How long does gorilla trekking take in Mgahinga national park
How long does gorilla trekking take in Mgahinga national park: For those wondering how long does gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park takes/lasts? It’s 2 to 7 hours. This article will go deep to explain to you how long trekking lasts and the reasons as to why. Reading this article will help you to know how long gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park takes before and after seeing the mountain gorillas.
Mountain gorillas are endangered species of primates living in the east and central parts of Africa in two isolated groups. Mountain gorillas live in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and the Virunga conservation area which comprises three national parks namely Virunga, Volcanoes, and Mgahinga.
Mgahunga national park is a small national park in Uganda located in the southwestern part of the country. What makes Mgahinga national park so famous and known to the world are the mountain gorillas living in the afro montane, and bamboo vegetation on the slopes of Virunga volcanoes found in the park. Mountain gorillas are very few in the world and Mgahinga national park hosts about 100 of those left surviving in the wild.
A lot of travelers are interested in seeing the mountain gorillas of Mgahinga national park and to see them one must enter the jungle together with armed ranger guides to look for where mountain gorillas could be. It’s from here that so many of tourists that are intending to trek as how long searching for mountain gorillas does take in Mgahinga national park. Well, it takes 2 to 7 hours depending on the following.
The nature of trails. The nature of trails in Mgahinga national park does determine the time taken to locate the mountain gorilla family. During the dry season, when trekking trails are dry it means that they will be easier to navigate therefore in case the mountain gorillas are close to the starting points locating them might take a few hours. If trails are dry but the mountain gorillas are far looking for food it will take longer.
Still on the nature of trails during the rainy season, the trekking trails tend to be muddy and slippery. Even though you have waterproof hiking shoes, it’s not as easy as walking on dry trails. The speed will slow down and the time to see the mountain gorillas will increase in case they are far from the starting points. When the mountain gorillas are close to the starting points in the rainy season count yourself lucky because it does take a few hours to see them.
The speed of trekkers. The speed of trekkers does determine the time taken to locate the mountain gorilla family. When the trekkers are all physically fit and can move faster like the armed ranger guides then finding the mountain gorillas will take short time compared to when the trekkers are old and slow in walking.
The location of the mountain gorilla family. This also determines how long mountain gorilla trekking does take in Mgahinga national park. When the gorilla family is near the starting point, locating the mountain gorillas takes a few hours and when the mountain gorillas are at a higher elevation, finding them takes some good hours.
Availability of food in the park. There are two seasons in the park which are the rainy season and the dry season. During the rainy season, there is plenty of food in the park and this means that mountain gorillas don’t move so far looking for what to eat, and in the end trekking takes a few hours. During the dry season, there is a scarcity of food in the park and mountain gorillas move all corners looking for what to eat and get satisfied meaning that trekkers are likely to move for any hours searching for them.
Above are the factors that determine how long mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park takes. Tourists should be ready to search for mountain gorillas for 2 to 7 hours once they visit Mgahinga national park and the time take taken is never determined by the ranger guide but rather the location of the gorilla family as well as the speed of trekkers.
How is gorilla trekking carried out in Mgahinga national park?
Mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park starts very early in the morning at 7:30 am. Trekkers heading for trekking that day must be at Ntebeko Visitors Centre to listen to what the head rangers have to teach. They must attend the briefing where trekkers are taught about the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity.
In Mgahinga national park, a maximum of 8 people does do gorilla trekking and they are led by ranger guides who have firearms. They lead them into the thick vegetation cover of Mgahinga national park and start looking for where the mountain gorillas could be. The search goes from 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on the location of the family as well as the speed of the trekkers. During the search, trekkers are able to meet different wildlife species that live within the park as well as vegetation cover.
When the trekkers meet the mountain gorilla family which is Nyakagezi, they are given 1 hour to be around the gorillas and this enables them to take photos, record videos, learn about their habits, watch them do daily activities like nesting, eating, breastfeeding, grooming, and coupling among others. Later, rangers use the shortest trails to move out of the jungle and move back to Ntebeko Visitors Center where they pick their gorilla trekking certificates.
Best time for gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park
Mgahinga national park is open for gorilla trekking all throughout the year however certain months give out experience better than others. The dry season months happening from June to September and December to February are the best to have gorilla trekking in Mgahinga because they are characterized by little or no rainfall. The trails are dry and easier to navigate, vegetation is short with nice views of animals, and roads leading to the park are in good condition.
Tourists can still visit Mgahinga national park in the rainy season from March to May and October to November favoring travelers that love discounted things since lodges and tour operators reduce prices to attract the few visiting the country. The rainy season has plenty of rainfall which makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, roads leading to the park are very slippery and the vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife.
