Why rainy season not good for an African safari or gorilla trekking?
While an African safari can be undertaken throughout the year, the rainy season isn’t a good time for an African safari, though it doesn’t stop a tourist from undertaking a safari to Africa at this time of the year. The wet season is divided into two; the short-wet season and the long-wet season. These seasons run from October to early December and March to May respectively.
During this time of year, the weather is unpredictable since rain falls at any time of the day, and this interferes with the planned activities of the day causing delays or worse cancellation of some activities. Some parks flood easily during the rains, especially those in valleys or swampy areas, hence causing difficulty moving from one location to another.
During the wet season, some roads are almost impassable, and the paths are untraceable like some paths which at times limit your game-viewing activity. Rain causes vegetation to grow tall and thick, hence causing difficulty in wildlife viewing, though the clear sky after rainfall favors photographic safaris since it produces clear photographs.
A gorilla trekking safari is one of the most exciting and once-in-a-lifetime adventures in Africa. The most common gorillas in Africa are the Eastern lowland gorillas and the mountain gorillas which are both subspecies of the Eastern gorillas and are found in the biologically diverse forests of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
While gorilla trekking can be done at any time of the year, and it’s the most sought-after activity throughout the year, the rainy season offers a relatively cheap but challenging gorilla safari, though you are still guaranteed to spot the gorillas.
A gorilla trekking safari will take you to the impenetrable forests of Bwindi and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in southwestern Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since these destinations are around the same region, they relatively experience the rain and the sunshine at around the same time of the year.
The tropical climates around these national parks are characterized by constant rains all year round, hence trekkers should expect rain at any time of day, though these rains may not be heavy or happen the entire day. During the rainy season, the trails become soggy, muddy, and slippery which makes it difficult to traverse the jungle. Vegetation during this time is thick, hence gorilla viewing and taking photographs will be difficult since the mountain gorillas are seen in thick vegetation sometimes sheltering themselves from the rain. Suppose you get lucky, and it doesn’t rain during the trek, you will be able to easily locate the gorilla’s since during this season they move to the lower slopes due to the high availability of food.
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