Hiking With Gorillas In Uganda
Just imagine for a moment you are standing right next to a 400-pound silverback mountain gorilla in its natural habitat. Imagine the intensity, the grandeur, and the impact something like this would have on the rest of your life! This is what it is like spending time with Uganda Gorillas.
When I first went to Africa, I was told by almost every travel company and travel insider that ” Nobody goes to Africa once because Africa changes you.” Those are some big words but when you visit a country that is home to some of the most iconic and majestic animals on the planet, maybe there is some truth to that.
Where and how can you see Gorillas?
When it was time to plan my very first trip to Africa, I have to admit I was overwhelmed. There is so much to see and do in Africa it can be hard to find a starting point. One thing I did know is I was hell-bent on hiking with the Uganda Gorillas. I had seen a few internet photos over the years of travelers standing right next to these mammoth-sized animals and I knew I had to move it up on the bucket list. Plus, I love seeing animals in their natural habitat, especially endangered ones, so this had to be done.
There are 3 regions in Africa known for Mountain Gorilla sightings. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Uganda. Most of the Mountain Gorillas are concentrated in the same region of Africa, The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The park extends through Uganda into the Sarambwe Forest of the DR Congo, and the Virunga Volcanoes conservation area. I ultimately settled on Uganda and I did so for a few reasons. The logistics of my travel made it easier for me to get there, the Uganda tours offered at the time had more options, services, and amenities, and the Gorilla permit cost was half of what Rwanda and the DRC were charging at the time.
Using a tour company is the way to go here. By the time you price out the permits by yourself and pay for your own transportation and lodging, you are over the price of what most Gorilla tour companies charge. It is also a fair distance from the Entebbe airport in Uganda to the Bwindi National Forrest. Depending on the route, it can be between 300 and 400 miles and consume over 8 hours of driving time straight through. Plane flights are available for those with time constraints and deeper pockets however, going by vehicle is a true adventure that will get you up close and personal with Africa and its culture. Ultimately I chose a tour with Prime Safaris
Most of the tour companies will break up that driving distance by adding some nice side trips along the way allowing you a non-rushed intimate view of Africa. Our tour guide drove us through many Ugandan villages, fed us authentic African food ( this food was fantastic and it was part of the tour package) took us on tours of animal sanctuaries, boat rides, and a host of other activities which I will tell you about later.
This is how the tour went.
Our tour driver was ready and waiting for us as soon as we landed at the Entebbe airport in Uganda. He grabbed our bags right away walked us out to his custom-built Toyota Land Cruiser, loaded up our luggage, and started the tour right away. He showed us a few sights around Entebbe and gave us a history lesson on every small town and village we drove through. I am sure they do this to prevent uncomfortable silence, but it never hurts to learn something either.
About 2 hours into the drive we made our first stop of the day at the Equator landmark in Kayabwe. It’s a nice place to stop with a few restaurants, coffee shops, and souvenir shops. I had already drunk about 3 cups of coffee that day but I had to go for a fourth. No way am I passing up the chance for authentic Ugandan coffee, even if I end up having a mini-stroke.
Picture: Lattitude 0. The division between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. There are a few scientific displays in this area showing you the difference in the earth’s magnetic pull when crossing from North to South or vice versa. It is quite bizarre.
When we left the Equator, we drove another hour and stopped for lunch in the town of Masaka. You will hear me rant several times in this post about how delicious African food is. My theory on this is because most people in this region of the world do not own things like refrigerators, ice boxes, or saran wrap. This keeps them from stockpiling foods for months on end. Therefore, just about everything you eat here came straight from the farm that day.
After that, we drove to the Bushenyi District to explore the many tea farms. Call me naive but I had no idea Africa produced so much tea. I know eastern Africa is legendary when it comes to coffee, but tea is a serious business here as well. The mountainsides are packed with miles and miles of tea plants.
Tea lots and lots of tea
Our next stop of the day was the Kalinzu Central Forrest reserve. Here we went on a nice guided hiking tour through the jungle where we would view Chimpanzees. The Kalinzu Central Forest is a protected area that is home to six different species of Primates, Blue Monkeys, Vervet Monkeys, Black and White Colobus Monkeys, and Chimpanzees.
It didn’t take long on this hike to spot monkeys. These chimps seemed to love the site of people and were happy to entertain you with their vocal cords and gestures.
Just a happy Chimp living in a protected area enjoying the warm Uganda air
After the Chimpanzee tour, we stopped at a few more villages and made our way to our room for the next two days at The Engazi Game Lodge overlooking Queen Elizabeth National Park. As soon as we got to the Engazi Game Lodge we were meet with hot towels, beverages, and snacks. Then we were asked, ” what do you want to eat and when”. I had no idea but most of these places have no menus or ” kitchen hours”, you simply tell them what you want to eat, (within reason) when you want to eat it, and they will make it for you. If you want more food, they will make you more food. It is like living at home with your parents.
The grounds at the Engazi Game Lodge are top-notch as well. Every guest has their own tiki hut style room that is the size of most studio apartments in a major city with unobstructed views of Queen Elizabeth Park.
The Engazi Game Lodge Amazing rooms with a stellar view of Queen Elizabeth park
We were staying for two nights at the Engazi Game Lodge. Our schedule for the first day at Engazi was a morning, afternoon and evening game drive. You basically get up in the morning, have breakfast and drive through the park looking at majestic animals, then return to the lodge for lunch, head back out to see more animals, return to the lodge for a snack, head back out to see more animals, return to the lodge for dinner. It’s a hard knock life, right?
The highlight of the first day was seeing the famous tree lions of Queen Elizabeth Park in the Ishasha region. This is one of the only places on earth where the lions will climb up and hang out in trees like leopards. You will not see this behavior with lions in South Africa or other regions. There are many myths as to why the lions of this region hang out in trees, but nobody is quite sure why they do it. I will say it is quite a spectacle seeing an animal of this size in a tree.
Picture of the Queen Elizabeth tree lions. Check out the fellow on the left. He has a chunk of skin missing from his chest that appears to be blistering from climbing the trees
The next day our schedule was much of the same but on this day we would be taking a river cruise down Lake George. It was a nice change-up to see the elephants, hippos, crocodiles and many more animals along the river banks. It was so picturesque and so surreal looking I felt like I was on a movie set. After that, we ate more food. You will not go hungry in this region of Africa.
The next day we would be making our way to the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where the Mountain Gorillas are located. On the way to Bwindi, we stopped at a few more Ugandan towns and villages, ate some more amazing food, and met some incredible people.
Our accommodations at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park would be at the Gorilla Mist Camp. Once we arrived at the lodge, much like the Engazi Camp, it was a no menu, eat when you want, what you want, first-class kind of place. The Gorilla Mist Camp sits roughly at 7000 ft elevation in the Bwindi rainforest overlooking the Virunga National Park and DR of the Congo. The contrast of scenery between the lowlands of Uganda and the high elevation rainforest is unbelievable. It’s as if you stepped into a land that time forgot and you are on a special mission for Nat Geo.
Having some evening coffee overlooking Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The mist-covered mountains and the air have a smell more comforting than any spring morning you have experienced
You know you are going to see gorillas when there is a massive statue of one as you enter the hotel’s grounds. Reminds you of something you might see at a roadside diner in America.
The next morning was the moment of truth, it was time for us to trek for Uganda Gorillas. When you arrive at the Gorilla encounter you are split up into small groups and assigned a guide who will lead you through the forest. Each group is then assigned a Gorilla family that’s located in a specific section of the park. Mountain Gorillas are social animals that live and travel in packs of friends and family, kind of like we do, and each family of gorillas inhabits its own “turf” or a section of the jungle where they spend the majority of their time taking care of their pack, you know, kind of like we do. This is done for a few reasons. One, it keeps the groups small which is better for the tourist giving them a more intimate experience with the Gorillas and two, the lower number of people keeps the stress level down for the Gorillas.
Our assigned family was the Bitukura family. Your guide, as seen below will give you a brief history about your chosen family, give you a few safety precautions and rules, and off you go into the jungle
The trekking distances to see the Uganda Gorillas are very short and the terrain is very manageable for practically any fitness level. One thing to mention is if you or someone you are traveling with has walking issues and are unable to trek or hike at all there is no need to worry. They have a specially designed chair where a host of men will carry you up the mountain like you are Cleopatra!
After trekking for less than a half-mile we already reached our family, and what a moment this was.
Video of just how up close and personal you get with these mountain gorillas
You will spend a little over an hour with the Uganda Gorillas watching them eat, play, wrestle, argue, and a bunch of other gorilla things. You will get unbelievably close to these animals and you will have amazing photos to show everyone you know. No place in the world can get you this close to a massive 400-pound Mountain Gorilla. It is both intense and awe-inspiring. We were told that from time to time Gorillas have approached tourists and manicured them as they do their own like they are accepting you into the family. You can’t help but notice how their behavior and gestures mimic that of us humans. They are so damn cute let me tell you.
After you return from the tour your guides will spend a moment talking with the group about the threats that face the Uganda Gorillas and their habitat. Through years of civil unrest, war, hunting, habitat destruction and disease the Uganda Gorillas are on the critically endangered list. It’s so hard to fathom why anyone would want to harm such an animal and it’s even harder knowing that it is our species who is responsible for their dwindling population. However, it is also our species that can change the fate of the Mountain Gorillas.
The people of this region depend heavily on the tourism dollars generated from the Uganda Gorillas. Therefore, the Gorillas are always heavily protected and guarded. There is a specific group of armed rangers that patrol the area 24 hours a day 7 days a week protecting these gorillas and many of these rangers have perished fighting for these animals and defending their habitat. Through the park’s conservation efforts and through the help of tourism the Mountain Gorilla population has increased by 40% over the last decade.
Much has changed in this area of the world over the last several years. It is safer, cleaner, and friendlier than ever before. The people of this region are hospitable and want to make your visit to their country a pleasurable one. There are certain experiences in life that will take your breath away, experiences that words will not be able to explain, experiences that will change you forever, and this is one of them.
As it was told to me from the start ” Nobody goes to Africa once because Africa changes you.” No truer words have never been spoken. Africa will change you and change you for the better. Every dollar you spend and every hour you plan for this trip you will be handsomely rewarded for it. Do not let something like this pass you by.
BONUS: Additional Resources
What to pack on your day hike: My complete checklist and recommendations on what to take on your hike
Gear: A list of my favorite hiking and backpacking gear.
