Silverback Mountain Gorillas - About Silverbacks

About the Silverback Gorilla

Silverback gorillas are the giant male gorillas with a strong

physique and stronger muscles but the defining feature about the silverbacks is their silver hair at the back stretching to the hips. A silverback is always the leader of the family and usually, this comes at a price; he has to prove his status by putting off several contenders through serious fights that at times, turn out fatal!

What do silverbacks eat?

A Silverback in Bwindi

Like other gorillas, the silverbacks are herbivores and feed on plant leaves, tree roots and fruits. For protein supplements, they feed on safari ants. A silverback eats between 18kgs to 25kgs per day and weighs between 180kgs to 250kgs on average.

Where do silverbacks sleep?

They sleep in nests. Gorillas sleep in nests and each individual makes its own nest every evening where it sleeps and never returns to the same nest even if they spend another night in the same site. It instead makes a new nest next to the old one!

How about Solitary Silverbacks?

Some gorillas are not happy about sharing their females. The dominant male takes the females and as he produces male gorillas, he chases them out of the group, forcing them into a solitary life. During their solitary existence, silverbacks feed intensively and exercise to gain more strength to attack a social group with a weak leader.

If a leader of the social group defeats the silverback, it returns to its solitary life and does more intensive training. With a bit of luck, it may also grab one or two females from the group with whom he may decide to start his own family. However, if he succeeds and beats the leader of the social group, he takes over the group and kills all the young males in it including the breastfeeding ones so that it can begin its new family without any threats!

Planning a visit to the gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda? Get in touch through info@gorillastours.com for advice and help in planning a memorable gorilla safari.

Uganda to become a tourist hotspot in 2016 – CNN Travel - Uganda Safari News

Uganda has continued to grow as a holiday destination and a hotspot for many tourists. Lonely planet and National geographic have previous recommended the country as one of the best places one should visit for an African holiday and in December 2015, CNN listed Uganda among the top 16 up and coming tourist destinations for 2016.

Gorilla trekking continues to stand out as the key activity but that’s just one of the many activities

one can be sure to enjoy on a safari in Uganda. CNN’s Anna Shah sighted a visit to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee sanctuary where orphaned and rescued chimpanzees are habituated and visitors can go to watch or participate in the caregiver program. One of the thrilling facts about this visit is the ability to cross the equator on a boat while traversing Africa’s biggest fresh water body- Lake Victoria!

With 10 national parks, each with at least one unique feature, Uganda safaris should be top on your list of adventures, vacation and holiday ideas for 2016. Kibale forest national park presents an ideal location to see chimpanzees in their natural habitat and a great nature walk for nature lovers and birders alike.

Game viewing in both Murchison falls and Queen Elizabeth national parks is exceptional given the fact that these places are still largely virgin and less explored. A boat cruise in each of the parks also presents a great way to spend your afternoon with lots of game and bird viewing.

Uganda is home to more than 1000 birds including the rare shoebill and some rift valley endemics making it one of the sought-after birding safari destinations.

The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) has in the recent past made efforts to boost Uganda tourism by inviting ex-Football club Barcelona players to market the country and that, coupled with the landmark pope’s visit in November 2015, has created a buzz about the country’s tourism potential.

With Uganda looking to achieve a middle income status in its vision 2040, tourism will be one of the key sectors and one can hope that the government does enough to develop the supporting infrastructure and maintain a peaceful atmosphere for the tourism industry to flourish.

Uganda Listed among Best World Holiday Destinations 2013 & the best in East Africa.

Uganda – “the pearl of Africa” has been listed on 10^th place among National Geographic’s best of the world 2013 describing it as “Africa’s new frontier”. Last year, lonely planet featured Uganda as the best travel destination for 2012 something that tells you Uganda safaris are still among the best holiday ideas for Africa. There are only 2 African countries that have made this list and that is Malawi (6^th position) & Uganda – the only one in East Africa beating some of the best known holiday destinations in Africa like South Africa!

Mountain gorillas in Bwindi

Uganda tourism has recently been faced with a lot of challenges including political protests & riots, Ebola and Marburg virus epidemics, all of which slowed down the tourist inflow but the country still stands as one of the best safari holiday destinations in Africa. Uganda has for some time now been well known for gorilla trekking in Bwindi which is home to more than half of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population, but Uganda’s pride lies in its nature! The green cover that welcomes you the moment you land here be it by water, land or air and it’s hospitable people making you feel like you have discovered your second home.

Uganda safaris and tours feature unique wildlife like the mountain gorillas, tree climbing lions and all the big five. The snow caped Rwenzori Mountains are a natural wonder and present a real challenge for hikers and adventure seeking tourists. Uganda has got spectacular bird-life, enormous culture and a rich history stemming from the colonial era to the present and still prominent kingdoms including Buganda, Tooro among others.

Some of the well-known Uganda national parks include Murchison falls, Kibale forest and Queen Elizabeth national park for wildlife viewing and Bwindi impenetrable forest; a world heritage site, flocked mostly for gorilla trekking but there is more to Bwindi including a number of forest walking trails, birding trails and the Batwa pygmies who are increasingly attracting many to this magnificent forest. Uganda tourism has a lot more to offer than just wildlife and primates; the source of the Nile river in Jinja is worth a visit with a number of real adventure activities like bungee jumping and white water rafting – activities that will give you an adrenaline rush! 

Tree climbing lions in Ishasha - Queen Elizabeth National Park

There is still much of undiscovered Uganda! Kidepo valley national park is little known due to tourists avoiding northern Uganda mainly because of the LRA war in recent past but with peace having returning to the north, Kidepo is a pristine place to discover – Kidepo national park is still virgin and you’ll marvel at the scenery beaming with life!

As you move out of the city to the countryside while on a Uganda safari, you will breathe real fresh air – real oxygen from wild plants and trees as you listen to sounds of the jungle while spending a night in one of the 10 national parks. Imagine the roar of an African lion and the melodies of early birds during your morning sleep! If you are planning an African Safari in Uganda 2013, then you should check out our packages. Below is a complete the complete list of the top 20 best of the world travel destinations for 2013 as on National Geographic.

Crimea

Marseille

Raja Ampat

Ravenna

Great Bear Rainforest

Malawi

Quito

Bagan

Cape Breton

Uganda

Hudson Valley

Thessaloniki

Grenada

Bodø

Valparaíso

Missouri River Banks

St. Augustine

Memphis

Kyoto

Jarash

Gorilla Conservation Extends to Lowland Gorillas in Congo

Turner Grant Expands Gorilla Conservation Work
I suppose this is a very great contribution to the gorilla conservation and I say thumbs up to Mr Turner! The Dian Fossey foundation is doing great in trying to extend their research to the eastern lowland gorillas in Congo something that will increase gorilla trekking options in East Africa because the demand for gorilla trekking increases by the year  and the sector has mainly relied on mountain gorillas in bwindi-Uganda and Rwanda's volcanoes national park where gorilla permit prices have been increased to improve on the park's conservation as well.

Gorilla Trekking Price increased in Rwanda

Silver back Mountain Gorilla.

The price of gorilla permits in Rwanda has been increased from 500 USD to 750 USD, a 50% increase! The decision to increase the price was reached by Rwanda Development Board as announced on Friday last week and will take full effect from 1^st June as a measure to conserve Rwanda’s mountain gorilla environment and the park’s biodiversity however, the news have not been welcomed by some tour operators in Rwanda claiming the permit price has been hiked, something that might affect their clients and reduce the number of tourists to Rwanda since gorilla trekking is the major tourist activity in the country! A gorilla permit allows one access to the mountain gorillas and an opportunity to view them for only one hour so whether as to pay such a price is reasonable leaves a lot to be desired!

Apart from the mountain gorillas in Parc De volcanoes, Rwanda tourism offers wildlife tours in Akagera national park among other park activities like a boat cruise on Lake Ihema inside the park, chimpanzee tracking in Nyungwe forest national park, and is home to golden monkeys and numerous bird species. You can also visit the genocide memorials, do karisimbi hiking, and visit Dian Fossey’s grave, Kigali city tour among others. However, most of the safari activities in Rwanda can be put together in one single itinerary!

That said, travelers and tour operators are waiting to see whether Uganda & DRC will also increase their gorilla trekking costs or take it as an advantage to market gorilla tourism. Gorilla trekking is such an adventure that involves long walking hours and trekking through thick vegetation and bearing some challenges at times including heavy rains until you reach the particular gorilla family you are supposed to visit. Uganda has the largest number of these primates, with 12 gorilla groups in Bwindi however, many say Rwanda gorillas are easier to find and offer better chances of photography and filming!

Have you been on gorilla tours to Uganda or Rwanda recently or before? Have you done any of the mentioned activities before? Have you visited both gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda? What’s your take?

As if that was not enough, in may 2017, Rwanda doubled the Gorilla trekking price from $750 to a staggering $1,500 for a single gorilla permit in Rwanda! This left many in a shock but luxury tourists and celebrities are still flocking Rwanda for its mountain gorilla trekking.