Which is The best Gorilla Trekking Area Of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

The best gorilla trekking area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park varies with your interests but all gorilla families are amazing when you stay for that hour around them.

Four administrative areas make up vast Bwindi forest that is Buhoma in the North, Ruhija in the Eastern part, Rushaga and Nkuringo in the south. Bwindi forest is a dense jungle tangled vegetation with thick endless forest cover sitting on a rugged landscape of 327 square kilometers.

Uganda currently has more than 23 gorilla trekking families open to the public of which are confirmed as residents of the four areas that make up Bwindi forest. Some of the gorilla trekking families of Bwindi include Rushegura, Nshongi, Kahungye, Mubare, Nkuringo, Busingye, Habinyanja, Bweza, Agasha and more.

When you book a gorilla trekking permits for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, it is randomly reserved according to these four areas. These four gorilla safari areas help with the choice of accommodation to use while on safari in Bwindi. It is best to note where your gorilla trekking permit is booked to avoid having to wake up early morning to catch up with early morning briefing.

How To Book A Gorilla Permit For Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Select a date when you hope to do gorilla trekking in Bwindi with the number of people you are hoping to travel with.

Find gorilla trekking permit availability and if you book in advance, you may get the opportunity of  selecting your most preferred gorilla trekking area of Bwindi although not guaranteed. Open your mind to which ever gorilla safari area of Bwindi is booked.

It is better to purchase the gorilla permit as soon as you can because of the limited supply and availability changes any time without warning. The number of gorilla permits is restricted to maximum 8 per day per gorilla family.

Tips To Note About Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi

Level of fitness is necessary before gorilla trekking to enable you find the mountain gorillas

Duration of the gorilla trek in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park varies factors prevailing in the forest. At times tourists have spent 2 hours on the gorilla trek whereas others take more time.

Wear the right gorilla safari gears especially those in the jungle friendly colors. Do not forget the safari boots. When packing for gorillas trekking use the packing list to guide you.

Book the Gorilla trekking permit in advance as this is the most important document that confirms participating in this safari adventure.

Weather conditions of Bwindi forest change anytime no matter the season so expect rain to fall without warning. Bwindi area is cold almost all year so carry some warmers and rain proof gears

All gorilla trekking safaris in Bwindi start early morning with compulsory briefing.

Age limit for gorilla trekking in Uganda is 12 years and overs

The busiest gorilla trekking season of Bwindi is June to September and December to January

Brief Details of Bwindi impenetrable National Park

Bwindi impenetrable National park was full reserved as a Uganda national Park in 1992 but started as a forest reserve in 1942. In 1994, Bwindi was recognized as a World heritage site. Locally, the word Bwindi is a Lukiga word meaning Impenetrable a word that serves perfects for the nature of this thick rain forest.

Because of the vast size of Bwindi forest, it was divided into four areas Buhoma, Rushaga, Nkuringo and Ruhija for better administration. All gorilla trekking permits for Bwindi are reserve according to these four areas even but each area has gorilla families affiliated to it.

At the moment Bwindi hosts almost half the total number of mountain gorillas in the world with about 23 gorilla families open to the public. Gorilla habituation experience is also open in Bwindi impenetrable National park especially the southern sector and this allows four hours with semi-habituated gorillas.

How to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda

By road

Several routes lead to Bwindi impenetrable National park from Kampala or Entebbe but these routes take time that is about 8 hours to 9 hours drive.

 Kampala/ Entebbe to Kabale to Nkuringo

Kampala or Entebbe to Kabale to Kanungu to Buhoma

Entebbe or Kampala to Ntungamo to Rukingiri to Kihihi to Buhoma

Queen Elizabeth National park to Kihihi to Buhoma

By Air

Daily domestic flights are open from Kajjansi or Entebbe international Airport to Kihihi or Kisoro.

Charter flight services can be arranged on request but advance preparations are required.

Which Accommodation To Book During Gorilla Trekking In Bwindi

Note that it is best to book accommodation to use during gorilla trekking in Bwindi after knowing the area where your gorilla permit is booked. Every tourist is expected to attend briefing before gorilla trekking early morning and crossing from one area of Bwindi forest to another is still challenging. Bwindi forest landscape is generally rugged making it quite challenging to cross from one area to another.

Accommodations in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are categorized into Luxury, mid-range and basic. Before securing a room to use for your African safari find the inclusions and exclusions of their safari package.

Accommodations to use for gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include Gorilla Safari Lodge, Clouds lodge, Engage Lodge, Nshongi Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Ruhija Safari Lodge, Gorilla Forest Camp, Bwindi View Guest house and more.

What To Expect On Gorilla Trekking Safari in Bwindi

While on gorilla trekking safari, expect to be in company of other tourists as maximum 8 tourists are allowed to visit each gorilla family per day. Allocating a gorilla family to trek is done randomly at the beginning of the gorilla safari.

Attending a gorilla trekking safari each day requires presenting documents to clear and confirm having been booked for the day.

At the start of the gorilla trek, ranger guides with tourists follow the trails head towards the location where the gorilla family allocated to you was last seen.

Time of finding the mountain gorillas is hard to predict as it depends on factors prevailing in the wilderness.

The routes leading towards Bwindi forest get messy sometimes because of the nature of the terrain of south western Uganda. It is better to have a 4×4 wheel drive vehicle in good condition that can withstand the nature of the topography of Bwindi area.

Along the way, expect to see other forest dwellers like black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, red tailed monkeys and more. Keen birders have so much to spot in Bwindi forest including Shelley’s Crimsonwing, Rwenzori Turaco,

How Long Is Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Although some tourists have located the mountain gorillas in 2 hours others spend more. Time of finding the mountain gorillas varies with factors prevailing in the wilderness. Each day the gorilla family de-nests to move around search for a meal to take them throughout the day and night.

When searching to find the mountain gorillas, the ground is usually wet and slippery from decomposing matter and water from the dense network of rivers, streams and other water sources that flood.

Moving in the forest during gorilla trekking is quite challenging with creepers and vines obstructing the way but the ranger guide with a machete uses it to trim and create space

No matter how much time it takes to find the gorilla family, meeting them melts your heart. It is unbelievable to many tourists when they realized they are sharing the same space with these vulnerable yet mistaken creatures.

How Easy Or Hard Is Gorilla Trekking In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

By the nature of the topography of Bwindi forest, the way has challenges because it is in the wilderness. Along the way, your body may get in contact with stinging nettles, rough surfaces and more but dress appropriately for the wilderness.

Stay closer to the people you are allocated to do gorilla trekking with so that you are not lost in the dense jungle.

To avoid getting frustrated, keep your eyes focused on other forest inhabitants including black and white colobus, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys and more. Finally, when you get to the gorilla family, wait for the ranger guide to provide details on how to approach them as he or she has to first watch out for their mood.

 Mountain gorillas live in the dense jungle where they feel comfortable to find enough food to satisfy their bodies throughout the day and night.

How Sure Can I Be To See The Mountain Gorillas During Gorilla Trekking In Bwindi

Seeing the mountain gorillas during gorilla trekking in Bwindi is guaranteed. Even though few mountain gorillas are recorded living in the entire world that is about 1062 mountain gorillas about half of this population is living in Uganda.

A team of early risers follows up on the gorilla families earlier than tourists to note where they may have nested. This gorilla safari team gives updates to ranger guide with tourists on the possible direction the gorillas may be taking for the day. These are some of the clues that rangers and tourists use to get to the mountain gorillas.

Tourists are required to participate in searching for the mountain gorillas by looking out for the clues they leave behind including foot prints, freshly chewed foliage, hairs and more. These are some of the item that can lead tourists to find the mountain gorillas.

Mountain gorillas keep communicating with each other while in the jungle so you can follow the direction of their voices to trace them.

Even though mountain gorillas are free to traverse Bwindi forest, they are not fast because of the size of their bodies. The mountain gorillas may relocate due to factors prevailing in the forest but do not move so far from the previous location so tourists can catch up with them.

Can I do Gorilla Trekking More Than Once in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

It is fine to do gorilla trekking in Bwindi more than once on different days but note that each day every gorilla family is allowed only one tourists visit. As a tourist, you can do gorilla trekking more than one time as long as you book a gorilla permit for each of the times you participate.

Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi allows you more than four hours with semi-habituated mountain gorillas. Note that the mountain gorillas open for gorilla habituation experience can retreat into hiding any time without warning.

Stay physically fit for you to take more than one gorilla trekking adventure. Hiking to find the mountain gorillas is quite stressing but fun too and it is possible to desire for more moments with these gentle giants.

What Is The Packing List For Gorilla Trekking In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Safari hat

Garden gloves

Safari boots

Long sleeved shirt or convertible trousers

Warmers

Drinking water bottle

Energy bites

Camera

Backpack

Pair of binoculars

Extra cash

 Extra fully charged batteries

What To Combine With Gorilla Trekking Safari In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Chimpanzee safaris in Uganda. Uganda is a primate have where you can tour to see the chimpanzees in their natural setting. Some of the Uganda chimpanzee safari destinations include Kibale National park, Budongo forest, Kyabura gorge and more.

Game Safaris in Uganda: For untamed game safari destinations in Africa, Uganda has some with high wild animal populations. To do game drives on Uganda safari, you can choose to visit Queen Elizabeth National park, Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Mburo National Park and more.  

Birding safari in Uganda as the country hosts more than 1000 recorded bird species including those on the IUCN red list. To gain from the birding safaris in Uganda, you need a well planned Uganda birding itinerary, more time and choose the right time for your safari. Some of the Uganda birding destinations include Mabamba swamp, Mabira forest, Budongo forest, Kazinga channel, Murchison Falls National Park and more.

Mountaineering on Uganda safari where tourists can plan a hike on some of the highlands within the country including Mountain Rwenzori, Gahinga, Muhavura, Mountain Elgon and more. Excursion mountaineering is accepted too.

Water activities on Uganda safari where you can be part of white water rafting, boat cruising, sports fishing trips and more.

Uganda cultural visit is perfect as the country is home to different tribes with different cultures.