GORILLA TRACKING

Uganda “The Pearl of Africa” is efficiently endowed with a variety of habitats plus corresponding Flora and Fauna with a diversity of attractions to act as a focus for tourism activities making it the number one tourism destination in the whole of East Africa.

Almost half of the population of the rare Mountain Gorillas also referred to as “Man’s shy cousins” are found in Uganda. Gorilla trekking is the number one Tourism activity in Uganda and a must do for every visitor to Uganda whether for the first time or not. In Uganda, the activity is done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in South-Western Uganda.

The endangered Mountain gorilla also known as Man’s shy cousin is retiring rather than vicious and treacherous. It is not difficult unless harassed but will valiantly defend its family group if in danger.

The gorilla is the next closest living relative to humans after the bonobo and chimpanzee. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 95–99% depending on what is counted. Most of the body of a gorilla is covered with brownish hair (except their fingers, palms, face, armpits, and bottoms of their feet).

Gorillas have a very large head with a bulging forehead, a crest on top (it is called the sagittal crest, and is larger on male gorillas), tiny ears, and small, dark-brown eyes. They have no tail. Adult gorillas have 32 teeth, with large molars (flat teeth used for chewing food) and large canines (pointy teeth used for biting), which are especially large in the male gorillas.

Just like humans have unique fingerprints, Gorillas each have a unique nose print.

The apes have senses very similar to humans, including hearing, sight (they seem to be slightly nearsighted and to have color vision), smell, taste, and touch.

A Gorilla’s hands are very much like those of humans; they have five fingers, including an opposable thumb. Their feet have five toes, including an opposable big toe. Gorillas can grasp things with both their hands and their feet.

Hardly any animals have ignited the mind of man as much as the gorilla, the largest of the living primates.

The mountain gorilla inhabits the Albertine Rift Montane cloud forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, ranging in altitude from 2,200–4,300 meters (7,200–14,100 ft). Lowland gorillas live in dense forests and lowland swamps and marshes as low as sea level, with western lowland gorillas living in Central West African countries and eastern lowland gorillas living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near its border with Rwanda. Most gorillas live in inaccessible regions in various dense forests in tropical Africa, and only in the last 30 years have scientists learned details of their life in the wild.

Several volcanoes known as the Virungas run through the western section of the East African Rift Valley, forming part of the border between Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. These magnificent mountains and the nearby Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda are the last haven for the endangered Mountain gorillas.

Important:

· Not often are gorillas hostile to humans. However in an encounter a person is supposed to stay still and stop staring or pointing at the gorilla.

· Gorillas are susceptible to a variety of parasites and diseases, especially to pneumonia during the long, cold wet seasons.

Scientific Name: Gorilla Beringei

Size: Up to 6 feet tall

Weight: 300 to 425 pounds

Lifespan: 35–40 years and 50 when in captivity.

Habitat: Montane forests and swamps.

Diet: Herbivorous

Gestation: 8.5 months

Predators: Leopards, crocodiles, humans

So, why resist the call of the wild? Step into the untamed beauty of East Africa's rainforest jungles and embrace the enchantment that lies within. Allow the spirit of adventure to guide you as you trek through the dense mountain forests, where encounters with the mystical mountain gorillas await. Let your senses awaken, your spirit soar, and your soul be forever transformed by the magic of this remarkable experience. The untamed is calling—are you ready to answer?