The possibility of trekking a gorilla family alone is one of the major concerns for travelers who wish to visit the endangered primates in their natural habitats. Over time, some travelers coming for gorilla tours in Africa ask how possible can one trek a gorilla family alone. Is it possible really? Yes, with proper planning, you can possibly be allowed to trek a gorilla family alone. Whereas each gorilla family is assigned to a group of eight people per day, you can be allowed to visit the whole family alone if you request for it. Gorilla trekking has over the years been ranked as the best wildlife experience in the world. The experience is a focus for most travelers to Africa visiting Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The endangered primates are only seen in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and the Virunga Conservation Ares shared by Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda), Mgahinga Gorilla National park (Uganda) and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
How to trek a gorilla family alone
You will have to pay for eight gorilla permits to cover up for the other seven that would have been paid for by other 7 travelers. Each day, eight people visit a gorilla family. This indicates that eight gorilla permits are available for any one-gorilla group in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Therefore for one to visit this gorilla family alone, he/she MUST pay for all the eight permits. In Uganda, a single gorilla permit costs $700 for foreign non residents, $600 for foreign residents and UGX 250,000 for East African citizen from Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, South Sudan, Kenya and Tanzania. In Rwanda, each gorilla permit costs $1500 for all travelers while in Congo each permit costs $ 450 for foreign non residents and $400 for East African citizens. A foreign non-resident seeking to trek a gorilla family alone in Uganda will therefore pay $5600 while in Rwanda he/she pays $12,000 for this private gorilla trekking experience.
The goodness of private trekking
Private gorilla trekking is undeniably good and enjoyable. Here you have a close encounter with the endangered mountain gorillas with no any disruption from other travelers. More so, private gorilla trekking gives you enough room to take beautiful pictures and capture live videos of gorillas in their family. However whereas it’s a private tour, you cannot hike into the jungle alone. The management of respective gorilla national parks assigns you two armed rangers to escort you through the jungle. These rangers have guns not to shoot at wild animals but to scare them away in case of any wild behavior.
How long do spend with gorillas on a private trekking tour?
Whether you do a private trekking or trek along other travelers, the allowed time with these endangered mountain gorillas is STRICTLY an hour counted from the time you meet them. However, you can spend more than 7 hours roaming in the jungle before reaching where the allocated gorilla family is. The time to spend searching depends on the location of gorillas and your hiking speed.
What are the other frequently asked questions about gorilla trekking
Besides the possibility of private gorilla trekking, travelers ask several other questions about gorilla trekking experience. These include what is the best time to visit gorillas, what is the age limit for gorilla trekking, what to pack when visiting gorillas, what are the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking, where is the best place to see gorillas and what to do when a gorilla charges among others. Travel consultants at Gorilla Trek Africa have right answers for all these questions.
How to book a private gorilla trekking tour?
You can book for a private gorilla trekking tour directly with the respective government bodies ie Uganda Wildlife Authority in Uganda and Rwanda Development Board in Rwanda. On the other hand, you can book through any trusted travel agent after an extensive research about their services. Gorilla Trek Africa is the leading gorilla safari company in Rwanda and Uganda ranked number one by Trip Advisor.
