How is Gorilla Trekking done? Gorilla trekking in Bwindi is done on an everyday basis , an advanced team of trekkers sets off into the forest to find where the gorillas are. They normally start from where they slept last night following their footsteps until they find them. The reason for doing this is to make it easier for tourists to find them. Habituated Gorillas can move for long distance most especially if 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 Headquarters to tell them where the gorillas are. BOOK NOW
Early in the morning, you will wake up, most lodges in Bwindi provides packed lunch, enough drinking water and walking sticks to facilitate your gorilla trek. You will then walk or be driven to the park headquarters for briefing about the do’s and don’ts while you are with the gorillas.
After briefing, your group of 8 trekkers will follow into the dense jungle following various trails in search of the allocated gorilla family. There is no actual time to spend in the jungle but varies from as early as 30 minutes or else extends to a couple of hours depending on how far or near the group is. However despite the unpredictable time, trekkers are 99% assured of meeting the gorillas at the end of the trek. Gorilla trekking is not a walkway venture but rather a tiresome adventure that require physical fitness. No one knows the actual time to spend in the forest but you are greatly assured of meeting the gorillas. Expect to spend between 30 minutes to several hours depending on the location and movements of gorillas. Just like their name, mountain gorillas live in mountainous regions with steep slopes, which make it quite tiresome to trek. Expect muddy, slippery and wet grounds in the rainy seasons and early mornings.
You’re always encouraged to do gym work, some jogging before coming for their trek. Once you find these mountain gorillas, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them and then return to your lodge for relaxation and other activities of the day.