A Guide To Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable NP, Uganda.
Primate activities are definitely best found in Uganda, and top on the list when one considers visiting Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is gorilla trekking. The top bucket list trip in Africa is treking far into the magical impenetrable woods to discover a family of mountain gorillas and spending peaceful, undisturbed time. Many thousands of visitors to these gentle giants can attest to this.
Our humanistic nature, 98% of our DNA, and the fact that these unusual delicate creatures are threatened to extinct might all help to explain our love to them. Mountain gorillas have traditionally freely wandered the rift valley and volcanic slopes, covering most of East and Central African forests. Their range gradually vanished with human growth, driving them onto higher land and almost to extinction.
Though gorilla tourism has greatly raised their prospects of survival, a small number—a little over 1000 mountain gorillas—still remain in east-central Africa mountain forests. With about half of the entire population protected, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda ranks #1 among African sites for gorilla trekking activities.
Situated in the southwest rift valley of Uganda, under the shadow of the Virunga Mountains series, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Because the park has some of the most varied plant and animal species on the continent, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though more than 150 animal species call Bwindi Impenetrable Forest home, its famous occupants include close to half of all gorillas in the world.
Available for gorilla tourism, about nineteen (19) gorilla groups in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park have been acclimated to human visitors. A few others are set aside for research and the gorilla habituation experience, which let guests spend almost four hours with the gorillas instead of the usual one hour.
For gorilla trekking in Bwindi, Uganda is a top pick; so, we have created this travel guide to assist you with informed planning of your gorilla safari.
What Should One Expect From Gorilla Trekking Experience in Bwindi
About 500 miles from the capital city, Bwindi is located at the farthest distance in the nation. From Entebbe International Airport to a lodging near the Park entrance, expect to travel around ten hours. Though the trip might be exhausting, many people treasure the tapestry of breathtaking scenery vistas exposed across the countryside, particularly the unending terraced slopes and foggy mountain tops of southern Uganda.
Four smaller sectors—Nkuringo and Rushaga in the south, Buhoma in the north, and Ruhija in the west—make up Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and each has a trailhead to provide access to variously inhabited gorilla populations. You should plan to stay at one of the trailheads closest to your gorilla permit. Many of the hotel choices are around the four sector entrances. Keeping near to the gorillas guarantees that you will be there by 07:00, the start of the trip, on schedule.
For the pre-gorilla hiking in Bwindi, all visitors must be at the briefing point—park entry hall—by 07:00. Expect to be grouped in tiny limited groups (of around eight people per gorilla family) allocated a gorillas group, a skilled local tracker guide, and two armed rangers for your protection throughout the briefing.
Following the briefing, your skilled tracker guide will take your party into the forest at precisely 08:00, maintaining the pace of the slowest member in the group. You will not find well groomed paths. But your tracker and rangers will be cutting your route with a machete, guiding you across difficult ground to where they believe the gorillas to be. Hiking is demanding and calls for modest physical ability; hence, make sure your body is ready for such effort.
On the plus side, local porters have enabled anybody to go near the gorillas. From the nearby towns, porters search for sustainability by looking to gorilla tourism. So, go for it; employing one would immediately assist these communities. At the trailhead in purple uniforms, expect to discover these powerful ladies and men ready to help anybody eager to negotiate the difficult terrain and fulfill their goal of seeing the mountain giants with $20 parted with.
Before you come across the gorilla family, the journey over the dense bush might take thirty minutes to four hours. Gorillas, you see, could get up and go wherever inside the 331 sq km park and walk the forest doors without constraint.
Luckily, rangers arrive before they leave the nests and remain with them throughout the day. They would be providing bearings of their position and conversing with your tracker using a walkie-talkie. Thus, at 98%, the likelihood of hiking to view the gorillas in Bwindi is really strong. Still, the length of the journey remains unknown.
Expect to silently observe the gorillas at a limited distance of 10 meters, therefore avoiding any physical contact whatsoever. You have to avoid flash photography and munching, wear a facemask. Nearby will be your guide, providing you with fascinating anecdotes, facts, and knowledge about the gorilla group and their environment. Try not to occupy yourself with pictures; your awareness at the moment will greatly affect the nature of your encounter during the one hour with the gorillas.
Your guide will gently recover your group at the end of the hour and bring you to a far-off location to eat lunch or snack before you return to your lodge to remember the experience.
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi’s Cost
The price of the gorilla permit determines the cost of gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable; most visitors can pay this somewhat reasonably. At Bwindi, a gorilla permit is $800 per person per trip.
Still, other factors—including the permit, lodging, food, transportation, and administrative expenses—define the cost of the gorilla safari. Of all, the gorilla permit has the most difficult logistical arrangement.
Bwindi has fewer than 160 permits daily, hence less than 160 individuals may see gorillas on a given day. This makes the permits rare and much sought after. You would be fortunate to reserve a permit three months before the trekking date during the hot seasons of July through September. Start then, then, for future planning. Email and we will quickly get the permission on your behalf!
For a budget, your lodging in Bwindi will run you less than $250; for a mid-range, $250-$350; and for an elite luxury lodge, more than $400. Transfers, depending on the supplier and your starting point, might be between $50 and $300 daily including driver expenses and gasoline or fuel.
Given the foregoing, a gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi is significantly less expensive even if the experience is the same as in Rwanda. (see the guide on Rwandan gorillas) Our advisors would be pleased to assist you in planning your Uganda safari for a correct price. Emails to us would be appreciated.
Best Time To Go, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, 1,160m – 2,607m, surrounded by tropical climate and flora that becomes somewhat cold in the evenings and when it rains. It may rain anywhere, and the more intense rain might interfere with your gorilla trip. Steer clear of visiting Bwindi in April, May, September through November when roads are inaccessible and paths are slick.
Gorilla treking in Bwindi is ideally timed for the dry seasons, June through August and December through February. Less rain in the dry seasons means less disturbance of the path. Roads are manageable; walking beneath the forest canopy is simpler; you may schedule additional activities such nature walking, birdwatching, and those cheerful communal walks.
Although the dry season is the busiest travel season in the nation, the park seems empty as the number of hikers is somewhat limited. But arrange your vacation during the rainy seasons if you want to benefit from Bwindi’s low season rates. Most resorts provide great rates to capitalize on the few guests during the rains.
What Should I Bring For The Gorilla Trek?
Out in the Bwindi mountain woods, it is chilly and wet; you have to remain warm and dry. Your packing list should call for a lightweight rain jacket, an evening lodge sweater, thick socks, and maybe a scarf.
To prevent prickly plants pocking your skin, carry a pair of lightweight, waterproof hiking shoes, gaiters, pants, and long sleeve shirt for gorilla trekking in Bwindi. Also pack a waterproof bag to keep your equipment dry and maybe a shelter to cover your head. These should all be light; otherwise, you would be sweating on the difficult climb carrying a weight.
Here is a comprehensive packing guide for gorilla treking in Uganda.
Getting To Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Your major gate into Uganda is Entebbe International Airport. About 500 miles from Entebbe, Bwindi is reachable by about ten-hour drive. About two hours’ drive beyond the southern and northern sectors, chartered flights between Entebbe and two airports—Kihihi in the north and Kisoro in the south—each about.
For gorilla trekking, Bwindi has four separate trailheads spaced several odd hours away by road: Nkuringo and Rushaga in the south, Ruhija in the east, and Buhoma in the north.
If you are joining Bwindi from Queen Elizabeth National Park on the western Uganda safari circuit, you will travel around 3-5 hours to reach Buhoma and 5-6 hours to reach the southern parts Nkuringo and Rushaga. From Lake Mburo National Park, you will reach Nkuringo and Rushaga in four to five hours; from there, you will travel six to seven hours to Buhoma.
During the rainy seasons, we advise you to drive 4×4 cars to go to the gorilla trekking paths; roads are not passable under the rain. There are no roads inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park; only foot travel is possible.
Where To Stay Accommodation for all kinds of visitors crosses the park limits at all the four gorilla trekking trailheads in Bwindi; you wouldn’t fail to discover an outstanding site to relax and have a meal before you go on the demanding journey into the thick forest.
From homestays, hostels to modest lodges with only four rooms, choices run from cozy getaways to luxury resorts and camps within the park that really stretch your means. Here is a list to give thought;
North Buhoma Sector; Budget; less than $250 per night
Rest Camp for the Buhoma Community
Camp on Gorilla Conservation
Guest House bwindi
Bandas View from Bwindi
Eco Heroes Gorilla Resort
Friends Lodge from Gorilla
Lodge of Jungle View
Midrange ($250–$400)
Lake Kitandara Bwindi Camp
Enggi Lodge
Resort for Gorillas
Mahogany springs for camping
Lodge of Silverback
High-end ($400+)
Camp of Sanctuary Gorilla Forest
Lodge in Buhoma
The Lodge at Bwindi
Sector Nkuringo & Rushaga south; high-end ($400 more)
Mountains Gorilla Lodge in Clouds
Grocery Heights Lodge
middle ($300 – $350)
Gorilla Lodge Nkuringo Bwindi
Chameleon Hill Lodge
Lake Mutanda Resort Budget (below $250)
Gorilla Safari Lodge
Ichumbi’s Grocery Lodge
Lodge in Gorilla Valley
Ruhija Sector ( eastern )
Budget between $50 and $300, mid-range
Ruhija Gorilla Lodge safaris
Ruhija Gorilla Mist Camp, Trekkers Tavern cabins
lodge Gift of Nature
Ruhija Gorilla Resort Friends Resort & Campsite
Ruhija Community Rest Camp Design You Gorilla Trekking Safari in Bwindi, Rwanda
Any Uganda safari should not be compared to arranging a major city trip; neither should a gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi. Planning a Uganda safari with gorilla permits, locating appropriate lodging with meals, and scheduling your transfers calls for an experienced local operator to negotiate the difficult issues.
You schedule your vacation according on your tastes and budget with support from a local operator; nevertheless, you still get to enjoy your trip knowing that someone with local knowledge has taken care of everything.
Book your Bwindi gorilla trip with Katland Safaris. We live here and have a reasonable sustainable travel footprint you can rely on. Write us an email.
