How many hours does one spend with mountain gorillas of Mgahinga?
How many hours does one spend with mountain gorillas of Mgahinga?: One of the frequently asked questions about gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park is how many hours does one spend with the primates? Gorilla trekking is a thrilling adventure activity that involves visitors visiting the thick afro-montane and bamboo vegetation of Mgahinga national park looking for mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are endangered species of primates with thicker fur compared to other great apes.
How many hours does one spend with mountain gorillas of Mgahinga?
Are you intending to visit Mgahinga national park and you would like to know how many hours one spends with the mountain gorillas? Well, the answer is a tourist stays around Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family for a maximum of 1 hour. Despite the so many hours trekkers spend looking for mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park (2 to 6 hours), trekkers are allowed to be around gorillas for only 1 hour.
Gorilla trekking is a once in a lifetime activity for most travelers in the world and tourists who get a chance to visit any national park that harbors mountain gorillas want to be around the mountain gorillas for as many hours as they can. This is not possible because the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking include one rule saying a trekker must be around a semi-habituated mountain gorilla family for 1 hour.
Are you wondering why mountain gorillas are only seen for 1 hour? Well, there are so many answers to this but what tourists need to know first is that these mountain gorillas are endangered species of primates not seen anywhere in the world but in only three countries which are Rwanda, Uganda, and DR Congo.
Mountain gorillas can’t survive in captivity that’s why tourists can only meet them in the thick vegetation covers of Mgahinga national park, Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, Virunga national park, and Volcanoes national park. Since mountain gorillas are endangered, they need a lot of care to survive in the wild, and in the end, they will not be among the distinct animals in the world.
Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park involves trekkers being around mountain gorillas for 1 hour first because it’s a rule set by Uganda Wildlife Authority which manages and controls park activities. UWA set one hour as the time to be around chimpanzees for many reasons among which include the following.
There is a need for mountain gorillas to continue with their day to day activities. Mountain gorillas sleep during the night and as soon as they wake up they start moving and doing different activities until the evening when they rest again. If trekkers are around mountain gorillas for so long, they might tamper with their daily routine. Among activities done by mountain gorillas include grooming young ones, preparing nests for the night, eating, coupling, and breastfeeding among others.
There is a need to minimize the disturbance of mountain gorillas by human beings. Mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park are fully habituated and used to human presence around them however they are still considered wild. When trekkers are around them for a long period of time, they might feel insecure and pause on what they are supposed to do for the day.
The time to be around mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park is 1 hour and it’s believed that this period helps in reducing the risk of disease transmission. Mountain gorillas have got over 98% DNA of humans which means that most of the diseases that affect people can affect them. Some of the diseases that can be spread from people to mountain gorillas include flu and cough. To go further on the disease transmission, trekkers keep a distance of 7 meters away from gorillas and the young ones never trek.
Cost of a gorilla trekking permit in Mgahinga national park
To encounter the mountain gorilla family of Mgahinga national park, every trekker needs a gorilla permit. This is a document issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority to allow tourists move into the jungle and stay around the apes for 1 hour. A single gorilla trekking permit for Mgahinga national park costs $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 citizens of East African member states.
How can tourists spend more time with mountain gorillas?
Do you want to spend more time with mountain gorillas There are two areas in Uganda where mountain gorillas can be visited and they include Mgahinga national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. For travelers that want to spend more time with the mountain gorillas, Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is the place to go. The national park is the only area where gorilla habituation does take place and tourists are able to be with mountain gorillas for 4 hours.
The most appropriate time to go gorilla trekking in Mgahinga
Tourists can visit Mgahinga national park at any time of the year however certain months are better than the est. The dry season months from June to September and December to February are the best to have gorilla trekking done in Mgahinga national park. This is because the park receives too much rainfall which makes trekking trails muddy and slippery, vegetation is short and thin with clear views of wildlife while the roads leading to the park are in good condition.
Tourists more so budget travelers can visit Mgahinga national park during the rainy season which is from March to May and October to November. The rainy season can be used for gorilla trekking if one wants discounted tour packages and lodges. Tourists should, however, note that the park receives plenty of rainfall that makes trails muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife, and roads connecting to Mgahinga are in poor condition.
