Price of gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda; Gorilla trekking is one of the most popular activities in Africa that attracts visitors and it involves visitors moving on foot into the tropical rainforest in search of the habituated mountain gorillas and once found spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is done in Volcanoes national park while in Uganda gorilla trekking is done in two national parks that is Bwindi impenetrable national park which harbors the highest number of Mountain gorillas and Mgahinga gorilla national park both located in southwestern park of Uganda. Price of gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda is determined by different factors including cost of a gorilla trekking permit, cost of transportation, cost of accommodation, length of the gorilla trekking safari, cost of hiring a porter, tipping, the number of people as traveling alone is more expensive because you will have to pay for all the expenses yourself.

Cost of gorilla trekking permit in Uganda and Rwanda

A gorilla trekking permit is a legal document that is issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) or Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to visitors above the age of 15 years allowing them to visit habituated gorilla families and spend one hour with the mountain gorillas. A gorilla trekking permit in Volcanoes national park costs 1,500 USD per person for all nationalities while a gorilla trekking permit in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park costs 800 USD per person for foreign non residents, 700 USD per person for foreign residents and 300,000 UGX per person for East African citizens.

Cost of accommodation

Accommodation is the second factor to consider when planning for your gorilla trekking safari in Uganda and gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda. Cost of accommodations in Bwindi impenetrable national park, Mgahinga gorilla national park and Volcanoes national park depend on your budget because the accommodations range from budget, midrange and luxury. Price of budget accommodations range between 100 USD to 200 USD per room, midrange accommodations range between 200 USD to 300 USD per room and luxury accommodations from 800 upwards. Accommodations can be booked by your trusted tour operator like Achieve Global Safaris. Travelers who want to book their own accommodation should ensure that the lodge is located near the starting point so that you arrive in time for gorilla trekking briefing.

Cost of transport

After acquiring the gorilla trekking permit and the type of accommodation where you will be staying, the next step is means of transport to the gorilla destinations. Cost of transport varies depending on the mode of transport to the gorilla destinations in Uganda and Rwanda as there are two modes of transport to use when traveling to Bwindi impenetrable national park, Mgahinga gorilla national park and Volcanoes national park. You can either use road transport means for example a safari land cruiser or safari van or air transport means where you will book scheduled or charter domestic flights with Aero link Uganda or Bar aviation from Entebbe international airport to Kisoro or Kihihi airstrips.

Cost of transport is also determined by the length of safari for example in Uganda the least number of days for a gorilla trekking safari is 2 days gorilla trekking safari from Kigali where on the first day, the driver guide will pick you up from Kigali airport and transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park or Mgahinga gorilla national park. On the second day you will engage in gorilla trekking and then transfer back to Kigali. When you fly to Entebbe international airport, the least number of days for a gorilla trekking safari is 3 days where on the first day, you will transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park or Mgahinga gorilla national park, on the second day you engage in gorilla trekking and on the third day you transfer back to Kampala. Transportation to Bwindi impenetrable national park, Mgahinga gorilla national park and Volcanoes national park can be arranged by your tour operator.

Cost of hiring a porter

Travelers going for gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda are advised to hire a porter to help them carry their backpacks, cameras, give you a pull and push during trekking especially during the rainy season when the forest is slippery which makes gorilla trekking difficult. Travelers who Hire porters during gorilla trekking will be contributing for community development because some of the porters have families and others are school children. Price of hiring a porter ranges from 15 USD to 20 USD per porter

Tipping

 Tipping is a form of appreciation to the hotel staff, park rangers, guides, waiters, waitresses and driver guides for the work done. There is no set amount for tipping in Uganda and Rwanda as it’s not mandatory but it acts as a motivation to encourage the hotel staff, guides among others to keep on delivering and the tipping amount will depend on you.

For more information about price of gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda, you can contact us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website to book an affordable gorilla trekking safari package.