on the gorilla family. When this hour comes, travelers are advised to keep calm, stay close, take a picture, capture videos and utilize this short precious time. do not panic, take your time, observe and admire the social characters of gorillas and enjoy this magical encounter with African Apes Tours & Travel
In conclusion, the length of a hike to see gorillas is not certain. However, travelers are 99.9% sure of the meeting the endangered gorillas at the end of the trek.
