Gorilla Tracking
Gorilla tracking has become hugely popular in recent years. Gorillas are gentle giants and display many human-like behaviors and emotions, such as laughter and sadness. In fact, gorillas share 98.3% of their genetic code with humans, making them our closest cousins after chimpanzees and bonobos. They live in family groups of usually 5 to 10, but sometimes two to more than 50, led by a dominant adult male - or silverback - who holds his position for years. The bond between the silverback and his females forms the basis of gorilla social life. Two gorilla species live in the equatorial Africa rainforest. (Source: WWF). Think how magical it would be to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitats.
The Virunga Mountains range which is spread across the northern borders of Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda is home to the endagered mountain gorilla. Conservationists estimate there are about 1,000 mountain gorillas in the wild, out of which 604 live in the Virunga massif alone.
Gorilla Trek - Rwanda Volcanoes National Park
Rwanda, a landlocked mountainous country in East Africa is a great destination for gorilla tracking. Its capital city, Kigali touted as the cleanest city in Africa is safe, with many mod cons and a cosmopolitan outlook. Rwandese are renowned for their much welcoming, friendly and hospitable attitude to visitors.
The Volcanoes National Park covers 160km² of rainforest, and encompasses five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains. It is the stop center for gorilla tracking as it shelters the highest number of mountain gorillas in the Virunga conservation area. This is also where intending visitors gather to be allocated a family group on the day of visit, as well as being briefed on protocols and rules for visiting the gorillas. Only 6 permits are issued per day, per troop - ensuring that the encounters are as unobtrusive and intimate as possible. The families are known as Susa, Igisha, Karisimbi, Sabyinyo, Amahoro, Agashya, Kwitonda, Umubano, Hirwa, Bwenge, Ugyenda and Muhoza.
Hikes up to their various locations can last anything from 30 minutes to 4 or more hours, reaching an altitude of between 2,500m and 4,000m. Porters are available to carry backpacks and cameras, as well as to offer a helping hand along the route.
10% of the revenue from the permits is channelled towards local communities, to build schools and health centres, as well as roads. There is a compensation fund for local farmers should any gorilla damage their crops, which helps to ensure peaceful co-existence. Gorilla tracking also provides employment for many locals, from rangers and trackers to porters, drivers and staff at tourist lodges. For those interested in tracing the footsteps of Dian Fossey, her tomb is a 30-minute drive from the park headquarters and then 2 or 3 hours hike through the forest, to above 3,000m altitude.
Gorilla Trek - Uganda Bwindi impenetrable Forest
The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies on the edge of the Albertine Rift Valley in Southwestern Uganda. Spread over a series of steep ridges and valleys, Bwindi is the source of 5 major rivers which flow into Lake Edward. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
The forest used to stretch down to the Virunga Mountains on the Rwandan border but this huge tract of forest was broken up about 500 years ago when people moved into the area for agricultural activities. Bwindi is touted as one of Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rain forests - dating back 25,000 years and containing almost 400 species of plants. This “impenetrable forest” is home to an estimated 459 mountain gorillas - more than half the world’s population, including several habituated groups which can be tracked. The Mubare gorilla group was the first to become available for tourism in Uganda in April 1993. Nine groups are today habituated for tourism, and one group for scientific research.
In addition to mountain gorillas, the forest is home to a further 120 mammals, including several primate species such as baboons and chimpanzees, red-tail monkeys, colobus, as well as elephants and antelopes. There are also around 350 species of bird species, including the 23 Albertine Rift endemics, as well as many other reptiles.
The neighbouring towns of Buhoma and Nkuringo while providing a wide selection of accommodation that range from luxury lodges to budget friendly campsites, rentals, restaurants, also provide opportunities to interact with the local Bakiga and Batwa Pygmy cultures through performances, workshops and village walks.
Kwita Izina - Rwanda's Gorilla Naming Ceremony
Modelled off a centuries old tradition in which Africans name their children in the presence of friends and family, Kwita Izina was started in 2005 as a means to officially name mountain gorillas in what has become a global celebration of nature. By giving names to these majestic creatures, they get given the value they undoubtedly deserve.
The ceremony provides an opportunity for officials to thank the communities that live around Volcanoes National Park, the research partners, vets and the dedicated conservationists, rangers and trackers who protect the gorillas. Over 300 mountain gorillas have been named in the past 17 years - up to 2021.Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony usually takes place on World Gorilla Day.
The annual World Gorilla Day is celebrated on 24 September, the day that Dian Fossey established the Karisoke Research Center in 1967. World Gorilla Day encourages people around the globe to join the conservation efforts to protect gorillas in the wild. Holding Kwita Izina on World Gorilla Day provides the opportunity to harness the global attention on gorillas on this special date and work with conservation and tourism partners around the world to highlight what Rwanda is doing to protect these majestic animals.
