1% Club Travel: The Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi

There are lots of reasons people travel. Most are seeking a change or escape from their daily lives. Others are just seeking the sun, snow, or surroundings that make them feel most alive. Most importantly to our industry are those travelers that seek the assistance of a travel professional for those "unique" travel ideas where experience truly counts.

To respond to that niche, I am planning a series of posts highlighting those truly special travel opportunities that can put your clients in what I call the 1% Club for Travel. These are the kinds of destinations and tours that less than 1 out of 100 (and usually less that 1 out of 100,000) will ever get the chance to experience. They are the priceless memories and life changing events that clients are willing to pay for.

The Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi

Opportunities to see animals in the wild, especially primates, are among the most sought after travel experiences. Africa alone attracts more than 30 million travelers a year with the vast majority participating in one type of safari or another. While the "Big Five" lead in marketing awareness, being able to see the Mountain Gorillas so valuable is due to two unique characteristics; They are very rare and their natural habitats are in some of the most remote and protected locations on the earth. Mountain Gorillas cannot survive in captivity so venturing to one of these locations is the only way you can personally experience these incredible animals.

Photo Courtesy of Kisa Safaris

Rarity is a key in order to consider an experience as unique enough for the 1% club. In the case of the Mountain Gorilla, consider that only about 880 of them currently exist on the planet. (1)  Most people are familiar with lowland gorillas that you might see in the zoo, but Mountain Gorillas do not survive captivity.  Their habitat is restricted to a very small radius of colder climates at higher altitudes in Africa.

One reason people find this species is so fascinating is that Gorillas share 98% of their genetic composition with humans. That is one reason conservationists continue to work to protect them from extinction.

One of the few places we as tourists can see our genetic cousins is the aptly named Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwest Uganda. Inside the confines of this heavily protected sanctuary is where more than half of the know Mountain Gorilla population exists. As you would expect, access is limited and mostly restricted to a handful of licensed touring companies. A permit to enter the national park and track the Mountain Gorillas averages $500, but the vast majority of these are distributed to the touring partners which they  include in their private tracking tours.

Traveling to Africa is a bucket-list item for many tourists and there are plenty of options for those looking to dip their toe into the birthplace of Homo Sapiens. For those seeking a truly memorable and meaningful travel experience, visiting the Mountain Gorillas at Bwindi could be just the ticket.

For more information about how you could see the Mountain Gorillas too, see our Fam Tour of Eastern Africa provided by Kisa Safaris.

(1) WWF: http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/great_apes/gorillas/mountain_gorilla