The map shows exactly where the mountain gorillas live across Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC.
Compare | Rwanda | Uganda |
---|---|---|
Gorilla trekking permit cost | USD 1500 | USD 600 |
Park where the gorillas live | Volcanoes National Park | Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga National Park |
Entry Airport | Kigali | Entebbe |
Transfer to park | 3 hour drive | Domestic flight |
Safety | Super safe | Super safe |
Habituated groups | 12 | 11 |
Other activities | Golden monkeys, Lake Kivu, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund museum, Dian Fossey’s grave, climb the volcanoes in the area, visit the local villages | Pigmie visits, visit to the local medicine man, visit the local villages, Queen Elizabeth National Park and its tree climbing lions is not too far |
Exclusive Accommodation | Lots | Some |
Mid-range Accommodation | Some | Lots |
No matter where you go gorilla trekking, the vegetation will be thick, lush, high and filled with plants, bushes and tree branches. Wearing long trousers is critical to ensure you do not return covered in bruises, scratches and rashes from reactions to plants like nettles which are particularly nasty in Rwanda.
You should always wear clothes in colors which abound in the wild to camouflage and minimise the impact on wildlife. It is therefore recommended that you wear shades of green or brown. White trousers would be a real mistake as they will return black from the mud.
Other things to consider when choosing the right trousers for gorilla trekking:
The weather can change and get cold in the higher altitudes of the parks, or it can turn into really warm and humid so the best top to wear, in my opinion, is a merino wool layer which can keep you really warm if necessary but will not suffocate you if it is warmer. Layering is best. While Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is thick, it is not as high as the Volcanoes National Park so a thinner layer is advisable.
What you should consider when picking your gorilla trekking shirt:
The full gorilla trekking outfit with waterproof jacket and garden gloves. This is probably the most essential of the gorilla trekking gear items to bring. Why? Because the tropical areas mountain gorillas inhabit are lush and green for a reason and rains can occur anytime, even in the dry season. The last thing you want is to be in the middle of the jungle and for it start pouring down without sufficient covering.
Things to consider when choosing a waterproof jacket for gorilla trekking:
If you have long hair, an easy way to ensure your hair doesn’t get stuck in the branches or end up filled with stuff falling from trees is to wear a hat or bandana. I found bandanas to be quite useful because they are light and you can pull them down as soon as you get out of the park if it is hot.
The type of shoes you bring gorilla trekking will be your salvation or your fall. The local park rangers and guides all wear gumboots. They serve the main purpose of keeping you warm, even if you have to cross rivers, and have the necessary grip and shape to walk in the mud, the sliding soil and the uneven terrain. However, gumboots may not be the easiest to pack so alternatively, pack waterproof Gore-Tex hiking boots. The boots need to be ankle high at least and keep you dry should it rain or should you step in puddles, mud or rivers. Under no circumstance should you wear open shoes or hiking sandals. Your feet need to be protected from the many stinging plants, branches and insects which inhabit this rich ecosystem.
Some things to consider when buying a pair of waterproof, Gore-Tex hiking boots:
All of your belongings will be stored inside a backpack which you can carry with you on the trek or hire local porters to carry for you. Either way, it is important for that bag to be waterproof so that all your camera equipment stays dry.
Bringing mosquito repellent to Africa is a no brainer as you should have it with you for your entire time in Rwanda or Uganda where malaria is still pervasive and the tsetse flies can give you a horrible bite.
But the important thing is to pack repellent that is powerful and can actually protect you in the thick tropical forest areas of the parks. The mosquitoes and other bugs here are supersized and they are immune to the softer version of repellent so make sure to pack a strong version with at least 30% DEET.
Aside from the basic gear that you need to bring for gorilla trekking anywhere, trekking in Uganda has other specificities that require extra items. Having trekked in both Uganda and Rwanda the packing list and the requirements for what to wear for gorilla trekking is different. The soil, the landscapes and the altitude is different so your clothing should also adapt.
The most important thing to remember for gorilla trekking in Uganda is the fact that Bwindi Impenetrable Forest gets its name for a reason. That means that, as soon as you stand still, all sorts of crawlies will come out and try to climb your feet and legs. Some of them are pretty dangerous or will simply give you awful reactions, like the red fire ants. And they are tiny so not easy to spot.
Therefore, the most important gorilla gear item in Uganda should be a pair of tall socks that you can put over your trousers. This way, if you need to stop to have a snack or to wait for the trackers to give more info on your gorilla troop location, you are sure that all the crawlies will not get to your leg.
This is equally important in Rwanda, but there, you should also be wearing gaiters, which are not required in Uganda because there are no nettles. High socks are more useful to protect you from the stinging nettles instead, a very different risk.
While your lodge will probably pack snacks for you, it is important to remember that gorilla trekking in Uganda is done from the same starting point for all visitors. That is, there is only one entrance to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and all visitors seeing gorillas on the day will enter through the same gate and then disperse to find their gorilla family.
That means that you are likely to hike for longer periods than in Rwanda where there are dozens of park entrances and so you will go into the Volcanoes National Park through the gate that is closest to your gorilla family for the day. As you will be trekking for longer, it is more advisable to bring extra snacks and water in case your trek extends and you are out for a few hours. Sid trekked for 2,5h before finding their family. Then spent an hour with them and hiked back. That made a total of 6h in the forest, enough to make you peckish and thirsty.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda differs from Uganda because of the terrain, mostly volcanic and made of loose soil, and the wider more open spaces, especially when the gorilla trekking happens in the Volcanoes National Park areas that are bamboo forests. In those cases, the sun will peek through so you can get sunburnt. The walk from the park’s gate to the park also involves a hike through farmland, again, cleared skies means risk of sunburn. Volcanoes National Park is also more filled with more nettles than Bwindi so you need to make sure to protect any exposed skin from nasty rashes.
Your lodge may lend you a pair of gaiters but it pays to check in advance. If they don’t then make sure to bring a pair with you. They are absolutely essential or you will return home with painful legs.
Nettles are everywhere in the Volcanoes National Park and they grow tall and lush. No wonder they are one of the gorilla’s most common dietary items. These are the wild, super strong variety so if you touch them or they touch you, expect a bad memory of the experience.
Things to know when choosing your gorilla trekking gaiters:
This is something that nobody advised me to pack for Uganda and which I did not see the need for. However, if you have them or the lodge gives them to you, better safe than sorry. Gardening gloves are particularly useful as part of your gorilla gear if you are trekking in Rwanda because of the lower vegetation and, again, the nettles. I found the trekking here to be through narrower parts of the forest with lower branches and more ups and downs than in Uganda. The gloves come in handy so that you can have some leverage when grabbing parts of the forest like branches or tree trunks, to help pull yourself forward. If you are going to hire a porter it is likely that they will be there to hold you instead. I had the gloves with me but did not use or need them because the porter was there instead.
Some tips for picking the right garden gloves for gorilla trekking:
Apart from the above, it is also important to remember what you should not wear to a gorilla trek. Here are a few items that you should leave behind. Colors other than neutral nature ones Obviously, white clothes will get absolutely filthy in the mud and rain and you will never get them clean again. Black and dark colors are no issue but they are said to attract the tsetse flies so put on extra repellent. Camouflage patterns are for the exclusive use of the army so make sure not to end up being confused with them.
In Uganda, as we were trekking looking for our gorilla family, I saw an oncoming militia member carrying a bazooka. I was more shocked than scared but it can happen so avoid these colors. Solid khaki green or brown colors are best.
Like with white clothes, do not bring your latest and bestest gear to the tropical rainforest of Africa. It can get ruined. You will be better off with an old pair of sturdy boots than with a newly bought pair which may end up giving you blisters.
When you have spotted your assigned family and are ready to approach, your guide will ask you leave all your gear and equipment behind, take only your camera and binoculars and leave the rest with the porters a few meters away from the gorillas. This is a safety measure and ensures that you do not leave anything behind and you do not cause the gorillas to be close to the smell or food. Make sure not to take any food with your in your pockets in this last stretch when you finally spend time up and close with the gorillas.