Gorilla trekking does not discriminate, as it can be done by anyone regardless of age or even fitness, since it is a moderate adventure. The nature of the mountain gorillas dwelling in the hidden dense highland areas of East Africa always terms their encounters as hard and challenging; however, this is not the case. Neither is gorilla trekking an easy adventure because it is an outdoor activity that requires visitors to trek through the thickets for hours before encountering the mountain gorillas. Therefore, gorilla trekking’s moderateness is because of several factors that defy the two extremes of hard and easy.
Gorilla trekking refers to the tourist activity of encountering and spending over an hour in the presence of mountain gorillas after navigating through their dense natural habitats. These mountain gorilla primates are highly sought after because they are considered the most endangered primate species in the world. This is because in the entire world, they are only present in the East African region. Their endangerment is attributed to many factors, from habitat loss to poaching. In Uganda, gorilla trekking is mainly done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. These two gorilla destinations offer different gorilla trekking experiences in terms of the level of difficulty.
What is the level of difficulty in the gorilla sectors in Uganda?
Gorilla trekking in Uganda may be generally moderate in most of the gorilla destinations because of the terrain, but this is, however, subjective, with some gorilla sectors as seen below.
Nkuringo gorilla sector
The terrain in the Nkuringo gorilla sector is not very easy to manoeuvre through quickly. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park’s Nkuringo gorilla sector is often considered the most difficult among the gorilla sectors in this park. This is because it is the most hilly and with dense vegetation. This combination serves as a challenging but very adventurous factor for the gorilla trekkers, thus increasing the intensity and fun, especially for those who seek adventure. However, Nkuringo’s hilly terrain has favoured it in a way that visitors get to enjoy incredible scenes of the Virunga Mountains in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ruhija gorilla sector
In terms of the most hilly gorilla sectors in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Ruhija gorilla sector takes second position in being hilly after Nkuringo. Though located in the far eastern side of the park, Ruhija is relatively hilly. It is perfect for visitors who seek a moderate gorilla experience, which is not very easy but also not challenging.
Rushaga gorilla sector
The Rushaga gorilla sector is one of the commonly visited gorilla sectors in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park because of its terrain. Third in being hilly after Ruhija and Nkuringo gorilla sectors, Rushaga has kept a low profile in terrain, making it relatively easy since it is not as hilly.
Buhoma gorilla sector
The Buhoma gorilla sector, among the four gorilla sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, offers the easiest gorilla trekking experience. This is because of its less hilly terrain, which is very easy to navigate compared to the other gorilla sectors. This is because of this factor that the Buhoma gorilla sector receives the most gorilla trekking visitors annually.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park also has a very hilly terrain since it harbors 3 volcanoes of the Virunga massif, which are Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Gahinga, and Mount Muhabura. However, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is less dense compared to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, as its vegetation is mainly bamboo, thus making the gorilla trekking experience very easy. This less dense vegetation also hinders the long movements of the mountain gorillas, thus also adding to the ease of the gorilla trekking experience in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
However, it is also important to note that the level of ease for a gorilla trekking experience is not only attributed to the terrain, no. The other main factor considering the level of difficulty of the gorilla trekking experience is the mountain gorilla movements. Mountain gorillas are mobile primates who are always on the move searching for food or just feeding. Therefore, the level of difficulty can increase or decrease due to the mountain gorilla’s movements. On a given day, visitors may find it easy to trek these primates as they may not have moved for long distances, or even find it very challenging as they could have moved further in their natural habitat. The mountain gorilla movements are unpredictable, thus trackers are constantly in the forest tracking their movement to help and ease of their gorillas by the visitors.
When is the best time to trek gorillas?
The dry season has always been the best gorilla trekking season because of its weather conditions that favor the gorilla trekking experience. The dry season in Uganda runs from June to September and December to February, and during this time, the country receives limited rainfall with humid temperatures. These conditions ensure that the trekking trails in the gorilla destinations remain dry and navigable, and also provide clear and uninterrupted views of the primates because of the sparse vegetation. The dry season makes the gorilla trekking experience very easy for the visitors.
