Mountain Gorillas and Tree-climbing Lions in Uganda

Mountain Gorillas and Tree-climbing Lions in Uganda

Uganda stands out as the best place to see mountain gorillas and tree-climbing lions. Snuggled among highland areas, vast savannah plains, and lowland waterbodies, Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, is a true definition of its name. The continent of Africa has never been brighter than seen in the eyes of its greatest and purest pearl, Uganda. It is on this account that Africa prides itself on harboring this incredible country.

Uganda is that one place anyone dreams and imagines to be paradise as its adventures and appearance fit perfectly to the description of paradise. Some may argue that the biblical Garden of Eden has a part in this spanning country, Uganda. No words, if more are not invented, can fully describe what Uganda truly is. This is why in the book – My African Journey, Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister, after visiting all the African countries, could not describe Uganda’s beauty as he ran out of words and ended by naming it the Pearl of Africa. If this does not pock your imagination and dream for an experience in this beautiful place, then you are not about to find anything interesting anywhere.

From the tropical landscapes that host the apex predators hidden in the tall grasslands and up in the woodland tree branches to the tropical rainforests of the playful chimps and highland forests of the mountain gorillas to the giants of the aquatic, Uganda has it all. The beautiful tropical weather and climate blankets this Wakanda land with natural resources that can’t be felt anywhere else. Let your wildest dreams unfold right before your eyes in wonder with jaw-dropping encounters of mountain gorillas and tree-climbing lions in their untamed natural habitats.

Mountain gorillas

Have you ever stopped and wondered how something can be so huge and incredibly strong yet so gentle and majestic? Well, this is a short story of the endangered mountain gorillas of the Virunga conservation area. These mountain gorillas are the biggest primate species to ever walk on Earth. However, size does not match well with their behaviors because of their gentle and majestic nature, but that should not be taken advantage of as tables can turn for the worst. These mountain gorillas are the true rules of the tropical highland areas of the country.

Dwelling only in the Virunga Conservation Area, mountain gorillas are described as endangered because of this factor. They are the most critically endangered species in the world. Mountain gorillas share more than 98% of their DNA with us humans, making them one of the most intelligent animals in the world. Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda, Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park make up the Virunga conservation area. However, in this article, light will be shed on Uganda’s two mountain gorilla destinations. This is because they are the only two national parks in the country that host the endangered mountain gorillas.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Without a doubt, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park’s greatness exceeds the borders as the greatest gorilla destination in the world. Its history dates back to the 1932s when it was first established as a Crown Forest Reserve since it harbors unique flora species as old as 25,000 years after its two blocks were merged. As animals were sighted in 1964, Bwindi was then named an Animal Sanctuary of the Impenetrable Crown Forest Reserve. This was just after the independence of 1962.

Later, the forest reserve was elevated to a national park and named Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in 1991. Gorilla trekking was officially opened as an activity in the next year after its establishment. All this was shortly followed by the naming of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park as a UNESCO site in 1994.

The park is divided into four gorilla sectors that harbor over 500 mountain gorillas, over half of the world’s population. These gorilla sectors include the Buhoma, Rushaga, Nkuringo, and Ruhija. Mountain gorillas are social beings who live in groups known as gorilla families. The park has over 50 mountain gorilla families, with only 26 families habituated and available for trekking.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

This park comes second in rank to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the country for hosting endangered mountain gorillas. It squares with Bwindi in the establishment year of 1991, however, with a size of about 33.7 square kilometers. Mgahinga hosts a reasonable size of mountain gorillas of about 100. With this large number, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has just one gorilla family. However, this does not mean that the park is boring no, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park adds rare golden monkeys to its flint. This makes it the only park with these rare monkeys in the country, hence enabling visitors to trek both mountain gorillas and golden monkeys.

As you may have realized, gorilla trekking as a term is used a lot in this article, and wonder what it is. So, gorilla trekking is an activity that involves searching for mountain gorillas in their natural environment and spending an hour in their presence. Trekking gorillas in Uganda requires one to have a gorilla permit issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority through a local tour company. Gorilla permit purchase rates include USD 800 for foreign non-residents, USD 700 for foreign residents, and UGX 300,000 for Ugandans and East African citizens. Gorilla trekking is the best activity to encounter gorillas in their natural habitats and spend time observing them as they go by with their daily chores.

Tree-climbing lions

How can lions even climb trees? This is the one question most people ask in disbelief before visiting the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lions of the Ishasha sector saw it wise to extend their reign high from the ground as it gave them a scene of high command. Lions across the world are known to be savannah kings who stick to their nature of ruling from the ground.

Many theories have surrounded the ability of lions of the Ishasha sector to climb trees some say it was to escape the bites from small ants on the ground, while others say the grass of Ishasha was too tall to spot prey hence, they sought a high ground. All these theories cannot be nullified or adopted, but one thing is for sure, lions of the Ishasha sector are tree-climbs. They can be spotted resting their full bellies after a well-fought-for meal on the branches of fig trees and acacias.

Visitors can embrace this moment while on a game drive safari experience in the park. This tree-climbing behavior is common to only lions of the Ishasha sector in Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Manyara National Park of Tanzania. Research has shown that at an early age, cubs learn by observation and imitation as they see their mothers and siblings climb. Visitors can take a moment and witness this incredible exhibition of strength and agility from Africa’s biggest cats on a game viewing adventure in Queen Elizabeth National Park.