Luxury gorilla tracking by road, Uganda

Planet

CARBON EMISSION

The biggest highlight of this trip is Mountain Gorilla Trekking. This takes place in Bwindi Impenetrable forest located in south-western Uganda . The fact that Entebbe International Airport is far from this forest, clients usually opt to fly to this destination(appx 2 hours flight) as opposed to driving for appx 8 hours a day. To avoid this, we suggested starting the trip from Kigali as this is a short driving distance (approximately 5 hours) to Bwindi Forest and this also gives the clients an opportunity to tour around Kigali city. This therefore reduces carbon emission and saves the planet.

The 3rd day of this trip is the day for Gorilla tracking, clients will trek through the thick forests for a minimum of 1 hour to a maximum of 5 hours depending on the location of the Gorillas making human powered transport part of this trip. By choosing to walk instead of using motorized vehicles, individuals reduce their reliance on fossil fuels such as gasoline or diesel. Fossil fuel combustion in cars and motorcycles is a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions, which is a major greenhouse gas.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge is one of the lodges that we use on this trip and it proudly operates as a carbon neutral lodge through its use of solar energy and rain water harvesting. Solar energy is a renewable and clean source of energy. It harnesses the power of the sun and converts it into electricity without producing any greenhouse gas emissions. By using solar energy, there is reduction on our dependence on fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas, which are major contributors to carbon dioxide emissions.

Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge provides water in Jars and encourages all clients to come with their water bottles that they can refill from the dinning. This minimizes plastic pollution and conserves natural resources since plastic bottles contribute to pollution and can take hundreds of years to decompose.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge is locally owned by Lydia a Uganda citizen, who started this as a campsite in 2007, engaged the community in almost all ideas, securing their generosity and commitment to development. she employed the locals to come up with the Nkuringo Lodge there is today. These locals are still employed to manage and run the daily activities of the lodge.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

Here at Primate world Safaris we employ local guides and these must be under the Uganda Safari Guide Association where they are trained on how best to guide until they are fully certified. These guides often have a deep connection to their environment and a vested interest in preserving it. Therefore they educate tourists about responsible and sustainable tourism practices, encouraging visitors to respect local ecosystems, wildlife, and natural resources. This ensures the long-term viability of the destination and benefits the local economy by maintaining its attractiveness to tourists.

During Gorilla Trekking, porters must be paid a minimum of $20 per trek. This is the minimum wage for a porter in Uganda.