Mountain Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Mountain Gorilla tracking: The opportunity, to be in close proximity for a magical hour with a family of our near cousins – the Mountain Gorillas, in their natural habitat can be a scary but exhilarating adventure. This adventure can be experienced only in two places (3 countries) in the world – the Virungas massif and the Bwindi Impenetrable forest in Uganda. This geographical exclusivity makes the experience even more unique and a bucket-list item for all wildlife enthusiasts. Life-changing – according to some who have experienced it!

Isn’t the Gorilla tracking a dangerous activity?

Our first thought when we hear of the Mountain Gorilla tracking is that of ‘fear’. Isn’t it dangerous to be that close (less than 10 metres) to a wild and ferocious primate? (we are generally afraid of being that close to a Macaque!). Various movies (King Kong, Tarzan, Congo etc.) have imprinted the image of  ‘fierce and destructive’ Gorillas on our minds. Despite this fearsome reputation, during the Mountain Gorilla tracking expedition, this giant primate will only appear to be passive and gentle. Of course, like all wild animals, Mountain Gorillas have to be respected and tourists have to follow rules and exercise care. But a Gorilla tracking activity of a ‘habituated’ family can be as safe as a normal safari in East Africa.

Where can you do Gorilla tracking?

The largest living primate, gorillas are spread across much of the sub-Saharan equatorial African rainforest. Broadly speaking, in East Africa, there are two sub-species of Gorilla: Eastern Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) and Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). The other two Gorillas sub-species found in Central / Western Africa are the Western Lowland Gorilla and the Cross River Gorilla.

Broadly, Mountain Gorillas inhabit two distinct areas in East Africa: The volcanic range which spans Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the separate Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. The great Virunga volcano conservation region covers Virunga national park (Congo), Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda) and Mgahinga National park (Uganda).

At the latest count, there are approximately 1,100 mountain gorillas in the wild, with 500 + in the Virunga Massif and the balance in Bwindi. The population is slowly increasing, thanks to concerted efforts between governments, communities and NGOs.

In Uganda, Gorilla tracking is done in Mgahinga National Park (part of the Virunga massif) and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

About Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park (also called “The Place of Darkness” due to its dense treetops) is an ancient, montane and lowland forest spanning 325 sq kms. Located where plain and mountain forests meet, there is a continuum of low altitude to high altitude primary forests in the park, one of the few large tracts of East African forest where this occurs.

The name “Bwindi“, means  ‘impenetrable‘ in the local Runyakitara language. This name comes from the extensive strands of bamboo interspersed amongst the larger forest hardwoods. The bamboo and thick ground cover of ferns, vines, and other plant growth severely hinder direct access on foot, especially in the valleys, which is impossible to traverse other than by using trails.

Species counts include 350 birds, 310 butterflies, 200 trees, 51 reptiles (including 27 frog species), 88 moths and 120 mammals. The latter includes 14 primates, among them Chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s monkey, and the star of the Impenetrable show: the Mountain Gorilla. This incredible biodiversity of plant and animal species has earned Bwindi the designation of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Floristically, the park is among the most diverse forests in East Africa, with more than 1,000 flowering plant species, including 200+ species of trees (more than 50% of Uganda’s tree species) and 104 species of ferns. Of the plus 200 tree species, 12  occur only in Bwindi and include the Tallow Tree and the Brown Mahogany.

Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable forest, Uganda

Bwindi has eighteen (18) habituated Gorilla groups (of the total of 36 families). There are four trailheads/sectors to track these Gorilla families. The sectors are Buhoma, Rushaga, Ruhija and Nkuringo. Eight permits are available each day for visitors above 15 years of age to track each of these 18 groups. Limited availability means that booking permits in advance is critical.

A Gorilla family (or troop) consists of at least one silverback along with several females and youngsters. The troops are somewhat fluid in composition but tend to stick to a preferred area. Park Rangers constantly monitor each Gorilla family on a continuous basis (the rangers leave the forest only for the night). Each tourist group of 8 people come into contact with the Gorillas for a strict maximum of one hour per day.  This ensures that the encounter is as intimate and as unobtrusive as possible.

Check out our video on the Mountain Gorilla tracking in Bwindi:

 

Which sector to choose in Bwindi for Gorilla tracking?

There is  a lot of debate on which sector is ideal for Gorilla tracking. The biggest fear in the mind of tourists is the ‘difficulty’ level – which sometimes may determine whether you actually get to see a Gorilla (in case tourists abandon the tracking exercise mid-way due to exhaustion).

It is very difficult to predict which Gorilla tracking group departure would be easy or difficult. The activity can last from a few hours to a whole day. This depends on how far the group is away from the starting point within its territory. There have been cases, where the entire exercise is over within 1 hour – when the particular Gorilla family is very close to the starting point; in many other cases, due to the distance and terrain to reach the particular Gorilla family, it has even taken 6-8 hours to complete the activity!

But, overall in terms of terrain, as per the local guides, it is possible to categorise the difficulty level of the sectors. From easy to most difficult as: Buhoma (the North West), Rushaga (South), Ruhija (East) and Nkuringo (West). Buhoma, hence, is the most popular and gets booked out real fast.

Rushaga has the highest number of habituated families (Six). Acknowledged to be the toughest, Nkuringo is also the place where you can participate in the Gorilla Habituation experience. The Habituation experience is an opportunity to take part in the long drawn process of getting the families habituated. NOT the easy normal Gorilla tracking activity!

How difficult is Mountain Gorilla tracking?

We have to remember the ‘mountain’ in the Mountain Gorilla tracking. Mountain Gorillas stay on the slopes of mountain ranges. Hence, an ‘uphill’ and exhausting trek would be essential to reach the Gorilla family.  Most Gorilla Tracking activities would involve going through the ups and downs of hills and cutting across dense vegetation to reach the location of the Gorilla family.

Gorilla families move to a different location each day in search of food. The ‘Watchers’ team of the Park continuously keeps track of each  habituated Gorilla families. Hence, the Park authorities are aware of the the broad location of the particular Gorilla family. However, this location can be either close to the starting point or much further away. The amount of time taken for the Gorilla tracking activity would all depend on your luck for the day; it can take an hour or maybe 6 hours!

Having said this, Gorilla tracking is not an expert level ‘mountaineering’ activity. At the most, it is an easy to medium ‘trekking’ activity. Reasonable fitness, adequate preparation and a passion to see these gentle giants is all that is essential to complete this ultimate wildlife adventure.  Do write to the author of this blog for a more detailed Mountain Gorilla advisory to help you plan for Gorilla tracking.

What is the best time for Gorilla tracking?

Bwindi (or the Virungas massif) is a primary tropical rain forest. By definition, it can rain anytime throughout the year. By this reasoning, there is no ‘best’ time for the Gorilla tracking activity. However, rains are heavier in certain months of the year. Given that muddy tracks make the activity far more difficult, it might be optimal to avoid the months of March – May (long rains) and September – November (short rains). In these months, rains are heavier than average. But having said this, availability of permits is easy in the non-season period.

Gorilla tracking in Mgahinga National park

Mgahinga National Park is part of the Virunga massif along with Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda and the Virunga National Park, Congo. Mgahinga has one habituated Gorilla family only and hence only 8 permits are available on a daily basis. While doing the Gorilla tracking in Bwindi is emblematic for Uganda, Mgahinga is a viable alternative option. With gentler slopes on the lower reaches of the Mgahinga mountain and less dense forests, Gorilla tracking here might actually be a better bet compared to the ups and downs of Bwindi!

Gorilla tracking in Mgahinga is actually quite similar to the tracking exercise in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda due to the above reasons.

Physical differences of the Gorillas: The Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi differ from those in the nearby Mgahinga in that they have shorter coats, live at lower altitudes and include much more fruit in their diet and may be more closely related to the Eastern Lowland Gorilla.

Concluding thoughts

I have done Gorilla tracking both in the Virunga massif and in Bwindi. I still want to re-experience the sheer joy of spending an hour with these gentle giants. A dream of mine is to do this activity in the Virunga National Park in Congo – that’s a separate discussion.

However, while doing the Gorilla tracking in Bwindi, I was really bothered by the over-enthusiasm shown by my fellow group members in getting too close to the Mountain Gorillas. In fact, the ranger guides themselves ‘led’ us quite close to the Gorillas to allow for ‘better photographs’. The distance to be maintained from the Gorillas is mandated at 7 metres (23 feet). However, I was aghast when the rangers led us to within 10-12 ft of the Alpha male! And that too at a higher level – God forbid, if any one of us had slipped on the dense vegetation, he/she would have landed right on the Gorilla’s head!

Social Distancing?

Furthermore, some group members in their enthusiasm to click the ‘best’ photo were constantly ambling for a closer shot! Within 6-8 ft of the Gorillas – they were too close for comfort. The lesser concern was for the safety of the humans: though habituated, Gorillas are wild after all and would react violently to ‘irritating’ behaviour.

The bigger worry was the reverse – about the safety of the Gorillas! Intruding in their private space would be annoying to anyone – let alone a wild Gorilla. More importantly, the Gorillas are very susceptible to human transmission of infectious diseases. Viral respiratory illness leading to bacterial infections are highly possible – proximity to humans is the main cause for the same. Dian Fossey was against Gorilla tracking tourism for the very same reason.

The concern is genuine – but taking Dian Fossey’s extreme view of stopping tourism altogether is not sustainable. Banning Gorilla tracking is not the solution – but it is critical that the Tourists doing Gorilla tracking keep a respectable distance from the primates. But alas, getting tourists to behave responsibly is clearly wishful thinking! Maybe the Corona pandemic will have taught humans to keep a respectable distance from all primates – including humans!

 

For more on our wildlife adventures in Uganda Read our blog

https://beyonder.travel/africa/uganda/uganda-wildlife-diary/

For more information on Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable forest – check out: https://www.ugandawildlife.org/activities-binp/gorilla-tracking-binp