![\"Gorilla](\"https:\/\/www.tucan.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/971193_10152834464460328_886677662_n.gif\" "\\"Gorilla")
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I decided in this post I would discuss one of the increasingly popular activities for travellers in Africa and how it affects the region. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is a remarkable experience. You are surrounded by rainforest looking at an animal with expressions so human-like you\u2019ll later swear you shared a \u2018moment\u2019 with the silverback\u2026 and there\u2019s a chance you may have.<\/p>\n
With fewer than 900 mountain gorillas left in the world and roughly half of those living in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda, ensuring the impact of your visit is a positive one is vital to gorilla survival. Mountain gorillas can only be found in parts of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda and cannot generally survive in captivity, so trekking into rainforest really is your only chance to see them. In the 1970s population numbers dropped to below 400 due to poaching and habitat destruction and it is only subsequent conservation efforts and the rising popularity of gorilla tourism that has led these majestic creatures away from extinction.<\/p>\n
Who runs Gorilla Trekking in Uganda?<\/strong><\/p>\n In Uganda, trekking to the gorillas requires a permit which is purchased through the Ugandan Wildlife Authority. This is a government agency with an edict to preserve and manage Uganda\u2019s wildlife for the Ugandan people. At US$500 per trekking permit (included on Tucan Travel tours) it is hardly an inexpensive activity, so it\u2019s important to know that gorilla trekking is also a vital conservation fund-raising tool. Gorilla tourism profits account for the majority of the UWA\u2019s overall budget which also goes into the conservation and maintenance of 10 national parks and 12 wildlife reserves in Uganda. It has made the mountain gorillas a valuable asset to both the Ugandan people and the government, bringing infrastructure and employment to the region. Since the 1970s mountain gorilla numbers have doubled, and although they are still critically endangered Uganda has a vested interest in ensuring gorilla numbers continue to rise.<\/p>\n When trekking, you are accompanied by a ranger. Rangers are very experienced, often having worked in the area for many years. There is a period of acclimatisation between the gorillas and the rangers which can result in the rangers being able to make similar sounds to the gorillas and, in a way, communicate with them to calm them when the trekkers appear.<\/p>\n UWA ranger at Kyambura Gorge<\/p>\n