How to dress for gorilla trekking in Bwindi
How to dress for gorilla trekking in Bwindi: Gorilla trekking is the most done activity done in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in the southwestern part of Uganda. The national park is home to the highest population of mountain gorillas living in Rushaga sector, Ruhija sector, Buhoma sector, and Nkuringo sector. Mountain gorilla trekking in all the park sectors starts with waking up early in the morning for breakfast and heading to the headquarters where briefing and grouping are done. The trekking is led by armed ranger guides who know the best routes to use and also protect you from dangerous wild animals. The search for mountain gorillas usually takes 2-7 hours and when the apes are found, the armed ranger guides do give trekkers one hour to be around these apes.
How to dress for gorilla trekking in Bwindi
Mountain gorilla trekking activity starts in your home country where you need to buy all the necessary items in order to have a successful activity. When leaving for the safari, you need to make sure that you at least have most of them and others can even be bought here in Uganda such as energy-giving snacks. Gorilla trekking activity takes you through thick vegetation cover with slippery and muddy trails, especially in the times of rainfall. Travelers must therefore dress up properly in order to trek and leave the jungle the way they went. Below are some of the things you need to wear in order to have a successful gorilla trekking activity in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.
Put on waterproof hiking shoes
What to wear for gorilla trekking in Bwindi?
Long-sleeved shirts and pants to protect you from tree branches, nettles bitted, thorns, and scratches from bush and trees.
Waterproof hiking shoes and their use is to help you overcome the slippery trails and muddy in case it rains. They will also help your feet to stay dry throughout the whole gorilla trekking experience
Gardening gloves and their used to protect you from scratches from tree branches, nettles bites and they also protect your hands when holding tree branches for support
A hat and this is to protect you from direct sunshine or rainfall in case it rains during the day
Sunglasses ad these protect you from direct sunshine
A rain jacket and its role is to protect you from direct rainfall and keep you warm if it rains
A warm sweater because Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is usually cold in the morning hours and evening hours and therefore it will keep you warm all the time.
Insect repellents and their role is to protect you from mosquito bites, flies, and other insect bites
Other things to pack for gorilla trekking include a pair of binoculars, a camera, a light backpack, drinking water bottle, and energy-giving snacks among others.
Gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park starts early in the morning at the sector headquarters of Rushaga, Nkuringo, Ruhija, and Buhoma. Travelers that are going to be part of the gorilla trekking that day must gather here for a briefing from the park wardens who do teach about the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity and the group trekkers not exceeding 8 people.
Each group of trekkers is led by armed ranger guides who lead them in the jungle using the shortest trails as well as protecting them from dangerous wild animals. The search for mountain gorillas can take 2-7 hours and these depend on the speed of trekkers as well as the location of the mountain gorilla family. During the search, trekkers are able to meet different park mammals, primates, birds, and plants. The moment the mountain gorillas are located, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around the members, watch them do daily activities, take photos, and learn about the gorilla habits.
Best time for gorilla trekking
Gorilla trekking can be done at any time of the year however there are months that are better than the rest. The dry months that occur from June to September and December to February are the best to trek gorillas in Bwindi because they are characterized by little or no rainfall that leaves the trekking trails dry, the vegetation is short and thin with good views of the mountain gorillas and the roads leading to the park are in good condition.
Travelers especially the budget ones can trek gorillas in Bwindi during the rainy season of March to May and October to November to enjoy the huge discounts on accommodation facilities. Travelers should note that during the rainy season, the trekking trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall with unclear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park are in poor conditions.
