Gorilla Tracking Safaris in Africa

The remaining world’s Mountain gorillas (Gorilla Berengei) are found in Africa. None of these can survive in any part of the world, as those which have been removed and kept in various zoos and other parts of the continents of the world have since died due to the environment in which they were kept. It is in Africa where you will find the remaining 700 or thereabout Mountain gorillas. Being an endangered species, various countries in which they are charge conservation fees in addition to the normal park entrance fees to preserve the same. Mountain gorillas are the remaining apes on earth which share 95% of their livelihood with human beings. In other words, they are our closest relatives still living in the wilderness. They are found in the central part of Africa where the tropical rain forest has not been diminished by mankind.

Primatology Tours and Safaris
Primatology is the study of primates. It is a branch of biology and is closely related to physical anthropology, which is the Primatology of genus Homo, especially Homo sapiens. The fields cross over in the study of the hominids, which includes all ancestors of man and the other African Apes. Modern Primatology is an extremely diverse science. It ranges from anatomical studies of primate ancestors and field studies of primates in their natural habitat, to experiments in animal psychology and ape language. It has cast an immense amount of light on basic human behaviors and ancient ancestry of these behaviors.

Mountain Gorillas and Lowland Gorillas
Undeniably the most unique primate that survives in the forgotten forests of Africa is the gorilla, both the mountain gorilla and the lowland gorilla. In contrast to the six billion human beings living on our crowded planet, there are only some seven hundred Mountain Gorillas left on the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. Seeing the mountain gorillas is an awesome experience.

The mountain gorilla's lowland cousins live in the equatorial forests of central Africa. While the eastern lowland gorilla is found only in the DRC, the western lowland gorilla lives in Congo, Gabon, the Central African Republic and Cameroon. Although the lowland gorillas still number many thousands, they are under severe threat from poaching and conflict. Unlike the mountain gorilla, the lowland gorilla is virtually un-habituated and viewing is more difficult, except at bais - swamp clearings - where they gather with other forest wildlife. Journeys to see the lowland gorilla are only for the tough adventurer but the experience is worth it. Niche Africa Holidays organize safaris to see the Cousin’s of the Mountain Gorillas; The Lowland Gorillas with our sister companies in their areas.

Mountain Gorillas in East Africa  (Also Known as Gorilla Berengei)

The remaining Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla Berengei) are basically within the East African boarders and are based in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National park. The other places where you can find them are the Virunga national park in Democratic republic of Congo – DRC and the Ruhengeri National Park in Rwanda.

The four remaining National parks host the remaining 700 or thereabout Mountain gorillas, we therefore give you the particulars of the following Mountain gorilla’s national parks;

• Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo
  
• Parc National des Volcans (Volcanoes National Park / Ruhengeri National Park in Rwanda)
  
• Mgahinga National Park in Uganda
  
• Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda

Visitors time with the Gorillas
To ensure the gorillas do not get too used to the presence of humans and because they share many of our genes and therefore able to catch our diseases, the maximum time permitted to spend with them is 1 hour. You will have plenty of time to watch their activity and to take photographs. The rangers will be able to provide you with a background to the family you are visiting. Once your hour is up, you trek back out of the rain forest to your meeting point.

Gorilla Tracking - Trekking Conditions and Procedures:

A visit to these gentle giants in their natural habitat is a unique and wonderful experience will never forget in life.

Estimated Booking period and time taken to track Gorillas
We depart from your camp or lodge in the early morning and after border formalities, you are transferred to a ranger’s station where the trekking commences. Your rangers will lead you through the cultivated lands and then into the dense rain forest and on to a gorilla family. Tracking can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 8 hours and it can be quite strenuous, so a reasonable level of fitness is required. We recommend to our visitors for Gorilla Tracking to book at least 3 months (but not more than two years) in advance to ensure that requested dates are available. The tracking experience starts at 8.30 a.m. local time. Registration at the gates commences at 7.45a.m.

The park rangers monitor the gorillas on a daily basis and have a fairly good idea of where they are. However, they are free roaming animals, and their sighting can not be guaranteed. In the unlikely event of these creatures managing to completely elude tourists, the authorities usually allow them a second opportunity to track them. However, this is purely at their discretion and subject to the availability of permits, and they will not confirm this in writing. We are a major supplier of Gorilla tracking trekkers to each park and as such have a high success rate of procuring gorilla permits and then of actually seeing these beautiful animals.

Conservation of Gorillas
You needn’t feel like you’re exploiting these animals. The ever-growing number of tourists tracking them each day plays a vital role in their survival. For years they have been ruthlessly hunted for their hands and heads, which have been sold as ashtrays and lampshades. In addition, large numbers have been killed whilst trying to stop poachers stealing their babies for sale to zoos world over, where they have never lived long. 100% of the gorilla permit cost is used to by the parks authorities to finance patrols that are instrumental in protecting the gorillas from poachers and their lethal snares and on promoting these wonderful animals.
For conservation reasons, visits to the gorillas are tightly controlled. The following rules apply and must be strictly adhered to:

What to bring

The Cost of Gorilla tracking permits

The cost of Gorilla tracking permits fluctuates and may change without prior notice – currently they are pegged at US$500 per person per visit in Rwanda and Uganda. There is a local transport fee of US$20 to US$25 per person. For trekking in the DRC or Rwanda, you will also have to purchase an additional visa to enter either country, as well as renewing your visa upon re-entry. Please, we advice that you budget accordingly.

Some of our Itineraries for Gorilla Tracking are.