Uganda Safaris

A gorilla is the bulkiest member of the primate family; an adult gorilla may grow up to 1.8m high (although they seldom stand fully upright). There are three species of gorillas recognized world wide. The most common race, the western lowland gorillas (G. g. gorilla) is not present in Uganda but an estimated 40000 live in the rainforests of west and central Africa. The endangered eastern lowland gorilla (G. g. graueri) is restricted to patches of forests in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The most threatened specie is the mountain gorilla (G. g. beringei). Their total number is estimated to be only 700. Half of these mountain gorillas lie in Uganda. The mountain gorillas have become Uganda’s most major attraction and a truly Ugandan safari cannot be complete without tracking the mountain gorilla from Bwindi or Mgahinga National park!. Looking into the dark brown eyes of these mammals is quite the most memorable adventure activity that Uganda other than any other destination in the world can offer.

Mountain gorillas are characterized with a number of different features. These include;

• They generally have longer hair than the other subspecies
• Their arms are longer than their legs. Whenever they are walking, they quadrupely knuckle walk, while supporting their weight on the third and fourth digits of their curled hands.
• Like humans and other primates, each individual gorilla has distinctive fingerprints.
• Looking at their size the male mountain gorillas are bigger than their female counterparts. Adult males have silvery white fur at their backs that inspired the name silverback.
• It is this silverback which heads the family.
• Standing on two legs, an adult mountain gorilla stands about five and a half feet, weighing between 300 and 400 pounds. Females on average weigh only 200 pounds.

Habitats for Mountain Gorillas
Mountain gorillas live in tropical moist forests. In Uganda they are found in the Afro-montane forests of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. They can also be found in Parc des Volcans of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo with in the Virunga volcanoes.

Food and Diet
Mountain gorillas are mainly herbivorous animals. They feed on leaves, stems of herbs, shrubs and vines. They also feed on rotten wood and small animals. At times they raid farms. Male gorillas can eat up to 32 Kilogrammes of food per day while their female counterparts eat two thirds of that.

UGANDA GORILLA SAFARIS

Gorilla-Wildlife Safari - 4 days visit Lake Mburo National park and Bwindi Impenetrable National park for game viewing, nature walks, forest walks, gorilla tracking.

Gorilla Tracking Safari -3 Days Safari to Bwindi Impenetrable National park. Safari activities include gorilla tracking, guided nature walks, forest walks, loacl community visits.

Gorilla Birding Safari - 10 days Safari takes you to Entebbe environments, Mabamba swamp, Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi Impenetrable and Lake Bunyonyi. Safari activities include gorilla tracking, game viewing, forest walks, bird watching, boat rides, among others

Luxury Gorilla Safari - 5 days Gorilla Safari to Lake Mburo National park and Bwindi Impenetrable National park for game viewing, gorilla tracking, forest walks, guided nature walks.

Ugandan Gorilla Wildlife Safari - 7 Days Safari to Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Safari activities include chimpanzee tracking, game viewing, bird watching, gorilla tracking, forest walks among others.

Special Gorilla Tour offers (Inquire about the availability of the following trips)

The following mountain gorilla tracking programmes run with the availability of mountain gorillas in Mgahinga National Park. Given that the mountain gorillas are at times mobile these special offers arise with the availalability of gorilla tracking permits for Mgahinga Forest.

5 Days Gorilla tour - 5 Days Mountain Gorillas in Mgahinga and Lake Mburo)

7 Days Gorilla Trek - 7 Days gorilla trip in Mgahinga including Queen Elizabeth and Kibale Forest)

7 Days Uganda and Rwanda - Mountain Gorilla trekking in Parc des Volcans and Mgahinga National Park