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The world has less than one thousand mountain gorillas. These endangered species of big apes can only be found naturally in the volcano ranges that is shared between 3 countries which are: • Uganda • Rwanda • Democratic Republic of Congo Of the 3 countries, Uganda boasts of the largest number of this great apes and thus an ideal option for value and almost guaranteed Mountain gorilla sighting. There are two places that you can see the mountain gorillas in Uganda and these are the mist-capped Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park both located in the South Western part of Uganda. Before settling on a Uganda Gorilla safari, there are facts you need to know to guide you in making you enjoy a successful Africa safari in Uganda: 1. Weather Uganda lies on the Equator and you expect the climatic conditions to be hot and humid. While this might be true in some parts of the country, Bwindi and Mgahinga Parks being Equatorial rain forest the whether can be rainy most part of the year. However, between end March to May the long rainy season is on and trekking the great apes might be more of a challenge while the short rainy season of end october to mid December also might be just a little bit challenging. The rest of the year is ok for trekking though and some chilly evenings. 2. What to Carry When planning for Uganda gorilla safari, you will need: i. comfortable hiking boots with ankle support as you might have to trek for between two to eight hours in search of the largest primates. This is good for both grip on the soggy ground and to protectyou from safari ants. ii. A dry pack for your camera and camera gear to protect them from water. iii. Water proof pants a pair of gloves and rain coat. The dew on the leaves will be dripping on you as you clear your path in as you try to reach the apes. This will protect you from this. iv. Do not forget your binoculars, you might just see a gorilla nest up a tree and want to scrutinize it well or a bird up the tree that will need a closer look for the purpose of identification. 3. Security and General Safety Tip: Uganda has been fee from U.S. State Department travel warnings for quite some time. Most places you are booked in are safe. However, personal saftely depends on you. Do not venture out at night in unknown areas and it is important to ask your driver guide where to go if you want a night out or looking for local cuisine to sort your hunger 4. Medical Requirement Yellow fever is mandatory before you enter Uganda. You will also be recommended to have innoculation against hepatitis A, typhoid, meningitis, rabies. Some Malarial drugs dosage can also take you along but remember this is with the advice of your physician. 5. Visa This will be required upon entry. You can get the visa early at the Uganda Embassy or high commission near you. You can also get this on arrival at the Entebbe International Airport or the border point if you are if you are on road transfer. 6. Gorilla Permit You cannot enjoy a gorilla safari in Uganda without a trekking permit. There are less than 100 permits issued for daily for this purpose. It is therefore necessary to plan and secure this early in advance, probably six months earlier. Your African safari tour operator can help you in with this including planning the whole safari. Having secured your Uganda safari to trek the mountain gorillas with a good safari company, yours is to wait for the safari day to go have a ‘one on one’ with the Mountai Gorillas!!!
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