Reasons to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda
Reasons to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda; Gorilla trekking is the most popular activity that attracts big numbers of visitors to visit Uganda and it involves moving on foot into the tropical rainforest in search of the mountain gorillas and once found spend one hour with the gorillas in their environment. Mountain gorillas in Uganda are found in two national parks that is Bwindi impenetrable national park which harbours the highest number of mountain gorillas and Mgahinga gorilla national park both located in south western part of Uganda. Gorillas are also found in Volcanoes national park in Rwanda, Virunga national park and Kahuzi biega national park in Democratic Republic of Congo.
Gorilla trekking experience in Uganda
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park starts early in the morning with a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations at the park headquarters. After the briefing, you will be sub-divided into groups of 8 people where each group will be allocated a habituated gorilla family to trek and an experienced park guide. Trekking of mountain gorillas in Uganda takes about 2 hours to 7 hours depending on where the mountain gorillas are located because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During trekking you will be able to view other wildlife species and once the gorillas are found, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural environment which gives you an opportunity to watch them carry out their daily activities, learn more about their behaviours, take photos and record videos.
Costs of gorilla trekking permit in Uganda
Gorilla trekking permits in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park cost 700 USD per person for foreign non residents, 600 USD per person for foreign residents and 250,000 UGX per person for East African citizens.
How to book gorilla trekking permits in Uganda?
Gorilla trekking permits in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park can be booked directly through a trusted tour operator like Achieve Global Safaris where you will contact us with the date, month, year and gorilla destination that is you wish to visit. After contacting us we will check for permit availability and if there are permits available on your preferred dates, you will be asked to make a deposit for the permit. Once the payment has been made, we will be able to purchase the permits on your behalf and send you a scanned copy of the receipt as confirmation.
Reasons to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda
Gorilla trekking is an extraordinary and a must do activity in Uganda and there are various reasons why you should trek the mountain gorillas and they include,
Uganda harbours the highest number of mountain gorillas in the world which are found in Mgahinga gorilla national park and the four sectors in Bwindi impenetrable national park that is buhoma sector in the north, rushaga sector in the south, ruhija sector in the east and Nkuringo sector in the south therefore travellers have a choice to either trek in Bwindi impenetrable national park or Mghinga gorilla national park.
Uganda also has the highest number of mountain gorilla families available for trekking daily therefore travellers will be assured of acquiring the gorilla trekking permits especially the last minute travellers.
Trekking mountain gorillas in Uganda is cheap due to the fact that the gorilla trekking permit costs 700 USD per person for foreign non residents compared to Volcanoes national park where a gorilla trekking permit costs 1,500 USD per person for all nationalities.
Apart from gorilla trekking, Uganda also offers the adventurous gorilla habituation experience where the wild mountain gorillas are trained to get used to human presence for trekking and travellers who engage in the habituation experience will be able to spend four hours with the mountain gorillas compared to gorilla trekking where you spend only one hour with the gorillas.
Another reason to trek the mountain gorillas in Uganda is that Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park can easily be accessed by air transport means where travellers can book scheduled or scheduled domestic flights from Entebbe international airport to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrips.
Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park can also be easily accessed from Kigali Rwanda where tourists can fly to Kigali international airport and then cross to Uganda via cyanika border in Kisoro or katuna border in Kabale which takes about 4 to 5 hours’ drive.
Apart from gorilla trekking, Uganda has various destinations that you can combine with your gorilla trekking adventure and a wide range of interesting activities that you can engage in after gorilla trekking including batwa cultural experience, guided nature walks, wildlife viewing, chimpanzee trekking, golden monkey trekking, mountain climbing, lion tracking experience, boat cruise, white water rafting, sport fishing, chimpanzee habituation experience among others.
Best time to go for gorilla trekking safari in Uganda
Gorilla trekking in Uganda can be done all year round though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June to September and December to February because during this period there is less rainfall in the park therefore access roads and gorilla trekking trails will be passable which makes trekking easy compared to the rainy season when the gorilla trekking trails are muddy and slippery which makes trekking difficult.
What to pack for gorilla trekking safari in Uganda?
There are a number of items that you should pack for your gorilla trekking safari in Uganda including insect repellent, long sleeved shirt and trouser, hiking shoes, garden gloves, energy snacks and drinking water, camera and extra batteries, face masks, waterproof rain jacket, warm sweater, a pair of binoculars, walking stick, back pack among others.
Gorilla trekking is a must do activity in Uganda and for more information about the reasons to trek mountain gorillas, do not hesitate to contact us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website for affordable gorilla trekking packages.
