Uganda Gorilla Trekking Guide
A detailed and complete guide to see Mountain Gorillas in Uganda | Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Safaris | Mgahinga Gorilla Trekking Safaris | Gorilla habituation in Bwindi
If your dream is to look into the eyes of the mountain gorilla, then Uganda is the perfect destination for this Safari Magic to happen. This comprehensive guide on gorilla trekking by Katland safari will help you best explain the gorilla trekking expedition through Uganda.
Uganda, being home to more than half of the remaining population of mountain gorillas, makes it the perfect destination for this Safari magic to happen. In Uganda, gorilla tracking is only done in two gorilla destination parks, that’s from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Both parks are located in the scenic and beautiful western part of Uganda.
What is mountain gorilla trekking? | Uganda Gorilla Trekking Guide
This is one of the most adventurous activities to be undertaken by tourists while on a safari through Uganda. This Tourist activity involves hiking through the dense and thick forest vegetation of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in search of mountain gorillas peacefully residing in their natural habitats. Each gorilla trekking expedition starts with a briefing at the starting point. Each group of tourists is led into the thick forest by an experienced guide and the gorilla search begins. Once you encounter the mountain gorillas, you will be allowed a full one hour in the company of the mountain gorillas, taking pictures and videos in silence
Where is gorilla trekking done in Uganda?
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is in the south-western part of Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a world hostage site and home to more than 50% of the global remaining population of mountain gorillas. Besides the endangered mountain gorillas, the park is a biodiversity hot spot, home to other wildlife, including birds and other mammals and plants, and tree species.
Of the entire global population of 1064 gorilla individuals. Uganda is home to more than 50% of that population, making Uganda the best destination for gorilla trekking. Currently, Bwindi has 15 gorilla families habituated and made ready to humans.
Where in Bwindi is gorilla trekking done?
There are four major and famous sectors in Bwindi, including Nkuringo sector, Ruhija sector, Buhoma sector, and Rushaga sector. Each gorilla trekking sector in Bwindi has different habituated groups of mountain gorillas that are made open to tourists. However, the Rushaga gorilla sector has more habituated gorilla families compared to the other sectors.
Rushaga and Nkuringo gorilla sectors are located in the southern part of Bwindi and close to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. This makes it easy to combine gorilla trekking with golden Monkey tracking in both Bwindi and Mgahinga, respectively.
The other sectors are Buhoma, located in the Northern parts of Bwindi, and Ruhija sector, located in the Eastern part of Bwindi, and located in proximity to Queen Elizabeth National Park, making it easier to combine gorilla trekking with a wildlife game viewing safari.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Besides Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, gorilla trekking in Uganda is also done in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
The park is home to only one single family, called the Nyakagozi gorilla family. This family is habituated and ready for tourists. Besides mountain gorilla trekking, the park is home to three volcanic mountains, mountain Sabinyo, Muhavura, and Gahinga mountains. These are part of the 6 extinct volcanoes found in the Viruga ranges shared by the three gorilla countries of Uganda, Rwanda, and DR Congo. Besides gorilla trekking, the park is known as the smallest in Uganda, covering only 38 km².
The park is also home to golden monkeys, 76 mammal species, buffaloes, elephants among other wildlife species. Mgahinga is a destination with a great number of bird species of over 115, making it a birders’ heaven.
The cost of gorilla trekking in Uganda.
Every visitor for gorilla trekking in Uganda is required to have a gorilla trekking permit. This is a document issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority on behalf of the Ugandan government, and it’s the document that allows access to gorilla destinations and spending time with mountain gorillas. The permit in Uganda costs 800 USD per person, 700 USD for the foreign and non resident guests, it costs 300,000ugx for East African citizens.
The overall cost of your Safari is, however, determined by the cost of accommodation and other safari logistics like transportation and food.
Katland Safaris organizes all-inclusive and affordable gorilla trekking safaris to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Acquiring a gorilla trekking permit
Gorilla trekking is a very competitive tourist activity, and therefore, gorilla trekking permits are advisable to be acquired early enough before arrival in Uganda. Gorilla trekking permits are issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority from their Kampala office. You can make a reservation by sending an email to Uganda Wildlife Authority or you can acquire your permit through a trusted tour operator like Katland Safaris.
Katland Safaris is one of the few tour companies that can purchase for you a gorilla trekking permit in advance and, in some exceptional case,s on short notice. Your gorilla permit can be purchased for you upon confirmation of your travel with us by email or by simply sharing with us a message on Whats App. We will relatively make a permit reservation, send you an invoice you to make payment
Once payments are made, we will straight away purchase your gorilla trekking permit and send you a scanned copy of your permit for personal record purposes and for you to take on the adventure.
Best Time to Go Gorilla Trekking in Uganda | Uganda Gorilla Trekking Guide
From mid December all through January, February, June, to early September is the best time to go to gorilla trekking in Uganda. During these months of the year, the weather is relatively good and the vegetation is relatively shorter, making game viewing easier. However, it should be noted that gorilla trekking can be carried out all through the month of the year and you have high chances of seeing mountain gorillas all through the year.
Packing for the gorilla trekking adventure in Uganda
What to carry for gorilla trekking.
Gorilla trekking is a very adventurous and tiring activity at the same time. The activity takes you through very thick forests and sometimes through muddy areas. There are sections in the forest that are steep and strenuous. Because of those conditions, its is advisable for the guests to pack comfortable walking shoes, long sleeve cotton shirts, long and high weight trouser. These are meant to protect you from forest under growth, stinging thorns and biting aunts.
Other items to include in your travel bag are: torch, flashlight with spare batteries, water bottles, sweater, swimwear, binoculars, cameras/lenses, boots, socks, garden gloves, sandals/walking shoes, huts, insect repellents, rain jacket.
Is gorilla trekking in Uganda hard and challenging?
In both Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, conditions for gorilla trekking vary as gorillas keep moving through the dense forests. The terrain is often muddy and steep. The forests are stiff to the level rangers are forced at times to create paths with pangas. The gorilla trekking adventure can take anything between 1 hour to eight hours of being in the forest. This is dependent on the current location of the mountain gorillas on that day.
Best safari lodges for gorilla trekking in Uganda.| Uganda Gorilla Trekking Guide
Safari lodges and accommodation facilities are distributed all around the park. Your choice of accommodation is usually determined by the location of your gorilla point and each gorilla trekking sector in Bwindi has various accommodation facilities ranging from budget, mid Range to luxury.
If you are trekking Mountain gorillas from Nkuringo sector, the best lodges to pick from include Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Lake Mutanda resort. Nkuringo Bwindi gorilla lodge. All the above lodges are in proximity to the starting point for gorilla trekking.
If your gorilla trekking permit directs you to the Northern part of Bwindi, that’s Buhoma sector, you still have a wide range of safari lodges to choose from including ride for a woman, Buhoma lodge, Buhoma community rest camp, trekkers Tarvan cottages, Ruhija Gorilla safari lodge, Agandi Eco lodge, Bwindi lodge, among others.
The best gorilla trekking sector in Bwindi
Which ever sector for gorilla trekking in Bwindi you choose; you still have 99% chances of seeing the mountain gorillas in their natural environment. However, Katland safaris recomends Buhoma sector for gorilla trekking because of its relatively low elevation nature as compared to the rest. While gorilla trekking in Buhoma, visitors in most cases spend 3-4 hours in the jungle and are in most cases, back to the gorilla starting by 11 am.
The second sector we usually recommend for gorilla tracking to our visits is Rushaga sector. This is because Rushaga sectors has very many habituated gorilla families and getting permits for Rushaga is relatively easier compared to other gorilla trekking sectors.
For more adventurous guests we recommend Nkuringo and Ruhija. These two sectors have a higher elevation, making the trekking experiences a little bit strenuous but highly adventurous.
Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for gorilla trekking. | Uganda Gorilla Trekking Guide
By Air,
This is the best and most recommended way for tourists with limited time in Uganda but would want to experience the gorilla trekking in Uganda.
You can choose to fly from either Entebbe International Airport or from Kajansi airstrip to Kihihi airstrip, depending on which part of Bwindi sector you are tracking mountain gorilla from; a Drop off to Kihihi airstrip gives you access to the northern gorilla trekking sectors of Buhoma and Ruhija, and a drop off at Kisoro airstrip gives you quick access to Nkuringo and Rushaga in the northern parts of Bwindi Forest.
There are various domestic airlines with scheduled and chartered flights from Kampala or Entebbe and they include Aero link, and Bar aviation. To make the best of your flight from Kampala or Entebbe to Bwindi, it’s recommended that you plan early enough with us for transfers from your hotel to the Airstrips.
By road.
Accessing Bwindi Forest National Park by Road will give you the best opportunity to have the bes views of rural western Uganda. It gives you the opportunity to have some views of rural – western Uganda, it gives you the opportunity to make multiple stops, notably at the Uganda equator. It’s the most recommended way to transfer to Bwindi Forest for people with time to spend on a Uganda safari.
All the gorilla trekking sectors in Bwindi are accessed by the road from Kampala – Entebbe to western Uganda. Ruhigi sector and Buhoma sector can be accessed along the Kabaale – Kisooro road. You can also access Buhoma from Queen Elizabeth National Park through the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth and other trekking sectors that’s Rushaga and Nkumyo can be accessed by a turn off along Kabaale Kisoro highway
Other gorilla trekking destinations in Africa
RWANDA AND THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO.
Rwanda and Congo both neighboring countries to Uganda, are the other destinations recommended for gorilla trekking. Rwanda`s gorilla trekking permit is a very expensive one. The gorilla permit in Rwanda goes for 1500 USD for foreign non-residents per person, 800 USD for East Africa foreign residents and 200 USD for East African citizens.
Uganda`s gorilla trekking costs 800 dollars for foreign residents, 500 dollars for non-residents, and 90 dollars for East African citizens. The gorilla trekking permit in Congo goes for 400 dollars for foreign non residents 200 dollars for East African citizens.
The variation in the cost of the gorilla permits in the three countries is based on the number of country governance policies. Rwanda is selling itself as a luxury safari destination, Uganda sells itself as an affordable destination, and DR Congo is trying to promote its gorilla trekking activities after the political climates that have engulfed the country for quite a long period of time.
Comparing lodging options
When it comes to safari lodges for your gorilla trekking safaris, all the three countries Uganda, Rwanda, and D.R. Congo, offer accommodation ranging from high end, Mid range and budget accommodations.
Rwanda`s volcanoes national park offers the best accommodation for gorilla trekking tourists seeking a more luxurious option. Some of these lodges offer great luxury services ranked as some of the best in the whole of Africa. Some of the best lodges in the volcanoes national park include Bisate lodge and Singita Kwitonda Lodge.
For the tourists looking for a more affordable and budget accommodation for a gorilla safari, then Uganda and Congo are the best options. Many lodges in Uganda and Congo will range between 100 dollars to 30 dollars per person on either bed and breakfast or on full board basis as per your looking.
In terms of gorilla populations, Uganda is home to more than 50% of the remaining population of mountain gorillas. This makes it the best destination for gorilla trekking in the whole world. Because of this population, Uganda has more habituated gorilla families compared to Rwanda.
20 habituate gorilla families can be found in Bwindi, meaning 160 gorilla trekking permits are available to gorilla trekking tourists every day, compared to the 12 habituated gorilla families in Rwanda`s Volcanoes National Park that only give chance to 96 gorilla tourists in single day. Congo has a total of 10 known gorilla families within Kihuzi Biga national park and in Virunga national park
This difference in gorilla population makes Uganda the best destination for gorilla trekking in Africa.
Comparing gorilla trekking experiences between Uganda, Congo and Rwanda
All the three countries will give you the greatest experience and that’s looking into the eyes of the mountain gorillas. Because gorilla trekking is a very organized tourist activity, countries will offer you 98% chances of seeing mountain gorillas in the wild.
Uganda however gives you a move adventures experiences compared to other destinations through her gorilla habituation experiences. This package gives you the opportunity to spend a maximum of 4 hours in the company of mountain gorilla observing their ways of life after allocating them.
When it comes to the actual gorilla trekking experience, distance you cover on the trek depends on the gorilla family you are trekking that day at a particular national park and a particular country.
In all the three gorilla trekking destinations, gorilla families to be trekked are allocated depending on the visitor’s physical fitness. In case you want a shorter or more adventurous trekking option, you can always inform us to make that arrangement early enough.
Booking gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo with Katland Safaris.
Katland safaris organizes the best gorilla and wildlife safaris in East Africa. When it comes to gorilla trekking, we will book your gorilla trekking permits for Uganda`s Bwindi and Mgahinga gorilla national park, and gorilla permits for Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Besides booking your gorilla permit, we will also put all other gorilla safaris accessories like transportation and accommodation in one package to make your gorilla trekking safari a memorable adventure:
Your gorilla trekking safaris can be customised to meet your safaris exceptions, needs and budget. The safaris package can range from budget, mid range and luxury safaris.
Feel free to contact our team of excellent safaris consultants to help you organize the best Africa gorilla safari ever.
