Uganda Gorilla Trekking
Uganda Gorilla Trekking | Gorilla Tours in Uganda | Mgahinga & Bwindi
Uganda gorilla trekking is done in two national parks, namely Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Mountain gorillas are the most popular attractions in Uganda. Uganda is the best gorilla trekking destination in Africa in that it harbors over 459 mountain gorillas, which is half of the world’s mountain gorillas. Apart from Uganda, gorillas are also found in other countries, including Rwanda, where the mountain gorillas are found in Volcanoes national park and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the mountain gorillas are found in Virunga National Park and Kahuzi-Biega National Park which harbors the Eastern lowland gorillas.
Where gorilla trekking is done in Uganda
Gorilla trekking is an activity where visitors move into the tropical rainforest in search of the habituated gorilla families and, once found, spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is carried out in two national parks, including
Bwindi impenetrable national park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the most visited national park in Uganda due to the highest number of mountain gorillas. The national park is located in the southwestern region at the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park harbors about 19 habituated gorilla families, which are found in four sectors, including Ruhija, Rushaga, Buhoma and Nkuringo.
Gorilla trekking/gorilla safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park start in the morning with a briefing about the expectations, rules and regulations. After the briefing you will be grouped into 8 people to trek to each gorilla family; you will then start trekking in the jungle at around 8:00am with a park guide who will be sharing information about the mountain gorillas.
Trekking for the mountain gorillas in the park takes about 2 to 7 hours depending on the location of the gorillas and once found, you will spend one hour in their presence learning about their lifestyle, habits, behaviors, how they interact, and how the juveniles entertain the group as you take photos with a flashless camera and record the moments.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a unique gorilla destination in that it offers the gorilla habituation experience, a process where the mountain gorillas are trained to get used to human presence. Gorilla habituation experience is carried out by a team of researchers, trackers, park rangers among others and takes a period of 2 to 3 years. Visitors who engage in gorilla habituation experience get an opportunity of spending plenty of time with the gorillas, which is four hours compared to the one hour given during gorilla trekking.
Mgahinga gorilla national park
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is situated in the southwestern region in the Kisoro district at the border of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The national park is a home of two habituated gorilla families namely the Nyakagezi and Hirwa families, which are available for trekking daily. The Hirwa gorilla family was previously living in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda until October 2019, when it migrated to Mgahinga gorilla national park and the group is currently visited by visitors in Uganda.
Gorilla trekking/gorilla tours in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park start in the morning, just like in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, with a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations during trekking in the jungle at Ntebeko Park headquarters. After the briefing you will be grouped into 2 groups, each group containing 8 individuals, because each habituated group in the park can be visited by 8 people. At around 8:00am you will start trekking in the jungle with a park guide who will be sharing information about the mountain gorillas as you hike the area where the gorillas slept the previous night.
Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park takes about 2 to 5 hours depending on the location of the gorillas because they like to move from one area to another in search of food. Once the gorillas have been found, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat taking photos, recording videos, and learning more about their lifestyle, among other things.
After the gorilla trekking experience in both destinations in Uganda, you will be given a certificate as proof that you participated in gorilla trekking activity in either Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Best time to go for gorilla trekking in Uganda
Gorilla trekking in Uganda can be done all year round, though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February.
The dry season is also known as the peak season and visitors prefer traveling in the peak season because during this period there is less rainfall in Uganda; therefore, access roads to the gorilla destinations will be passable and the gorilla trekking trails in the forests will be dry and passable which makes gorilla trekking successful.
Though the dry season is the best time to travel, it has some drawbacks, such as the gorilla trekking permits will be competitive; hence, you need to book in advance, lodges will be expensive, and it can rain anytime of the day due to the fact that gorilla trekking is done in tropical rainforests.
Cost of a gorilla trekking permit in Uganda
A single gorilla trekking permit in Uganda costs $800 for foreign non-residents, $700 for foreign residents, and UGX 300,000 for East African citizens.
For visitors who want to participate in the gorilla habituation experience, a gorilla habituation permit in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park costs $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 for foreign residents and UGX 750,000 for East African citizens.
When to book a gorilla trekking permit
Gorilla trekking permits in Uganda should be booked 3 to 6 months in advance before the trekking date because the permits are competitive and usually get sold out, especially during the peak season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February therefore in order to avoid disappointments at the last minute, it’s advisable to book a gorilla trekking permit in advance.
How to book a gorilla trekking permit
There are two ways of booking a gorilla trekking permit in Uganda for example, booking directly through the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), a tourism body in Uganda. When booking through UWA, you will contact the offices in Kampala via email or telephone calls. There is also another option of booking a gorilla trekking permit through a tour operator like Achieve Global Safaris. Booking through a tour operator is the best option in that it saves you all the hustle.
You will therefore contact us with the date, month, year and destination where you want to trek with the mountain gorillas. We will check for availability of the permits according to the dates. When there are permits available, you will be asked to make a deposit for the permits.
When the deposit has been made, you will be asked to send your scanned copy of the passport, which will be used to register your permit. When we receive the money deposited, we will book your gorilla trekking permit and send you a scanned copy of the receipt as confirmation.
Where to stay on your gorilla trekking safari in Uganda
There is a wide range of up-market, midrange and budget accommodation facilities where visitors can stay in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, including Mount Gahinga Lodge, Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp, Travelers Rest Hotel Kisoro, Mucha Hotel, Kisoro Tourist Hotel, Mgahinga Rest Camp, Virunga Hotel, Mgahinga Gorilla Lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Lake Kitandara Bwindi Camp, Buhoma Community Rest Camp, Engage Lodge, Silverback Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Bwindi Guest House, Mahogany Springs Camp, Bwindi View Bandas, Eco Marvels Gorilla Resort, Jungle View Lodge, Gorilla Friends Lodge, Nshongi Camp, Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, and Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, among others.
The gorillas provide quality services and facilities such as comfortable beds, en-suite bathrooms, a sitting room, a restaurant that serves local and international dishes, a bar, free Wi-Fi in public areas, gardens for relaxation after gorilla trekking, spectacular views of the forest, bird species, primates among others to make you comfortable and feel at home. Visitors are, however, advised to stay in lodges near the destinations where they will be trekking gorillas from for easy accessibility.
How to get to the gorilla destinations in Uganda
Both Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are located in southwestern Uganda and can be accessed by road and air transport means.
When using road transport, you will drive from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara, and Kabale and then to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which takes about an 8- to 9 hours’ drive and when going to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, you will drive from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, kisoro and then to Mgahinga National Park, which takes about a 9- to 10-hour drive.
You can also use air transport means whereby you will book a flight in one of the domestic airline companies in Uganda for example, Aerolink which operates scheduled and chartered flights daily from Entebbe airport or Kajansi airfield to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrip and then connects by road to any of the national parks.
Both Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park can be accessed from Kigali, Rwanda. When using this route, you will fly to Kigali International Airport and then connect by road to any of the parks through the Cyanika border in Kisoro or the Katuna border in Kabale.
Gorilla trekking is an incredible and thrilling activity that gives you breathtaking and unforgettable experiences on your safari in Uganda. Visitors interested in gorilla trekking can book packages like 3 days of gorilla trekking in Bwindi, 2 days of gorilla trekking in Uganda from Kigali, 5 days of gorilla trekking and wildlife and many others or contact us for more information about gorilla trekking in Uganda.
