The Christmas season is one of the world’s best celebrated days among Christians and most people decide to go for holiday safaris outside their homes. Gorilla trekking on Christmas is one of the best memorable experiences and can probably be the best Christmas you have ever had.
Christmas day is on the 25th of December every year and this month is one of the busy months in gorilla trekking countries because during this time the jungle is not so thick and the trekking trails are no slippery and muddy as it’s the short dry season of December to February.
Gorilla trekking on Christmas is quite unique because you have probably been spending all your Christmas holidays at home or on a vacation somewhere in the world but none beats a gorilla trekking experience during Christmas season.
To make your safari even more interesting, you can add chimpanzee trekking to your trip, chimpanzees are also human close relatives and belong to the family of apes sharing about 98% DNA with humans, chimpanzee trekking can be done in Uganda or Rwanda.
The challenge of trekking mountain gorillas on Christmas is the scarcity of permits especially in Uganda as they are less cheap than Rwanda. Most holiday makers decide to travel during this season making gorilla permits to be on high demand so when planning to trek mountain gorillas on Christmas you must book permits in advance of 3-6 months in advance before travelling to the country.
Gorilla habituation can also spice up your Christmas gorilla trekking experience in the wilderness; habituation can only be done at Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in Uganda. Gorilla habituation gives you an opportunity to spend more time with mountain gorillas unlike gorilla trekking. Habituation involves joining researchers and rangers in their daily work of making gorillas get used to human presence.
Before embarking on a gorilla safari on Christmas you have to make sure you’re physically fit because mountain gorillas live on higher elevations that will need hiking on rainforests. You need to pack water proof hiking boots, rain jackets, garden gloves, insect repellents, plenty of drinking water, energy snacks and so much more.
Gorilla permits
Mountain gorilla trekking permits cost $1500 in Rwanda, $600 in Uganda, $400 in Congo during peak season and $200 in the low season. A group of only eight people are allowed to visit each gorilla family in a day and an hour of observation and taking photos is given to tourists once they find the gorilla family their trekking. Children under the age of 15years and adults with infections like flu will not be allowed to trek mountain gorillas.
