Planning a Gorilla Tour in Uganda.
Gorilla tourism has helped mountain gorillas survive for millennia in the Virungas and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. In Uganda, gorilla trekking is one of the most rewarding travel experiences. This article will help you plan a trip.
Uganda protects more than half of the world’s mountain gorillas, making gorilla trekking one of the most exhilarating experiences. Uganda offers the best primate viewing in the world with traditional wildlife safaris in 10 protected national parks.
A typical gorilla vacation begins in Kibale National Park with a day of gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and another in Lake Mburo or Queen Elizabeth National Park’s savannah plains.
Thus, let us study how to organize a Ugandan gorilla tour utilizing all available resources and government data.
- Uganda Gorilla Tour Planning Tools
- Where in Uganda are mountain gorillas?
- Expect gorilla adventures.
- Local operator identification
- Booking a gorilla permit
- Uganda travel rules
- For the gorilla trip, what should you bring?
- What to anticipate on a gorilla tour?
- Reaching the gorilla’s habitat
- Where should one rest when traveling?
- Mature gorillas trek
- Great time for gorilla tour
- What else before or follows gorilla trekking?
- Ecological gorilla travel
- Planning your gorilla excursion
Where in Uganda are mountain gorillas?
Two Ugandan reserves allow people to observe mountain gorillas. Mgahinga National Park in the Virunga Mountains of Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC is first. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwest Uganda is another Albertine Rift Valley part.
Nearly half of Uganda’s mountain gorillas live in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Tourists may spend at least an hour with 300 mountain gorillas in Bwindi during gorilla trekking.
Nineteen tourist gorilla groups live in Bwindi spanning four trailheads. North Buhoma, east Ruhija, and south Nkuringo provide daily gorilla trekking. Each Bwindi sector prepares eight-person groups to observe each gorilla family.
Your gorilla permit to track gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest will display your sector, allowing you to walk just those animals. You may select which gorilla group to visit during the early morning trailhead briefing with the UWA guide.
Visitors may hike one gorilla family in Mgahinga from UWA park headquarters after paying a permit. At the foot of three extinct Virunga Mountains in Mgahinga National Park are Mount Muhavura, the tallest, Mount Gahinga, the lowest, and Mount Sabinyo, which is in three nations.
In the Mgahinga bamboo forest rainforests, tourists may spend an hour in one of the world’s natural wonders and live.
To learn about Uganda’s mountain gorilla habitats, see Where to see them.
Prepare for a Ugandan Gorilla Tour
Even after the pandemic devastated the tourism business, Ugandan gorilla trip preparations have not changed significantly. Selecting a local operator to help arrange the trip, booking a gorilla permit months in advance, confirming travel limitations, buying airplane tickets, deciding what to bring, and getting to the small East African country are the steps.
Locally Looking for an Operator
Choose a local operator like a hair salon. They must be skilled in negotiating local bureaucracy to provide you a great safari tour. others visitors choose an agency in their country, others organized a gorilla trip themselves, and many preferred to work directly with local specialists.
Other advantages of working with locals include reducing agency costs and getting free expert advice. Booking your selected accommodation, transfers, tour activities, and single-price travel will be handled quickly by a local operator.
Licenced local operator Katland Safaris has a stellar gorilla excursion record in Rwanda and Uganda. Uganda’s best safari providers can help you plan a gorilla tour.
Planning a Ugandan Gorilla Permit
Going to Uganda to see gorillas is challenging, but getting a permit is much harder. Gorilla permits are few, especially in peak seasons.
Due to Uganda’s 19 gorilla groups and eight visitors per group, UWA offices issue 152 permits everyday. More people want gorilla tours everyday than there are permits.
We recommend securing the permit months in advance to avoid conflict on gorilla excursion days in Uganda. Book early to pick your vacation day, park sector, and post-walk resting spot.
Ugandan gorilla permits cost what?
Ugandan gorilla permits cost USD 800 (£495/€575) per day. A permission needs 15 years of age. EAC nationals pay UGX 300,000 per person; foreign residents (with work permits) pay $700. Uganda Gorilla Visitation Restrictions
Gorillas may be seen year-round in Uganda’s vast national parks.
The main gorilla travel limitation in Uganda is a negative COVID-19 test before and after your expedition. When entering Uganda, authorities need a Negative COVID-19 PCR Test Certificate given within 72 hours. Retaking the test before leaving will protect the folks you pick up.
You must have the test regardless of your COVID immunization. Visitors from certain countries, such as the US, UK, UAE, Turkey, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Tanzania, may undergo a 4-hour arrival test. Others may have no immigration issues.
Travel restrictions might change at any time. Follow the latest developments at least several weeks before visiting.
Remember to use facemasks. Ugandans must wear facemasks. Ugandan gorilla tours need two facemasks—preferably N95—and a new one for the gorilla sighting.
Strict rules limit you to a 10-meter safe distance from gorillas, preventing contact. Visitors may only spend one hour with gorillas unless they have a four-hour habituation experience.
Your travel manager or national consulate can provide the latest Uganda visa requirements as almost everyone requires one. A $50 60-day Uganda visa covers a gorilla expedition.
Visas. immigration.go.ug processes visas online, so you don’t have to wait in Uganda.
Gorilla vacation packing: what to bring? Our expert produced something to help you plan your Uganda safari during epidemic seasons.
A gorilla journey requires tracking shoes, a long-sleeved shirt, jeans, a rain jacket, a waterproof bag, and insect repellent to protect you against rain, prills, and mosquitoes.
As you will be staying at a camp or resort near the trailhead, your luggage will likely be there. What you packed for the trip may not fit on the gorilla trail.
On the gorilla trail—half a day in the bush—you will carry a light backpack containing your food, photography gear, facemask, insect repellent, and rain jacket.
The trailhead may need your passport and authorization for examination. Before entering the bush, your hands and shoes will be sterilized.
Mountain gorilla woodlands reach 4,000 meters. Camp evenings are cool, so bring something comfortable for leisure time.
This detailed list includes particular goods you should carry for your Uganda gorilla excursion.
Gorilla tours—what to expect?
Every step of a Ugandan gorilla safari should be exciting. The roughly 499-mile trek takes you from stunning rural scenery to the gorilla habitat.
Reaching Gorillas
Expect to drive eight hours on well-paved roads and three hours on a dirt road to the gorilla park unless you fly one hour nearby. A two- to three-hour dirt road ride from a domestic flight to a small airport outside the gorilla park will get you to a camp.
If you have the strength, local gorilla operators offer journeys from Entebbe International Airport to the gorillas—stay a night or two or go straight.
A cheap Ugandan gorilla excursion tracks gorillas the next day and returns to Entebbe or a southern safari park.
To travel between Entebbe and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or from the airstrip to their hotel outside the park, consider renting a 4×4 safari vehicle. So, expect a 4-6-seater to cost $250 to $300 each day, including the driver guide but not gas.
Where should I stay in Uganda for a gorilla tour?
By sectioning Uganda’s gorilla parks into smaller trailheads, facilities around the five sectors of the national parks have improved. Expect several hotel alternatives in Uganda for your gorilla tour.
Buhoma, Rushaga, and Nkuringo are popular Ugandan gorilla trekking routes. You can forget the grueling hike to the mountain gorillas at several hotels, from modest camps to deluxe jungle resorts, within walking distance of the hiking start.
Ruhija Gorilla Lodge in eastern Bwindi trailhead provides quiet and comfort for gorilla safaris. This tiny getaway has warm baths, stunning views, delicious meals, and comfy beds.
One may stay in Rushaga and Nkuringo, the south Bwindi trailhead.
- Luxury Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge
- Luxury Mountains Lodge, Cloud Mountains Lodge
- Mutanda Lake Mid-range Resort
- Mid-range Chameleon Hill and
- Budget-friendly Bwindi View Banda
The best locations to stay for a gorilla tour in Rushaga and Nkuringo trailheads are these. At one of these places, you’ll arrive at the trailhead on time and return to the greatest jungle amenities.
Stay at Buhoma, north of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, for gorilla trekking.
- Upscale Buhoma Lodge
- Gorilla Forest Camp, upscale
- The Luxury Bwindi Lodge
- Mid-range Mahogany Springs
- Mid-range Silverback Lodge
- Budget for Engagi
- Budget for Buhoma Community Lodge
Bwindi View Bandas: Cost
Where to stay might be challenging, especially if this is your first gorilla expedition. Using a local operator who has vetted the camps is essential for getting a fair hotel cost.
Discover Africa guarantees a great experience with Uganda’s mountain gorillas and offers a great selection of hotel alternatives we’ve partnered with. Trekking Gorilla Mountains
Morning briefings at the trailhead before entering the foggy woodlands should begin a few minutes before 8:00. Your lodge or driver will take you to the trailhead office for a briefing with other tourists. Gorilla family will be assigned for your tour.
Match yourself with seven other hikers based on your physical ability to trek a gorilla group. Following operating procedures and staying close to your group is required.
Two rangers flanking the group will lead you into the woods at the slowest pace. Your path will be unmarked as the rangers use a machete to chop through plants and bushes.
You’ll be holding to unknown plants and branches to balance on the uneven terrain, so wear gloves. What painful or prickly branch you could accidentally hold is uncertain.
Gorilla trekking takes how long?
Walks to the gorilla family might take 30–4 hours. Mountain gorillas may roam up to 41 sq km, making their whereabouts difficult to predict.
How often are Ugandan mountain gorilla sightings?
Park angers descend ahead of your group to find the gorillas they left overnight and spend the day with them. They direct your group rangers using walkie-talkies. Thus, you will see mountain gorillas year-round.
Your skilled tracker can use a walkie-talkie to reach the rangers. When you find the gorillas, leave your backpack or other object 50 meters away and approach them gently with your hushed camera.
In retrospect, you are not intended to track primates deep in the African bush. Specialists will finish while you acquire gorilla clues.
How hard is Ugandan gorilla trekking?
Walking gorillas is possible. Ugandan gorilla hiking is challenging due to the rough terrain. Gorillas live at low to high altitudes, making access difficult.
Ugandan gorilla tourists all make it to the gorillas despite the difficulty. Rangers are readily accessible because to their system and hiking availability.
Should you hire a porter?
A well-organized group of athletic young people provides porter services to trekkers at trailheads.
You may decide whether to pay a porter depending on your morality to help the people or your ability to travel the jungle with your backpack.
Porter services cost $20–$30. Among the most direct ways to support local residents surrounding gorilla parks.
Does Uganda prohibit gorilla trekking?
Please follow your competent guide’s advise; wild animals are unpredictable. Remember that you’re the visitor, therefore follow forest rules to have a good time.
The restrictions include not emulating the animals, not panicking when something changes, not eating near the gorillas, and most crucially, wearing a facemask and staying 10 meters away.
Gorilla trekking rules seem simple, but disregarding one might result in a 300-pound silverback severing your neck in the forest. Visitors should find the rules simple to obey and not worry about failing jungle relations.
Please read the gorilla trekking instructions carefully.
Spend how much time with gorillas?
Hikers get 60 minutes with the gorillas at UWA. Best advice: focus on planning your gorilla encounter and not the time. You may view the gorilla family’s fascinating social dynamics by getting to know the surroundings and leaving the camera behind.
An hour in the forest with a peaceful, thoughtful mind among a huge animal family is plenty. Want more time with gorillas? Book a Rushaga gorilla habituation excursion. At least four hours with the gorilla family costs almost twice.
Usually, gorillas rest in the pleasant morning woods air after breakfast. Thus, little movement occurs. Sit with gorillas while they munch nearby plants.
After your one-hour close encounter with gorillas, your lead guide will indicate the end and bring you out of the jungle.
Since they won’t be looking for gorillas, your rangers may leave the jungle faster than they entered. Expect to have lunch away from the gorilla.
Everyone who completes the challenging path receives a trekking certificate at the trailhead.
Best Travel Time
A gorilla tour in Uganda is fantastic year-round, although the dry months of June–August and December–February are best. Dry seasons make trekking easier since the pathways are drier and there are less flood expectations.
In the dry months, accommodation and permits are scarce since everyone wants to come at the same time. To see gorillas during peak seasons, book at least a year in advance.
Housing and logistics are easier in the rainy months of March–May and September–November, but prepare to get wet on the trek. Most facilities offer rainy-month discounts, although first-timers may have trouble getting them.
Whatever gorilla tour you choose in Uganda, bring extra clothing to be warm on cold camp evenings and dry on the journey. Mountain gorilla sanctuaries are in the highlands at 8,000–13,000 feet, where it’s freezing at night.
Our month-by-month gorilla safari scheduling assistance is also available. Anything else before or after Gorilla Trekking?
Uganda is the best spot to visit primates, and hiking chimpanzee communities in their habitats is the ultimate gorilla tour activity. A safari 64km north of Bwindi will provide you the same experience as anywhere else in Africa.
Safari game demand
A gorilla tour in Uganda is great because you can easily combine a game drive safari in one of the savannah game parks and see wildlife as much as in any other big safari area.
Ugandan gorilla game parks 100 kilometers from Lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth National Parks provide great safaris.
During a Uganda safari, elephants and buffalo are common, and lions are easy to see. The Kazinga channel and Mburo are home to hippo, giraffe, crocodile, and zebra.
Before climbing the highlands, most Ugandan gorilla tours stop at Lake Mburo. After visiting the Ishasha tree-climbing lions, others could choose a Kazinga Channel boat safari. Drive across Uganda’s savannah plains to observe the same species as in Kenya, but with fewer animals.
Chimpanzee trekking
Chimp trekking in Kibale National Park or Kyambura Gorge might enrich your Uganda gorilla tour. About 1500 chimpanzees roam the tropical rainforests, some of which are habituated for visitors and provide the best chimp watching in Africa.
Kibale National Park has 13 primate species, including blue, red-tailed, black, and white colobus monkeys. You should visit Kiable on your gorilla excursion to demonstrate your love for primates.
As with gorilla permits, chimpanzee permits cost $250 per person and may be purchased via UWA offices.
Cultural Engagement
Uganda has one of the most diverse civilizations on the continent, but most gorilla hikers choose to meet the Batwa mountain forest people, who reside in the reserve. Accessible and living in little settlements near gorilla trails
Batwa, a small pygmy people, lived with gorillas until the government removed them to create national parks. They now live within the park, trying to modernize and retain their traditions.
After the gorilla trek, visit the Batwa village and walk through their wooded trails to learn about their history and culture.
Natural Paths
You will see Africa’s oldest rainforest, where UNESCO has conserved hundreds of animal species. The ideal places for nature walks or forest treks in Uganda are gorilla habitats.
Uganda’s most popular gorilla tours are the Buhoma-Nkeringo over Bwindi trekking circuit. Locals walk the 4-7 hours between the two trading towns through foggy woods, peaks, rivers, and up hills under the Bwindi canopy.
Some walks beyond Bwindi and Mgahinga national parks provide beautiful views of the dreamy environments occupied by human villages near gorilla dwellings, such the community routes.
A one- to three-hour stroll around Bwindi or Mgahinga towns or open spaces may be added to your Uganda gorilla vacation.
Ideal Monkey Trekking
Golden Monkeys in Mgahinga are popular. Golden monkeys are adorable endangered primates with bright hair and golden brush tips. These little primates reside only in the bamboo woodlands of DRC, Uganda, and Rwanda’s Virunga mountain.
One golden monkey tribe of around thirty is offered to visitors in Mgahinga National Park for $50 per person.
Spending at least an hour with the golden monkey tribe and seeing their gorgeous expressions can make your Uganda gorilla tour more enjoyable.
watching birds
For avid birdwatchers, Bwindi alone offers a vast birdlife. Bwindi boasts 350 bird species, including the African green pigeon, African harrier hawk, Cinnamon-chested bee-eater, Crowned hornbill, Giant kingfisher, and Great Blue Turaco.
All birdwatchers reported a 3-6 hour Kashasha, Ivy, or Buhoma excursion after gorilla trekking.
Our well-written article on what to do after a gorilla walk has further information about a Sustainable Gorilla Tour in Uganda.
Recently, poachers and forest hunters oversaw the extinction of mountain gorillas. Thanks to numerous environmentalists, particularly Dian Fossey. Fossey spent decades studying mountain gorillas in DRC and Rwanda.
The species is still severely endangered, although populations have progressively recovered over the last 60 years. The following explains.
Destruction of habitat
Habitat loss is the biggest mountain gorilla threat. Even though they are protected in game parks, mountain gorillas are losing their range to human populations developing near gorilla sanctuaries. They’re losing their woods.
For human use, commercial forest logging, road building, and agriculture destroy gorilla sanctuaries. Gorillas will compete with humans for resources due of their limited natural resources and poor economy.
Human Illness
Gorillas contain 98% of our DNA and many other physical features that imply they are susceptible to human diseases and lack immunity, according to research. Human disease exposure has traditionally devastated gorilla populations.
Attaching
Poaching remains a big threat despite improved security and monitoring. Poachers kill these amazing creatures for medicine, bushmeat, and wildlife trafficking. Conservation efforts have reduced mountain gorilla poaching.
Ecological Projects
The strong gorilla tourist industry is why Uganda and Rwanda prioritize mountain gorilla conservation.
These governments have implemented 24-hour surveillance of protected areas, harsher penalties for poachers and traffickers, better veterinary care, community education, and alternative livelihoods for local communities around gorilla game parks.
Gorilla habitat overlaps with remote, poor human towns that relied on gorilla woodlands. Many local and international NGOs are raising awareness and helping these people build alternative dependencies.
How to Help Gorillas
Learn about your local operator’s mountain gorilla sustainability efforts. To positively impact your Uganda gorilla tour, book with a local operator employing sustainable gorilla trekking projects.
Second, a porter can help you hike. Hiring a porter involves hiring a community member who would have illegally entered the forest to find work. The trailhead porter may be tipped even if you do not need their services to ensure they get direct help.
Neighborhood residents sell keepsakes on trailhead trails. Please pay $2 for their little stuff. For someone surviving on less than five cents a day, that little deed matters.
Governments use 20% of gorilla permit fees in Uganda to fund infrastructure, education, and alternative livelihoods to reduce human impact.
Despite many obstacles, gorilla tourism in Uganda has dramatically improved mountain gorilla survival with humans. See them to contribute.
Where to observe and help gorillas is our best article. Review and comment on your Gorilla Tour booking section.
Book your Uganda gorilla safari with Katland Safaris. Our experts will manage your gorilla permit, recommend the best trip date, and provide the best hotel alternatives.
Our local experts know gorilla safari bureaucracy. Their experience will be combined with your expectations to create a once-in-a-lifetime primate safari. Send an email.
