Gorilla Trekking On Uganda safari

To participate in Gorilla trekking on Uganda safari you need a gorilla permit card. The Gorilla permit card is the ticket that gives you access to visit a gorilla family. In Uganda, the list of gorilla families open to the public is currently approximately 20 families but maximum 8 tourists are allowed to visit each family per day.

The demand for the Uganda gorilla permits is high yet supply is restricted to maximum 8 visitors so it is best to book it in advance. Note that no Uganda gorilla permit is booked without payment and even when you find availability of these permits, the status may change any time without warning.

Where to Do Gorilla trekking in Uganda

Two National Parks are the only homes to the mountain gorillas in Uganda and both are nestled in the southwestern part of Uganda. In the entire world, the mountain gorillas found in the Virunga area that is composed of Uganda, Rwanda and D.R,Congo

The gorilla trekking parks of Uganda include

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park just like its name is a thick forested park whose existence has been present for over 25000 years. In terms of size, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park covers an area of approximately372 square kilometers. This park is the largest mountain gorilla habitat hosting almost half the population of the mountain gorillas.

For better service delivery, vast Bwindi forest was subdivided into four areas that is Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the east, Nkuringo and Rushaga in the south. Even the gorilla trekking permits are reserved according to these areas rather than the gorilla trekking families. Some of the Bwindi gorilla families include, Mubare, Habinyanja, Nsonji, Nkuringo, Mishaya, Rwizi and others.

Bwindi forest is a biosphere reserve rich with both fauna and flora. Other than the mountain gorillas, Bwindi forest hosts different primate species including black and white colobus, chimpanzees, vervet monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, olive baboons and others. The bird list if Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is ever expanding but so far 350 bird species have been recorded as residents.

More than 200 natural tree species have been recorded as part of Bwindi forest. The forest also hosts other wild animal including the duikers, elephants, giant forest hogs and others.

Mgahinga National Park

Even though Mgahinga National Park may be the smallest covering an areas of about 33.7 square kilometers of lands, it is home to the mountain gorillas. At the moment only one gorilla trekking family is open to the public that is Nyakagezi gorilla family.

In general the topography of Mgahinga National Park is composed several highlands but the most outstanding are three Virunga volcanoes that Mark the southern limit of the Albertine rift valley is Mountain Gahinga, Muhavura and Sabyinyo shared with Rwanda and DR.Congo. Mgahinga National Park is on the northern slopes of these mountains.

Mgahinga forest hosts a number of other primates including golden monkeys, blue monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, vervet monkeys and others. a wide range of birds are residents of Mgahinga National Park and over 115 bird species are confirmed including Albertine rift endemics. Over 39 mammal species are recorded as residents of Mgahinga National Park.

How To Book Gorilla Trekking On Uganda Safari Step By Step

Select a date for the gorilla trekking tour. You can choose the tentative dates and the number of people travelling with for the Uganda gorilla safari.

Enquire about the possibility of doing the gorilla trekking tour from the Tours Agent.

Checking availability of the Uganda gorilla trekking permits using your dates of preference is the next step. No gorilla permit is booked without payment yet first come first served basis is used to reserve these permits.

Purchase your gorilla permit as soon as you can because they sell out very quickly and finding available doesn’t guarantee that they will be available in the next time. Uganda has a limited number of gorilla permits open to the public that is maximum 8 gorilla permits per day.

Available your persona details to be added to your gorilla trekking permit card later. These details are used for identification purposes.

When Do To Get The Gorilla Trekking Permit Card

At Arch Safaris and Tours, we arrange gorilla trekking safaris on behalf of our clients a service we experince for over 10 years.

When we book a gorilla permit on behalf of our clients, the Uganda Wildlife Authority gives us a receipt as a confirmation for the payment. We can scan the receipt details and send them to our client on request.

The gorilla permit card is issued atleast a month to the date of the gorilla trekking by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Shipping the gorilla permit card to a client may be possible but very risky as you are not sure of receiving it or in case you wish to make some amendments with the dates, it becomes quite hard when the card is in your possession.

We can hand you the gorilla permit card on arrival to avoid unforeseen occurrences or our safari guide in your company may carry it in your behalf and hand it over to the park management on the gorilla trekking day on your behalf. The details on the gorilla permits card are cross checked before briefing to ensure that you are the sole owner of the card.

After the gorilla trekking each participating client is handed a certificate of accomplishment as souvenir.

How Much is the cost of the Uganda gorilla trekking permit

At the moment, the Uganda gorilla trekking permit costs $800 for foreign nonresidents, $700 for foreign residents, $ 500 for other African countries and 300000 shs for East Africans.

The cost of the Uganda gorilla trekking permit includes park entrance fees, one hour with the mountain gorillas, a ranger guide fees, support to the gorilla conservation fund and others.

Exclusions in the cost of the gorilla trekking card are tips, transport, snack, other items of personal nature.

How Much Is The Cost Of The Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari

The cost of the gorilla trekking safari in Uganda is categorized into luxury, mid-range and basic. The universal cost among these three categories of Uganda safari packages is the cost of the gorilla permit.

The cost of Uganda gorilla trekking safari range from $650 to more and this is dependent on factors that include number of people travelling with, number of days on Uganda safari, other places to visit and others.

Our safari consultant at Arch Safaris And Tours are always ready to work with you to draft an itinerary that soots your needs and budget. INQUIRE NOW

Is The Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari Worth The Money And Time

The cost of the Uganda gorilla trekking safari is an opportunity to be atleast a few meters from the only leftover mountain gorillas in the world. In The entire world about 1000 mountain gorillas are living and so they are one of the endangered species in the world.

A few tourist have that opportunity to spend time with the mountain gorillas each day as a conservation measure used to prevent overcrowding. There is a limited number of gorilla permits opened to the pubic each day yet demand is high.

By going on the gorilla trekking safari, you support the fund that is used to promote sustainable mountain gorilla existence. Over the years, the number of mountain gorillas has been growing from the about 250 mountain gorillas that were counted in the census made by Diane Fossey and team in the 1980s.

When you hire a porter to assist with carrying your gorilla trekking gears, it is one of the direct means to give back to the community.

The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park are some of the less travelled destinations so donot expect crowds. Visiting these destinations is an opportunity to immerse into the aromas of untouched nature and listen to the sounds of the jungle tales.

For botanists, the Bwindi and Mgahinga forests in Uganda, are home to a long list of flora that has tangled and culminated over 25000 years.

How Easy Or Difficult Is Gorilla Trekking Adventure In Uganda

The topography of the gorilla trekking destinations of Uganda is jagged with rolling hills influenced by volcanic action that affected this area. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi and Mgahinga forest required hiking to get to the mountain gorillas that may spend sometime on the slopes of these highlands.

The nature of the vegetation in this area is that it is tangled from the so many years of existence. This sometimes obstructs the trails and so needs to be trimmed to create a path to get to the next spot or you may be required to creep underneath.

Even the mountains gorillas are mobile primates and so this is one reason when it is hard to determine the quickest gorilla family to trek in Uganda. The position of the mountain gorillas depends on the location of there food source, mood, in case of an attack from another gorilla family and others.

When Is The Best Time For A Gorilla Trekking Safari In Uganda

The best time for a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda is the dry season that is June, July, August, September, October, December and January. Even though gorilla trekking is an all year around activity, the busiest season is the dry season as this is the high tourism season in Uganda too.

Bwindi forest and Mgahinga forest areas are known for being cold almost all year receiving untimely rains but in the dry season, there is generally less precipitation in and around these forests.

Even though these are very dense forests with a thick canopy that doesn’t permit sunlight to penetrate through to the ground, this is different in the dry season. The trails in the forests are drier permitting faster movement. Even mountain gorillas and other forest dwellers are easier to spot roaming the forest in search for food.

The demand for gorilla safaris in Uganda is high in this period so expect to share this adventure with many other tourists.

The wet season which is normally March, April, May and November should not scare you incase you wish to do gorilla trekking in Uganda during this season. Be sure that you will find the mountain gorillas no matter the season. A number of people tend not to travel during this season so chances of having all attention at the park fixed to you are high.

If you have a restricted budget, the low season may provide that chance to enjoy an upgraded gorilla trekking safari experience in Uganda with your budget. Most of the service provider on ground tend to discount there costs to breakeven and opportunity you can take advantage of.

Gorilla Tracking

Are mountain Gorillas aggressive?

The physical outlook of the structure of mountain gorillas is quite scaring at a glance but there inner being is serene. Mountain gorillas are cowards that may shy away when you stare at them.

Even when the mountain gorillas have such a character, don’t try to undermine there abilities because they can charge when provoked. When charged, the mountain gorillas may react by pulling grass around them, chest thumping and much more. Upon seeing this, donot rush to get away as this may escalate the situation.

Wait for the ranger guide to find out the root cause of the matter and follow the actions he or she takes even when it means trying to chew some foliage. Genuinely, follow the rules of gorilla trekking that are explained by the ranger guide before starting the gorilla trek.

When the mountain gorillas are agitated, they may tend to be aggressive or move into hiding yet only one hours is allowed with them.

What is the age limit for Gorilla trekking in Uganda

The age limit for gorilla trekking in Uganda is 12 years and over. This age was set from 15 years to 12 years to allow more tourists to have chance to see the mountain gorillas. The nature of the topography of Bwindi forest or Mgahinga forest in case you are doing gorilla trekking is jagged so to find the mountain gorillas you need to have some level of fitness. Children below this age tend not to be in good shape.

Why Book Gorilla Trekking Trip With Arch safaris And Tours

Arch Safaris And Tours is a registered Uganda safari company with experience in organizing safaris to a number of destinations and experience that it has accumulated over more than 10 years of existence. We have mastered the art of organizing safaris in Africa.

Our team of safari consultants is always available to help with planning your gorilla trekking tour as assist make necessary booking on your behalf. Book Now