What Do Gorilla Do All Day

Have you ever wondered what gorillas do all day? These Great Apes have one of the most complex and breathtaking lifestyles that will surely blow your mind during gorilla safaris. Do they play? do they eat all day? when do they sleep? These are some of the questions that linger in the minds of most travelers booked for gorilla trekking tours.

Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda

There is something rewarding and thrilling about reading or following the lifestyle of your favorite celebrities and most of us are guilty of this. Similarly, primate enthusiasts will always be interested in knowing how their favorite celebrities-“Gorillas” spend every day of their lives or what they do all day in their natural habitats.

First, note that there are two renowned gorilla species in the Wild and they are all endemic to the African Continent. One of the gorilla species is the western gorillas with two more sub-species named western lowland and Cross River Gorillas. The second gorilla sub-species are the Eastern gorillas that are also categorized into two sub-species known as the Eastern lowland and Mountain gorillas. Having understood about the gorilla species and sub-species, we now delve into what gorillas do all day;

Gorillas normally depart from their nests by sunrise (about 6:00 am) and this is during good weather but when it becomes colder and misty, these Great Apes will stay a little longer in their nests to find warmth. Feeding begins early in the morning on waking. This is usually followed by resting, then they continue foraging until late morning when rest is required. Having enjoyed sufficient rest, the Great Apes then go on with foraging until about midday when they have a siesta.

Generally, gorillas will spend almost half their day foraging, with resting time taking up at least a third of their day. Additionally, at least 6.5% of their day is spent moving from one place to the other. Still of movement, gorillas can go for as far as a kilometer a single day within a home range of approximately 7.7 square miles.

Socializing among gorillas normally takes up 3.5% of the time in their natural habitats. Their social engagements are reserved for their resting periods. For this case, the late morning and midday rest is usually for interacting or socializing in their families, having more time with their companions and it is also playtime for the youngsters without being disrupted.  This time is fundamental for their integration into the gorilla family in addition to getting accepted and becoming familiar with each individual gorilla. At this time adults are casually snoring away while the juveniles are possibly grooming each other.

Foraging continues in the afternoon until the evening when they begin making nests for overnight sleep. Remember that while they go about their daily routines, the silverbacks are watching over their group, and are more than prepared to fight for them to the point of risking lives.

Gorilla Trekking Tours

Gorilla trekking tours are mainly undertaken within three countries in the East and Central regions of East Africa, that are Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These tours are only undertaken by travelers who are 15 years and above, possessing valid gorilla permits. Each of these countries offers a different number of habituated gorilla permits as well as varying gorilla permit prices.

For gorilla trekking tours in Uganda, a total of about 168 gorilla permits are availed each day for 21 habituated gorilla groups. The permits cost only about $700, $600 and Shs. 250,000 for the foreign non-residents, foreign residents, and East African residents respectively. Trips are based in two incredible places situated within the south-western side of the country.

The Gorilla trekking tours in Rwanda involve visiting one of the 12 habituated gorilla groups in Volcanoes National Park and permits cost $1500 per person. The adventure here is preferred because of the short driving distance (116 kilometers to the Park from Kigali).

Gorilla safaris in the Democratic Republic of Congo and second to none, because two gorilla sub-species can be encountered in the country. About 5 habituated families of Eastern lowland gorillas have trekked within Kahuzi-Biega National Park while 8 habituated groups of mountain gorillas have trekked from Virunga National Park. A total of 104 permits are sold each day for these two places at $400 per person.