The
mountain gorilla is the rarest of all the apes,
and there are only about 600 left in the mountainous
region that straddles Uganda, Rwanda and the D.R.C
in East Africa. This is the last fragile environment
in which they are able to survive; they've never
been reared successfully in captivity and there
are none in zoos. There's only one mountain gorilla
for every ten million people on earth. Only a
few have been habituated for humans to visit,
which makes tracking these elusive apes both a
privilege and an exhilarating adventure. Be prepared
to hike through some rugged country: steep hills,
thorny trees, and tangled vines. Discovering that
you are sitting only five metres from a gorilla
in the undergrowth is a spine tingling experience.
Your first glimpse
of a gorilla might be a baby up a tree, a female
quietly munching on a branch, even a silverback
pounding his chest. You can go gorilla tracking
in two of Uganda 's national parks, Mgahinga on
the Ugandan side of the Virunga Volcanoes, and
Bwindi, a nearby tract of impenetrable forest
or in the Virunga Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
Permits to view gorillas must be obtained in advance.
These allow a one hour audience with these gentle
apes. |
Please
note: a gorilla permit does not guarantee a sighting
of the gorillas, and once found you are only permitted
to spend one hour with them as overexposure to
human contact is harmful for the apes. If the
gorillas become agitated or nervous the guide
will end the visit early. Remember, no one forces
the gorillas to stay there for the allotted hour
- they can fade into the forest whenever they
want. |
