Gorilla Trekking –Is it Really worth my Time-Money-Effort?

Gorilla Trekking –Is it Really worth my Time-Money-Effort?

“Is Gorilla Trekking Worth the Effort, Cost, and Time invested? Or Will I be disappointed?

Gorilla Trekking-is it really worth it? The Fynbos Guy (South African who never has come near the Mountain Gorillas – thought that Gorilla Tracking was not worth the money, time, and effort.

Gorilla Trekking-is it really worth it?

The Gorilla Trekking Experience: Those who have toured the mountain Gorillas(Gentle Giants) of the Forest infrequently, if ever protest. Some tour them twice or participate in the Gorilla Habituation Experience, where they spend time with a gorilla family for approximately 4 hrs.

And some of our Customers have phrased it as “a Life-Changing Experience. “99% are impressed by what they have practiced/gotten involved in. In spite of the truckload of cash, the distress of a long hike dissolves like vapor into thin air – it is such a memorable involvement/ experience of touring the Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park/Forest or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.

Those who go beyond an average Gorilla Trek on the Gorilla Habituation Experience are even more excited, calling it “the Icing on the Cake of their Safari.”

Where else in the world are you going to spot the endangered Mountain Gorillas?  You cannot locate them in any zoo around the world but only in countries like Uganda, Rwanda, and DR Congo.

Answering the Fynbo Guy’s objections to” Gorilla Trekking-is it Really worth it?”

It takes a Truckload of Cash:

Gorilla Trekking is the most expensive tourist activity in Africa – after an hour or more in the Case of the 4-hour Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda – no one complains.

Presently Gorilla Permits in Uganda are rated $600 but after July 1, 2020, they will be raised to$700. It is a lot of money, yes, but then that Permit fee caters to several things, involving the protection and conservation of the endangered gentle giants( Mountain Gorillas), which are accumulating in totals at the speed of 3.7% a year, at part owing to the Permit rates or as I call it “Track for Cash.”

One must also reflect on the fact of the local communities in existence, they profit directly from the charges paid by Trekkers since they get a slice of it.

The Permit charges fund several preservation projects. The local societies are educated to spot the aids of safeguarding the Mountain Gorillas since they bring them much-desired funds that underwrite the rates of several community projects.  In Uganda, the indigenous communities receive 20% of Permit rates.

Gorilla permits are lavish/affluent, but spot as an asset in the endurance & security of the gentle giants(Mountain Gorillas) of Uganda, assisting the surrounding communities, involving the earliest people of the forest, the Batwa Community.

You only get to spend an hour with the Gorillas:

Only 1 hr you use to spend with these gentle giants (mountain Gorillas), very true, except that Uganda has the extensive Gorilla Habituation Experience where you spend much time with a gorilla family about 4 hrs.

It is, however, a very mystic, unforgettable hour, a once-in-a-lifetime involvement – the Mountain Gorillas cannot be toured in any zoo in the world. They are not there because they have never endured detention, they are born free and can only stay free. You can only tour them in their territories/homes like the one in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or Mgahinga Gorilla Park in Uganda. That 1 hr is intended for the well-being of the Gorillas as they proceed with their day, diminishing the opportunity for contamination like colds, flu, measles, etc. For $1500 – you can have 4 hrs with the Gorillas on a Gorilla Habituation Experience and this is an all-day trek activity with the time you spend hiking in and out.

Actuality:  For most, one could say, well, over 95% it is the practice of a lifetime, one does not consider the minutes but concentrates on the involvement/experience of the Venture.

You can’t even go if you’ve got a cold or a sore throat:

The rules are stringent– we had a customer a few years back who came down with diarrhea, and he communicated to his safari guide 2 days in before that he could not engage in gorilla tracking activity because he did not want to infect his illness to the endangered mountain gorillas, – we were able to resell his permits and later was repaid back the money for the license. The guidelines are in place for the safety of the Mountain Gorillas and were laid out after much study, recommendations from the Gorilla Doctors who make forest calls, and even surgery in the forest. One is dealing with an endangered species (mountain Gorillas), and guidelines/procedures are there to safeguard them.

The welfare of the gentle giants (Mountain Gorillas) is almost everyone’s mind, and that is how best it should be, it is all about preservation and not just the vacation industry, and tourism assists for safety. There is also a study ongoing by organizations that endeavor to learn more about whether there are any new disease intimidations that the Mountain Gorillas can infect Humans and the other way around. The procedures and instructions are there for the safety of the Mountain Gorillas and you.

Then there’s the discomfort. Ever been in a rainforest?

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is the earliest rainforest that is extremely lovely, the hikes to and from where the gorilla group is positioned, involving the hour with the gorillas, can be 5-6 hrs in number and yet some days it may last a full day.

Gorilla Trekking-is it Really worth it? Discomfort? One can give to the local society and rent a porter who will be able to earn lots of money out of the whole activity. One can take the easier hikes and tour a group in the Buhoma section or Rushaga section of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. One can also engage in Gorilla Trekking in the peak seasons of the year when the tracks are not so muddy.

Discomfort/distress – by the time people retire from the activity (Gorilla Trekking) they are damn tired, but then one could say, exhausted – it was well worth it. Intolerable dampness – we are not talking of the lowland jungles of the Congo, but we are speaking of Mountain Gorillas, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and even complex altitudes of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda

Distress/Discomfort – the walks can be energetic, but no one protests about the involvement of touring the Mountain Gorillas, which far outweighs the so-called Troubles.

And then there’s the moral question. How would you feel if a party of sweaty apes suddenly burst uninvited into your house and started taking photos while you were having a nap or sitting on the toilet?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mountain Gorillas are familiar, which implies that they are used to humans ‘presence, coming to tour them – for the most part, they go about their day-to-day affairs.

There are Rules of conduct. Flashy photo taking is not allowed, no making noise, no mobile phones -one of the only times when one of the gorillas responded was when someone used a flashy camera & made a lot of noise, and a silverback thrilled him, normally there is no commotion, they are used to humans, and it is strictly for 1 hr. That hour is one of the most incredible times in the African Wild in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park /Forest or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.

No Mountain Gorilla is going to go into your house, and they might go into the lodge composite where you are staying, which is always to the pleasure of the visitors residing there. Don’t forget that you are only 1 hr with the Mountain Gorillas unless you have engaged in the extensive Gorilla Habituation in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park/Forest.

Gorilla Trekking-is it really worth it? – Our Last Word:

There are Gorilla Trekking worrywarts, most of which have never engaged in Trekking Gorillas of the Forest. Yet, thousands of travelers each year find that a Tour is partial without Gorilla Trekking.

Over 90% of the requests that we get are for Tours that involve Gorilla Trekking or the Gorilla Habituation Experience.  Many of our Customers Trek Gorillas Twice – or even do 2/ 3 Gorilla Habituation experiences and none of them protest about the fees/charges, saying “it was not worth it.” Our Gorilla Trekking Customers admire about the involvement of being up close with the mountain Gorillas of the Forest in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park/Forest in Mgahinga Gorilla Park or Volcanoes National Park.