Is a mountain gorilla trekking permit the same as a chimpanzee trekking permit?

Is a mountain gorilla trekking permit the same as a chimpanzee trekking permit? No! They are two different permits. The mountain gorilla trekking permit allows you to trek the mountainous forest for mountain gorillas and the chimpanzee trekking permit allows you to trek the rain forest for the chimpanzees.

Though they are all permits issued for trekking the trekking activities for each primate species are different and happen in two separate locations.

Mountain gorilla trekking happens in mountainous forests, and you usually trek to high altitudes to find the mountain gorillas. Well as chimpanzee trekking happens is fairly mid altitudes and you usually just trek deep into the forest to find them.

The time you spend on each trek is also different; because mountain gorilla stay in high altitudes deep in the time you take to get to them is longer than the time you take to get to the chimpanzees in the rain forests. As stated the chimpanzees stay in fairly moderate altitudes.

Also on trekking experiences its quite easy to find chimpanzees because they stay in larger groups compared to the mountain gorillas. A group of chimpanzees has about 60 or more individuals, so they occupy a larger area and you can easily see the individuals. A mountain gorilla group on the other has about 15 to 30 members, so you have to really be close to the family to observe them and enjoy their company.

The mountain gorillas like to move deeper and higher into the forest so on a mountain gorilla trek, you will have to go on for a while before you reach the gorilla family; yet for chimpanzees they stay longer in places, for as long as the ranger knows where they are, you can almost always find them there, its in rare cases that you find the chimpanzees have moved.

Because the mountain gorillas as the name state stay in mountainous forests, trekking their trails is harder than the trails of the chimpanzees in the rain forests. In fact in some cases persons who wish to do mountain gorilla trekking, are required to physically fit because of the strenuous climb. Especially the Uganda gorilla trails are rough compared to the other gorilla trekking trails.

That said the rules that govern both the chimpanzee and mountain gorilla trekking experiences are the same and they include but not limited to:-

• A person should not trek the primates when they have any communicable disease of any kind. This because you can easily spread the disease to the primate
• One trekking permit is valid for one individual and for one trekking experience only.
• Trekking is done in a group so always stay in your group, when you are trekking don’t wonder off
• Do not litter the primate’s habitat; make sure you leave it as clean as you found it.
• Do not engage in any activity or behaviour that can cause harm to the primates
• Do not use flash photography with the primates
• Do not feed the primates
• Do not touch the primates
• Do not stare in the eyes of the primates
• Keep a 2 meter distance or more from the primates

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Primates that are the mountain gorillas and the chimpanzees in East Africa are found in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic republic of Congo. Mountain gorillas are found in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic republic of Congo.

Chimpanzees are found in Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda,  Virunga National Park in the DRC and mainly in Kibale National Park in Uganda.