Mountain gorillas are a species of eastern gorillas inhabiting the tropical and tropical rainforests in Africa, they live in social groups dominated by silverbacks and have long thick fur that helps them to adapt to their environment. There are only about 1004 mountain gorillas left in the wilderness with half population being in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and the rest of the population found in the Virunga massif volcanoes shared across Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
What to do after gorilla trek
Gorilla trekking is one of the most fascinating wildlife experiences you can encounter in Africa, though the encounter is one of the most thrilling life experiences you will have it comes at a cost because mountain gorillas inhabit the tropical and sub tropical rainforests that will require hiking therefore, physical fitness is a need for anyone planning to trek gorillas.
Gorilla trekking normally starts early morning after briefing, verification of permits and age before starting the gorilla trekking journey. Gorillas trekking can take from 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on the location of a gorilla family, some tourists have been lucky to find their allocated family as soon as they started trekking while others take hours hiking to find their allocated gorilla family.
After hectic gorilla trekking in Ruhijja or Buhoma sector of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in Uganda, tourists can travel to the impressive lake Bunyonyi also known as lake of little birds for relaxation and perhaps engage in other activities within the Lake like swimming, sun bathing, boat rides, bird watching or visit the famous prison island where they used to abandon unmarried pregnant girls long time ago.
The majestic Lake Mutanda is the perfect place to visit after gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park or Rushagga and Nkuringo sector of Bwindi national park. Lake Mutanda offers spectacular views of the Virunga volcanic ranges; you can also visit the lakes islands on a local canoe boat.
Cultural encounters is one of the activities you should combine with gorilla trekking while in Africa, you can visit the local Batwa people also known as pygmies or the forest people. The Batwa used to live in gorilla national park together with gorillas for over 500,000 years before they were evicted when the parks were established, they used to survive and depend in the forest for food, shelter and medicine. A Batwa guide will take you through how they used to live in the forest and you can as well visit their homesteads and be entertained with local traditional dances.
Those trekking mountain gorillas at Volcanoes national park or Mgahinga national park can chill from Lake Kivu which just a few kilometres from Ugandan border, you can adventure the lakes islands, explore coffee plantations or even swim as the lake is hippo, crocodile and Bilharzias free. One of another interesting activities you can engage in after gorilla trekking in all gorilla parks is mountain biking, the terrain within this parks is the perfect place for biking with stunning views of the Virunga range volcanoes, crater lakes, plantations, African traditional homesteads and so much more.
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