Do your homework to locate the top tour operator to take care of all your arrangements and reservations for a gorilla safari to Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.  There is a plethora of information available online regarding gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park; however, Katland Safaris strives to offer up-to-date and accurate information regarding, among other things, the optimal time to visit, how to book a gorilla permit, the price of a gorilla permit, and how to check the availability of all services.

To ensure a smooth booking process for your gorilla trip to visit mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Katland Safaris is happy to assist you. We are a registered and trustworthy tour operator in Uganda. Feel free to peruse our website for some example gorilla safari packages. Once you’ve made your selection, we welcome you to get in touch so we can continue the conversation.

Information on hiking with gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

The first gorilla family became habituated and opened up for trekking in the northern portion of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in 1993, marking the beginning of gorilla trekking in the park. In the Buhoma district of Bwindi, a party of eight individuals hiked with the Mubare gorilla group, the first gorilla family to be encountered.

There are now more gorilla families available because of the increasing number of people interested in seeing mountain gorillas in their native environments. Nineteen gorilla groups have habituated and walked throughout all four of Bwindi’s districts as we speak. Among these areas are the eastern Ruhija, northern Buhoma, and southern Rushaga and Nkuringo.

Things needed for a Bwindi gorilla safari

Knowing what to expect from a gorilla safari package is essential for a successful safari planning. How to book them will be the next step when they are known. Travel to and from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, lodging, and a gorilla permit are the three main components of a gorilla safari.

The second stage, after determining their need, is to figure out how to reserve them. Get in touch with a tour operator like Katland Safaris if you’d rather not do it all by yourself. How does a gorilla trip to see Bwindi’s mountain gorillas work? Let’s take a peek.

Booking and organizing your gorilla safari to Bwindi with a tour operator

You should now investigate Ugandan tour providers thoroughly as reserving a Bwindi gorilla safari is the most reliable option. How do you tell which of the many Ugandan travel operators offering safaris to Bwindi is genuine? Reviewing each company’s performance on sites like SafariBookings and TripAdvisor is the first order of business.

The second thing to do is see whether the firm is a member of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators (PATA). The third thing to do is find out how long the company has been around and who owns and controls it. The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), and AUTO are all good options.

With a membership in AUTO, a license from UTB, access to the UWA gorilla permit system, and stellar ratings on both TripAdvisor and SafariBookings, Katland Safaris is sure to wow. We at Katland Safaris have been in business for almost ten years, and we love what we do.

Requesting permission to visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in search of gorillas.

In order to go on a gorilla tour, you must first get a gorilla permit. If you want to view gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on a certain day, you’ll need a gorilla permit. You must discover a means to verify the availability of the dates, months, and years you plan to visit Uganda. You must also determine the area to which this gorilla permit belongs and the cost of obtaining it. How about we go into the specifics now?

Permit fees for seeing gorillas in Bwindi National Park, Uganda

Bwindi Gorilla permits cost $800. Get in touch with Katland Safaris as soon as possible to arrange a gorilla safari if you would want to take advantage of the present pricing of $800. You may spend an hour with mountain gorillas for the fee mentioned, which is for a regular gorilla excursion. Gorilla habituation experience licenses cost $1500 per person and allow visitors to spend longer time with mountain gorillas.

Availability of gorilla permits in Uganda being checked

Gorilla permits to visit mountain gorillas in Bwindi are controlled by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. There are three methods to find out whether permits are available on the day you want to hike gorillas. The first is to book your trip via a reputable company, such as Katland Safaris. In order to provide you an exact count of available permits, we will verify them in the UWA system once we are contacted.

While we await your payment, we may hold them on the UWA system for a week. The alternative would be to contact them personally and inquire about the quantity of permits. Due of their low phone pick-up rate, contacting UWA might be a hassle.

Lastly, you might try contacting them by email and seeing if they respond. Keep in mind that gorilla permits are handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, and that the final two may be somewhat time-consuming. The possibilities of the permits being sold to someone else by the time you get an answer are high. For that reason, we suggest getting in touch with Katland Safaris for help with your gorilla permit.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park gorilla permit distribution

Each of the four forest zones has its own gorilla permit market, run by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. You should be aware that Bwindi is divided into four areas. Along with Buhoma and Ruhija, Nkuringo and Rushaga make up the four areas. Your next step, after gathering information, is to decide where you would want go gorilla trekking.

After you’re happy with the area, the next steps are to see whether the space is available and get a permission. Based on this, you may proceed to choose lodging within the same area. When making your reservation, make sure to specify the location you will be trekking gorillas in, since many lodges are situated in different areas. In order to reserve gorilla permits in Ruhija, for instance, you must research Ruhija lodges, which are situated in the park’s easternmost section, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

To purchase a gorilla hiking permit

There are two ways that customers may pay at Katland Safaris. An invoice will be sent to you for payment after we verify that UWA is available and that we have them in our system. Credit cards and bank transfers are also accepted at Katland Safaris. Please provide us evidence of payment once you have made payments using the ways mentioned above.

This will allow us to proceed with purchasing your gorilla permit. Once we get POP, we will use our credit to pay for your gorilla permit. However, please be patient as it may take 2-3 business days for the funds to show up in our bank account. We typically provide you scanned copies of the receipts produced by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to confirm that your gorilla permit has been obtained.

Selecting an appropriate lodging establishment for your nocturnal visit

Katland Safaris will notify you of the gorilla trekking area after you have obtained your gorilla permit. Where to reserve accommodations is dependent on the location. Lodges in the vicinity will be recommended by Katland Safaris if they arrange for you to hike with gorilla permits in Rushaga. Lodges ranging from budget to luxury are available in all of these places.

Kindly inform us of your budget, and we will proceed to recommend a lodge that aligns with both your needs and interests. Our company, Katland Safaris, has strong relationships with hand-picked lodges throughout all of Africa’s regions, allowing us to recommend only the finest.

Once we’ve finished, you may peruse TripAdvisor reviews to find out whether they match your preferences. Our preferred lodges are conveniently located near the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park headquarters; all of our accommodations are private, and each one provides a full breakfast, free WiFi in public areas, and a three-course dinner.

Get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Transportation

Travel to and from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park from Kampala/Entebbe or Kigali is arranged by Katland Safaris. For our luxury road tours, we use 4×4 Land Cruisers, while for our budget safaris, we use 4×4 Safari vans. Skilled safari guides operate each of our vehicles, which are equipped with petrol, water for drinking, and other necessities.

You may travel to and from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. We can book you on daily scheduled flights or organize a charter trip to Bwindi, depending on your budget. There are two airstrips in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Kisoro in the south and Kihihi in the north and east.

Gaining Entry to the Inaccessible Bwindi National Park

You have two options for getting to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: either fly into Entebbe International Airport and then drive for eight to ten hours, or fly into Kigali and then drive for four to five hours, depending on your travel schedule and interests.

There is a plenty to view during the lengthy trip from Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Our Bwindi gorilla trips begin in Kigali, Rwanda, so those who would prefer not to drive for lengthy periods of time may do so.

For gorilla trekking, when is Bwindi the ideal time to visit?

The pleasant climate that Uganda experiences means that Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is open for visitors throughout the year. Keep in mind that the months of June, July, August, and mid-September are often considered the dry seasons in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

This is due to the fact that, in general, gorilla trekking is much more pleasant during these times due to the reduced likelihood of rain and the generally dry terrain. Gorilla permits sell out fast during this season, therefore we recommend that our customers book them in early. March, April, May, November, and October are the rainiest months, thus hotels and tour companies often lower their prices to attract less customers.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park charges a lot for gorilla trekking. Why is that?

Just to spend an hour with mountain gorillas requires a $800 gorilla trekking permit; to spend four hours under habituation, you’ll need to shell out $1,500. Considering that this only covers one or four hours with the gorillas, park taxes, a ranger guide’s services, forest security, and a certificate after the trek—it’s rather pricey.

No lodging or transportation to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is included in the price. Mountain gorillas have been a threatened species for a long time, which is why hiking with them is a costly endeavor.

The nations that protect these gorillas have agreed to charge a premium fee in order to deter tourists. Second, making sure the gorilla population grows via conservation efforts is no small feat. However, going gorilla trekking is an unforgettable experience, and helping to protect these magnificent creatures is an even more satisfying and fulfilling sacrifice.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, is another popular destination for gorilla watching.

When visiting Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Entebbe International Airport, plan to spend three days trekking with gorillas. The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is accessible from Kigali, so a two-day visit might be feasible.

More than 20 days of vacation may be planned if you have the time. Many national parks are available for your enjoyment, including Queen Elizabeth, Lake Mburo, Kidepo Valley, and Murchison Falls in New Zealand.

Our company, Katland Safaris, has been doing gorilla trips in Rwanda and Uganda for over a decade. You may read what our satisfied customers have to say about Katland Safaris on review sites like TripAdvisor and safaribookings. Our Uganda safaris range from three to twenty days long, and they are all reasonably priced and worth every penny. For information, contact us.