Can I do Gorilla Trekking and Kilimanjaro Hiking in One Trip?

Can I do Gorilla Trekking and Kilimanjaro Hiking in One Trip?

Yes, you can combine a gorilla trekking safari with hiking Mount Kilimanjaro. Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the dormant volcanoes in northeastern Tanzania at the border of Kenya and Tanzania. It is considered to be the highest mountain in Africa. Additionally, Mount Kilimanjaro has a snow-capped peak that is visible at every point as you start the hike. The mountain is about 5895 meters above sea level and is a free-standing mountain. Furthermore, Mountain Kilimanjaro has three volcanic peaks. They include Kibo, Mawenza, and Shira. Hiking to the highest peak is one of the best outdoor activities that travelers can do on a safari. This mountain is made of five zones.  

Different hiking routes in Mount Kilimanjaro 

While hiking Mountain Kilimanjaro, you must use one of the several routes to ascend and descend. These routes are established and well-developed for hiking and tourism purposes.

Umbwe Route

This route is rarely used on their hiking safaris due to its steep slopes and acclimatization. Tourists who use this route have smaller chances of success, and they don’t usually reach the summit. Additionally, the Umbwe Route has a rapid descent and is very remote. These factors make it one of the rarely used routes in hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.

Lemosho Route

The Lemosho Route is one of the best routes preferred by hikers of Mountain Kilimanjaro during their safaris. Most of the hikers that take this route successfully reach the Uhuru peak. It has a better acclimatization rate.          More so, hikers climb high and camp less while using the Lemosho Route. This increases their chances of reaching the Uhuru peak in time.

The Marangu Route

This is also called the Coca-Cola Route. It is one of the shortest routes in hiking Mountain Kilimanjaro. The route takes you to the Kili Summit. Additionally, the Marangu Route has low acclimatization with a low success rate. It is the only route in the mountain of Kilimanjaro that has a dormitory as a form of accommodation. However, it is in a remote area and so quiet.

Shira Route

This route starts from the highest point of the mountain. Additionally, the Shira Route is not usually recommended to travelers. It has a well-catered camping site, and it is less used by trekkers.

Machame Route

This is also called the Whisky Route, which is mostly used by trekkers since it is highly recommended to travelers to engage during a Uganda safari. The descent and ascending in this route are done on the different routes since it has several connecting points.

Combining Gorilla Trekking and Kilimanjaro Hiking

Gorilla trekking is one of the exciting primate activities that is carried out in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mountain gorillas are large and powerful primates that share about a DNA of 98%, with men that live in groups or families in the forested areas of the parks. The tracked gorillas are usually first habituated for them to get used to human presence. Gorilla trekking experiences differ in experience according to the destinations visited.

In Uganda, tourists visit the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for gorilla trekking. These parks are located in the southwestern region. There are about 26 habituated gorilla families available for trekking in Uganda. This makes it a reliable destination for a combined gorilla trekking and Kilimanjaro hiking tour.

More so, tourists on a gorilla trekking safari combined with hiking Mountain Kilimanjaro can do gorilla habituation. Gorilla habituation is done in the Rushaga Sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. During habituation, you have more time with the gorillas than the gorilla trekking. There are about 12 gorilla habituation permits in Uganda every day.

Gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda is done in the Volcanoes National Park.  Volcanoes National Park is one of the oldest parks in Africa. There are about 12 habituated gorilla families that travelers can encounter on their safaris.

Know these about gorilla trekking

• Only eight people are allowed to visit a gorilla family per day
• Gorilla trekking starts early in the morning at around 0700 hours, with the briefing
• Travelers are supposed to have a valid gorilla permit to see the mountain gorillas
• Only four people are allowed to engage in the gorilla habituation process.
• Maintaining a social distance of about 7 meters to view the gorillas.
• Feeding of the gorillas is not allowed during the gorilla trekking