Distinguished by several adaptations to its high altitude home such as a longer and more luxuriant coat, the most celebrated resident of the Virunga Mountains is the Mountain gorilla.Approximately 300 mountain gorillas live in the Ugandan mountains with their total range of some 420 sq km actually spread across Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC. Whilst most Ugandan mountain gorillas live in small groups of 5 to 15 animals there are two or three large groups of between 30 and 40 individuals. Oscar van Beringe shot two gorillas in the Virunga Mountains in 1902, before which the mountain gorilla was unknown to science.
One of Africa’s indisputable travel highlights (and a peerless wildlife experience) is a mountain gorilla safari or gorilla adventure in the Virungas. It is difficult to describe the simple exhilaration when first setting eyes on a wild mountain gorilla. These are enormous animals: the silverbacks weigh about three times as much as the average man and their bulk is exaggerated by a shaggily luxuriant coat. Yet, gorillas are remarkably peaceful creatures, certainly by comparison with most primates and despite their fearsome size and appearance. Gorilla tracking would be a considerably more dangerous pursuit if these gentle giants had the temperament of vervet monkeys, baboons or, for that matter, humans.
Differing greatly from any other wild animal, the gorilla’s unfathomable attitude to their daily human visitors is almost more impressive than their size and bearing. Although it might sound anthropomorphic, almost everybody who visits the gorillas experiences an almost mystical sense of recognition: one of the gorillas regularly broke off from chomping on bamboo to study us on our last visit, his soft brown eyes seeking out some sort of connection and staring deeply into ours.
Often approaching them and occasionally touching one of the guides in apparent greeting as they walk past, the extent to which the gorillas try to interact with their visitors is equally fascinating. gorilla trekking in Uganda A photographic tripod raised considerable curiosity with several of the youngsters and a couple of the adults – one large female walked up to the tripod, stared ponderously into the lens then wandered back evidently satisfied. The gorillas seem to recognise their daily visitors, perhaps as a passive, non-threatening, troop of fellow mates. Often a youngster would put on a chest-beating display as it walked past us, safe in the knowledge that we’d accept its dominance, something it would never do to an adult gorilla. It should be said here that the guides try to keep the tourists at least five meters away from the gorillas as close contact with humans can expose gorillas to fatal diseases – however the reality is that there is little to be done to stop the gorillas flouting rules of which they are of course unaware.
Just one magical hour with the animals is allowed by the authorities when gorilla trekking. Far from a cheap exercise, one should be under no illusions about this and the fact that getting there can be hard work. gorilla safari The mountain gorilla’s preferred habitat of bamboo forest involves a sometimes gruelling hike with a combination of steep slopes, dense vegetation, slippery underfoot conditions, especially after rain, and high altitude. tailor made safari holidays In over 20 years of African travel we have yet to meet anybody who has gone gorilla trekking in Uganda and regretted the financial expense or physical exertion, especially bearing in mind that the gorilla groups which are located closest can be accessed by reasonably fit adults of any age when gorilla trekking in Uganda.
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