A Mountain Gorillas’ Day : As early as 06:00 am on a normal day, a mountain gorilla embraces a new day as the sun rises over the jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Mountain gorillas spend the biggest portion of their morning hours searching for food. Mountain gorillas’  diet may consist of the following; herbs, vines, shrubs, stems of forest trees, and weeds. Occasionally, fruits and ants are eaten to supplement the diet.

In some months of the year, the mountain gorilla’s diet is supplemented by bamboo plants. The male gorilla alone can feed up to about 20 kilograms of food in a day. On a mountain gorilla day, it can spend about 30% of its time eating, 30% moving in search of food and about 40% of its time resting.

As they move in search of food, they rarely go beyond their territory which is usually about 20 square kilometers. Rather they roam within the gorilla family’s territories. The 40% time spent resting is usually the best moment in each family group because it’s the time for bonding with the young ones, doing recreational activities like wrestling with each other, grooming, and breastfeeding. This is the best time for integrating the young ones into the gorilla family group.

The 30% time spend on movement makes the gorilla trekking activity strenuous because of the lengthy time taken to locate the gorilla family but it’s worth undertaking because of the unparalleled experience of coming face to face with these gentle giants, which experience will definitely make you forget the challenging trails and the dew-soaked weeds during the trek. 

At the end of the day, just before dusk, the great giants in the jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park start constructing a nest where they will spend their night. Every single gorilla has its own nest, except for the infants who sleep next to their mothers. Nests are built on the ground or on tree branches and are carefully constructed using small branches of trees and other plants.

Those are the day-to-day activities of the mountain gorillas. When you go for the Uganda gorilla Safari activity, you should expect any or all of the above activities when you find the mountain gorillas.

For any inquiries or booking about gorilla tracking, please contact Jewel Safaris Limited for an ultimate gorilla trekking tour or gorilla tracking safari.