What Does a Day of Gorilla Trekking in Uganda Actually Look Like?

How do you know when you are getting close?

There may not be a dramatic announcement when the gorillas are nearby. Instead, you may notice the behavior of the tracking team changing as they become more attentive, communication becomes quieter and the group begins moving with greater purpose.

Then perhaps you hear something, vegetation moves and you look through the leaves, only to discover that the animal you travelled across the world to see is suddenly there.

A silverback may be resting nearby, a mother may be caring for her infant or a young gorilla may be moving through the vegetation with remarkable curiosity.

The interesting thing is that the gorilla may not appear particularly impressed by your arrival; it may continue feeding, rest, groom another member of the family or simply look in your direction before returning to whatever it was doing. That is what makes the encounter feel authentic. The gorillas are not performing for visitors; visitors are observing the gorillas.

Trekkers encounter a mountain gorilla in its natural forest habitat.

Why can one hour feel so short?

Once the gorilla family is located, visitors have a limited period in which to observe them under the rules governing gorilla trekking. You might think an hour is plenty, but when you are standing in front of the family, the time can suddenly feel very different.

At first, you may focus on the silverback because of its enormous size and strength, but after a few minutes your attention can shift towards the smaller details: a young gorilla playing, an adult feeding quietly or members of the group interacting with one another.

You begin noticing behavior rather than simply looking at animals, and that is often when the encounter becomes most memorable. Your guide also helps you understand what you are seeing while ensuring that visitors maintain appropriate behavior around the family. Keeping the animals comfortable is more important than getting the perfect photograph.

What happens when the gorillas are left behind?

Eventually, the viewing period ends and the group begins moving away. This can be one of the strangest moments of the day because reaching the gorillas was the objective you had been thinking about since breakfast, yet now you are deliberately walking away from them.

But that is exactly how responsible wildlife tourism should work. The gorillas need to continue feeding, resting and interacting without prolonged human disturbance, while visitors leave the forest knowing they have been privileged to observe part of the animals’ natural lives.

The return journey can also feel different because you may be tired, your boots may be muddy and the steep sections may suddenly seem more noticeable than they did earlier.

Even so, there is usually a strong feeling that the effort was worthwhile because you have experienced something that cannot simply be recreated elsewhere.

What does the rest of the day look like?

Once you return to your lodge, the pace becomes much slower. You may have lunch, take a shower, rest and look through the photographs you captured, while this is also the time when travelers often begin discussing the moments they remember most.

Interestingly, it may not be the photograph of the biggest gorilla that stays with you. It could be the youngster that suddenly appeared from the vegetation, the quietness of the forest or the moment when you first realized the gorillas were only a few meters away.

Depending on your safari itinerary, you may spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing or taking part in another activity around Bwindi. The important thing is that you have time to slow down and appreciate what you have just experienced.