How to trek Uganda gorillas from Kigali Rwanda
In order to save the time and distance spent traveling from Entebbe airport to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park, gorilla trekking through Rwanda is the newest safari trend in Uganda. Driving from Kigali Airport to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park takes roughly five to six hours, while the travel from Entebbe Airport to these same locations takes eight to nine hours each way.
From Rwanda, you can travel across Uganda by way of the Katuna border to Kabale town, which leads to Northern Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, or the Chanika border to Kisoro town, which leads to Mgahinga National Park or Southern Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
The Uganda wildlife authority or an authorized Uganda tour operator, such as Katland Safaris, is where you must buy the Uganda gorilla trekking permit.
How to Reserve a Gorilla Permit in Uganda
Choose a date when you want to go gorilla trekking in either Mgahinga National Park or Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Two gorilla habituation permits are now available in the southern region of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, out of Uganda’s 152 total mountain gorilla permits.
Our safari adviser verifies availability from the Uganda Wildlife Authority list for the dates of your choice when you contact Katland Safaris.
Due to the strong demand globally, we urge our clients to buy their gorilla permits as soon as possible, if they are available. Securing Uganda gorilla licenses is done on a first-come, first-served basis to lessen the possibility that some people will book gorilla permits but not buy them.
Enter personal information to be included to your gorilla permit card, such as your date of birth, expiration date, and full name as it appears on your passport.
A Gorilla Permit: What Is It?
You can find a completely habituated gorilla family and spend an hour with them if you have a gorilla permit, which is a card provided by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. There are 19 gorilla families in Uganda that are available for gorilla trekking, but the public can only reserve up to eight gorilla permits per family each day.
What is the price of the Uganda Gorilla Permit?
For foreign nonresidents, a Uganda gorilla permit costs $800 per person per trip; for foreign residents, it costs $700; and for East African citizens, it costs 300,000 shs.
You can avoid last-minute anxiety when trying to locate availability by purchasing the gorilla permit in advance. Booking a gorilla permit at the last minute also restricts your options for lodging.
What Does the Price of a Gorilla Permit Include And What Does It Not?
The following is covered by the gorilla permit fee:
After 24 hours at the park, park fees are paid.
Service costs for ranger guides.
assistance from the local community.
Gorilla conservation help.
safety.
The mountain gorillas for an hour.
Tips, a packed meal or drink, lodging, and any other personal belongings are not included in the price of a gorilla permit.
Katland Safaris arranges safari support services and relieves our clients of the hassle of rushing around looking for the ideal resort, car, skilled and informed driver guide, and much more.
On request and at a reasonable cost, we even provide airport pickups for our clients when they arrive.
Can I pay in installments for the gorilla trekking permit?
The Uganda Wildlife Authority permits 30% and 70% of the total payment to be paid in installments for the gorilla permit.
Only travelers who obtain gorilla permits 90 days before to the trek date are subject to this requirement; otherwise, they risk fines.
Paying for your gorilla permit in full is the best option because it will prevent you from forgetting to top it up later, which could result in a fine.
How Much Does It Cost To Trek With Gorillas In Uganda?
The price of a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda can be categorized as budget, mid-range, or luxury. The cost of the gorilla permit is included in all packages and is an essential investment when planning a gorilla safari.
When determining gorilla trekking packages, other factors to take into account include
The quantity of individuals making the journey to gorilla trekking
When to make reservations for the gorilla trekking safari
Days spent on a gorilla trekking safari
Other pursuits in addition to gorilla trekking
Choose a gorilla trekking safari package.
Can I Trek with Gorillas More Than Once?
As long as you buy a gorilla permit each day, you are allowed to go gorilla trekking more than once. Since gorilla trekking is only permitted for one hour, you can do it twice if you would like to spend more time with the mountain gorillas.
For individuals who want to spend more time with the mountain gorillas in a single day, there is a Gorilla Habituation Expedition. A gorilla habituation permit must be purchased from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Gorilla Habituation Adventure: What is it?
A gorilla habituation safari is an excursion in which you spend no more than four hours with a family of semi-habituated mountain gorillas. To help a gorilla family become accustomed to human presence without changing their nature, a team of researchers and habituators can only have a maximum of four tourists accompany them.
For foreign nonresidents, a gorilla habituation permit costs $1500 per person per trek; for foreign residents, it costs $1000 per person; and for East African residents, it costs 750000shs.
Park costs, researcher fees, ranger guide service fees, security, a certificate of successful gorilla habituation, local community assistance, and mountain gorilla conservation support are all included in the price of a gorilla habituation permit.
Transportation expenses, refreshments, lodging, and any other personal belongings are not covered by gorilla habituation permit funding.
When Is the Best Time to Reserve a Rwanda-to-Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari?
Although gorilla trekking experiences are available year-round, most visitors choose the dry season when the majority of forest inhabitants are at their best. It is more thrilling to combine Uganda gorilla trekking with other activities during the dry seasons, which are typically June, July, August, September, December, and January.
Since this is the busiest time of year for safaris in Uganda, most services are in high demand. The gorilla trekking expedition must be scheduled at least six months to a year in advance. Options for service providers are restricted to the final days of the busiest safari days in Uganda.
There are occasionally reduced rates offered to visitors during Uganda’s off-peak gorilla trekking safari season. March, May, April, and November are often the slowest times of year for Uganda safaris. If your budget for an Africa Safari is tight, you might select this season. Additionally, you are likely to use upscale amenities on a tight budget.
Where in Uganda Can I Go Gorilla Trekking?
Impenetrable National Park in Bwindi
Locally, the word “Bwindi” means “impenetrable,” and this park certainly matches both meanings. There are currently 18 gorilla families living in this biosphere reserve, spread across various regions. Four categories are used to book gorilla permits in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park:
The northern region of Buhoma
The Eastern region of Ruhijah
Other fascinating wildlife, such as more than ten species of primates, including black and white colobus, red-tailed monkeys, chimpanzees, grey-cheeked mangabey, L’hoest, and olive baboons, as well as more than 300 tree species, may be found in the Rushaga area of Nkuringo in the south Bwindi impenetrable national park.
When booking lodging for gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you need to take into account the location where your permit has been obtained. In order to make it to the early morning briefing before gorilla trekking, this will help you avoid driving in the dark. Even though one location is rather remote from the others, the roads that connect them occasionally need to be upgraded.
Park in Mgahinga National
Despite being Uganda’s smallest national park, Mgahinga is home to some of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas. In Mgahinga National Park, just one gorilla family has been completely acclimated and made available for gorilla trekking.
Because the Nyakagezi gorilla family had a history of wandering into Rwanda, it was difficult to reserve gorilla permits in advance because they were available only when space was available. Gorilla permits can be reserved in advance, and the gorilla family has been residing in Uganda for a long time.
Three unique volcanoes—Mountain Muhavura, Mountain Sabyinyo, and Mountain Gahinga—backdrop the about 33.7 square kilometer park. You can trek to the summit and back of any of them in eight hours.
The borders of Rwanda, D.R. Congo, and Uganda may all be seen at once from the top of Mount Sabyinyo.
Among the more than 115 bird species known to inhabit Mgahinga Forest, avid birdwatchers have a lengthy list of species to identify, including Albertine endemics.
Although there aren’t many places to stay in Mgahinga National Park, you can spend the night in Kisoro town, which is roughly 14 kilometers from the Ntebeko headquarters. Gahinga Lodge, Majambere Iwachu, Community Camp, and Mutanda Lake Resort are a few lodging options for Mgahinga National Park.
Which Park Is Best for Trekking Bwindi and Mgahinga Mountain Gorillas?
Whether you visit Mgahinga National Park or Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the moment you spot the mountain gorillas is a breathtaking and unique safari experience. The following may help you determine which park is best for gorilla trekking:
There are roughly eighteen gorilla families in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park that are completely accessible to tourists, whereas Mgahinga National Park only has one gorilla family, the Nyakagezi family.
Because it receives fewer visitors, Mgahinga National Park offers the best experience in a virgin forest.
There are several places to stay in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, however it’s preferable to make reservations near the gorilla trekking region. There are possibilities for lodging in Mgahinga National Park, although they are limited.
Other Uganda safari choices, like as game parks, chimpanzee trekking parks, tourist attractions, and much more, are located closer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
What is the duration of a gorilla trek in Uganda?
The proximity of the gorilla food, the possibility of an inter-gorilla family battle, the death of a gorilla family member, and other uncontrollable events in the forest make it difficult to determine when to locate the mountain gorillas.
Depending on the conditions in the jungle, some visitors have been able to locate the mountain gorillas within two hours after beginning the gorilla walk or longer.
Even the gorilla trekker’s speed, where the ranger guide keeps up with the ten slowest trekkers to ensure that nobody gets lost in the bush. Since there is no internet or phone connection to track you down, the rain forest is too big for one to become lost.
You must be physically fit enough to maintain yourself during the mountain gorilla search in order to stay up with other hikers.
What Not to Do in Uganda While on a Gorilla Trekking Safari?
In order to avoid being lost in the wilderness where other unfamiliar forest inhabitants might find you and hurt you without somebody to protect you, try to enter the forest with an accompanying ranger guide.
If you have a contagious illness, such as the flu, COVID-19, or a cough, you should never go into the forest. The mountain gorillas might perish horribly when they see it. Conservation of gorillas has advanced significantly.
Because mountain gorillas are extremely sensitive to trespassers in their surroundings, you should speak quietly or in a low voice to avoid disturbing them.
Keep a distance of approximately 8 meters from the mountain gorillas once you have located them to lessen the possibility of infecting them. Avoid creating any suspensions when you slowly back away from the gorillas as they approach.
Because gorilla trekking is an experience that takes place in the wild and involves many challenges, children under the age of fifteen are not permitted to participate.
When you find a mountain gorilla, spend only an hour with them because that is how they are accustomed to being around people.
Never spit on the ground or flora since this could contaminate the foliage, which is the mountain gorillas’ primary food source.
Mountain gorillas must forage for their food, so don’t feed them.
