Gorilla Conservation in Uganda

Program Description

Volunteers will engage in a wide variety of activities as part of the project, involving themselves with the local community and supporting areas of conservation, tree planting, aiding in the education of the people living around the national parks and of course, taking part in a breathtaking (quite literally) trek to see the beautiful mountain Gorillas.
Volunteers can expect to take part in the following:
• Building and establishing a tree nursery bed for the community to raise indigenous trees and provide an income for the community school
• Community tree planting to expand the coverage of forest and provide alternative sources of fuel/fodder/food/handicraft materials.
• A trip to National park to see the children you have enabled to visit the national park alongside the Wildlife Clubs of Uganda
• A trip to the Queen Elizabeth National Park
-one chimp trek
-a cruise along the Kazinga Channel
-Game drives where spotted hyenas, hippos, leopards, and even rare tree-climbing lions can be seen.

The role of the volunteer is a supporting one, to inspire and encourage a will of the locals that already exists, of the importance of preserving Gorilla habitat, how the survival of the Gorilla can ultimately help improve their daily lives and how they can protect the environment they both share.
The price includes accommodation, pick up transfers and overland transport, a meal allowance, all volunteering activity equipment and donations, local guides and an English-speaking project leader.

Highlights

Gorilla Trekking - Take part in 2 gorilla treks to see two separate families of the endangered mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Treks can last anything from 45 minutes to several hours - once the gorillas are reached you will get to spend a whole hour watching the family group feed and socialise with each other.

Education - Assist in a pedal-powered film session to educate remote schools and communities about the importance of the gorilla’s conservation.

Chimpanzee trekking - Take part in a chimpanzee trek in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Game Drives - Join game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park in search of various species of African wildlife. The Park offers some incredible opportunities for elephant views, lion viewing, and even the occasional leopard and hyena have been spotted on this tour.

Gorilla Organisation - Spend the day visiting a few of Gorilla Organisations’ community projects. These grassroots projects consist of various things such as reformed poachers learning agriculture, organic agriculture, bee keeping for farmers with small plots of land and a visit to a local Batwa community that have been taught agricultural skills so they can provide for themselves. All these projects have been developed to help the communities that were displaced when the national parks were established.

Qualifications

No skills or qualifications are required - volunteers just need to make sure that they are over 18 years of age and are willing to get involved with all activities!

Volunteer Types

Animal welfare

What`s Included

•Two gorilla-tracking permits and one chimpanzee-tracking permit
• All activities - including safari drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
•A monetary contribution to the two charities involved in the project
•Transfers to and from the airport
•Full orientation and support from the project managers
•Accommodation and meals (3 per day)