Akagera National Park; the only savannah park in this beautiful country of a thousand hills. It was among the first parks to be created in Africa. It was founded in 1934 to protect the plants and animals in three eco-regions: savanna, mountain, and swamp. A visit to Akagera National Park today not only offers a taste of wildlife, it also contributes to the sustainable protection of their habitat and the well-being of the local community.
The road to Akagera used to be unpaved and in very bad condition. Today it is much improved, offering faster and smoother access to the park. The roads and tracks inside the park have also been improved, and new ones were created to provide better accessibility to animal concentration areas and improve the experience of those visiting Akagera’s wilderness.
Chimpanzees Tracking in Rwanda,Uganda
Tracking Chimpanzees in Rwanda & Uganda is a totally different experience from that of the Mountain Gorillas; unlike the Gorillas, the Chimpanzees are constantly moving around and at high speeds, jumping from tree to tree making lots of noise. In contrast, the Gorillas are usually found sitting eating quietly in a forest clearing. One of the other huge differences between the two tracking experiences is that with the Gorillas, one is allowed one hour to observe and photograph them; with the Chimpanzees, there is no time limit. Keeping up with them is the biggest challenge and the biggest determining factor of the amount of time spent with them. Of all the primates in the Nyungwe Forest,Kibale forest National park and in Queen Elizabeth and Kyambura George or Kalinzu. Chimpanzees are one of the most popular and the core wildlife attraction in those parks.
Chimpanzee Tracking permit is only $90 per person in Rwanda and 200$ per person in Kibale.it is also advisable to book these permits well in advance, even a year ahead is not too soon.
Sustainability and Protection of the Gorillas
Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park is the most popular gorilla destination followed by Bwindi Impenetrable national park and Mgahinga and Virunga national park is picking up on gorilla tourism. While in the 1980’s, mountain gorilla’s populations were at the verge of extinction, Gorilla trekking is a sensitive activity which when not controlled and managed strictly, may negatively impact on the lives of the mountain gorillas. In a bid to regulate the activity, the governments of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda (the only countries with mountain gorillas) decided to make permits which are more expensive than any other wildlife permit in order to limit the number of visitors and create sustainability of the activity.
The gorilla permit costs $400 in Congo (DRC), $1500 in Rwanda and $600 and from the beginning of July will be 700$ in Uganda. These gorilla permits help in limiting the number of people trekking the gorillas in order to limit stress on these apes and on their habitat, that may result in their change of behavior or even death. There is only a maximum of 8 permits per gorilla group sold each day to make sure the gorillas are not overwhelmed by the human presence.
In order to conserve mountain gorillas in Africa, respective governments and wildlife organizations came up with a set of guidelines trekkers have to follow in order to remain harmonious with the gorillas.
Trekking to Find the Gorillas
The overall length of your hike to the mountain gorillas is unpredictable depending on how far the gorillas have moved to be wild animals. It may take as little as 30 minutes to find your gorilla family and as long as five to seven hours.
The forest is verdant, humid and somehow light and there are no discernible trekking paths. The terrain is full of hills and steep volcano slopes where you will be required to pull yourself up steep grades by grasping onto branches, plant roots, bushes and more. Follow the lead of the guide as to the best path and form to take. If you need a break, let your guide know.
It is also advisable that you carry with you some energy giving snacks and bottled mineral water to quench your thirst and give you more energy.