Tips For Successful Gorilla Safari In Uganda

Overview

The tips for successful gorilla safaris in Uganda, have the gorilla permit in advance to avoid last minute panic. Finding availability of gorilla permits at the last minute when on ground may be quite stressing. Choose to do either gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience in Uganda.

Book accommodation before the gorilla safari within or closer to where your permit is booked. This is to avoid having to panic early morning to drive to the briefing point. In Uganda gorilla safaris happen in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park in southwest.

Respect Gorilla safari guidelines which include leaving space of about 8 meters from the location of these primates. The mountain gorillas may bridge the gap out of curiosity but donot try to stare into there eyes as this intimidates them. Respect observation time and try to avoid sudden movements. Pack the right gorilla safari gears because the ground in Bwindi and Mgahinga forest get messy and muddy from the regular rains that fall and yet less sunlight penetrates to the ground. Ensure to wear sturdy footwear, rainproof gears, garden gloves and others.

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Where to do Gorilla Safaris in Uganda

Mgahinga National Park

Gorilla trekking is the main safari activity in Mgahinga National Park even though the park is the smallest Uganda National Park. Currently one gorilla family is open to the public in Mgahinga National Park that is Nyakagezi.

Golden monkey safaris that is golden monkey trekking and habituation experience are open to the pubic too. Golden monkeys have a larger body compared to the common monkeys also golden brown hairs at the lower bottom.

More than 115 bird species including Albertine rift endemics are confirmed residents of Mgahinga forest. Some of the birds of Mgahinga forest include Shelley’s Crimsonwing, Alpine Chat, Kivu Ground Thrush, Malachite Sunbird and others

An excursion hike on either of the three highlands in Mgahinga forest gives you chance to enjoy the beauty of this surrounding from a more elevated point. Some of the highlands within Mgahinga forest includes Mountain Gahinga, Sabyinyo and Muhavura.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park    

Bwindi forest is home to almost half of the total number of mountain gorillas there is in the world. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has major safari activities that is gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation experience. 

A number of other primates species are recorded as part of the inhabitants of Bwindi forest including black and white colobus, red tailed monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, blue monkeys and others.

At the moment about 20 gorilla trekking families and 4 gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are open to the public. When booking gorilla trekking families in Bwindi, they are reserved according to the four areas under which the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is divided. The four sectors of Bwindi forest include Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo and Rushaga.

More than 350 bird species have been recognized as residents of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park including Albertine rift endemics. Some of the birds in Bwindi forest include African Green Broadbill, Red-faced Woodland, Collared Apalis, Mountain and Yellow streaked Greenbul, Cinnamon chested Bee eaters and others.

Requirements For Booking Gorilla Safari In Uganda

Select gorilla safari to do in Uganda

You can choose to do gorilla trekking which allows one hour with a fully habituated gorilla family or Gorilla habituation experience is an activity where four hours are allowed with the semi-habituated mountain gorilla family. 

Choose the date when you wish to do gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience so as to quicken the process of finding gorilla permits. As gorilla safari permits are sold per day. Donot forget the number of gorilla permits.

Book Uganda Gorilla Safari Permit

As you soon as you find gorilla permit availability, book the permit in the shortest time possible because they sell out fast. First come first served basis is used to reserve gorilla permits and there status changes anytime without warning.

Reserve accommodation for the gorilla tour

Book accommodation to use during Uganda gorilla safari soon after confirming the gorilla permit. Take note of the area where the gorilla trekking permit is booked for Bwindi before reserving accommodation. It is best to spend the night before the gorilla safari closer to the area where your gorilla permit is booked. This is to avoid having to wake up early morning to drive in the dark to catch up with briefing.

Book transport to and from the Uganda gorilla safari destination

Road transport is the main means used to get to the gorilla safari destinations in Uganda. The inclusion in transport are vehicle hire, driver guide, vehicle maintenance, gas or fuel and other costs. Using a 4×4 wheel drive vehicle in good condition is recommended because of the nature of the terrain of the Kigezi sub-area. Knowing the different routes to get around is a bonus because some routes get messy during particular seasons.

The drive time from Entebbe or Kampala to Bwindi or Mgahinga forest is about 8 to 9 hours excluding stopovers. This journey can be shortened by combining gorilla safari with other enroute activities include game safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park and others.

Air transport is an alternative means to get to Bwindi or Mgahinga National Parks. Uganda has scheduled domestic flights from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe Airport. The flight time to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrips up country may be about 1 hour and half or 2 hours which is time saving. Ensure to reserve a transfer vehicle to your Lodge.

Pack necessary gorilla safari gears

Gorilla safaris require having the right gears as this is a jungle which gets quite rough sometimes. Donot forget to pack rainproof gears, raincoat, garden gloves, insect repellant, backpack and others. Carry some cash to change into local currency.

What To expect on Gorilla Safari In Uganda

Early Start on Gorilla safari day

All gorilla safaris in Uganda start early morning with clearing documents then briefing. Later, tourists are allocate gorilla families to trek but the criteria used is hard to determine. Donot forget to hire a porter who will assist to lift the weight of your gorilla safari gears off your shoulder. The porter may give you a push when extremely tired.

Other tourists join the gorilla safari so expect to share the experience with strangers.

Follow the trail heads during gorilla safari

Expect the ranger guides to lead the way in search for the mountain gorillas using the trails that leading where the gorilla family was last seen the previous day. The trails in Bwindi and Mgahinga rainforests are dump most of the time. This area receives rain anytime of the day yet the canopy is too dense to allow sunlight to penetrate to the ground. It is best to wear sturdy foot wear, long sleeved shirt and other relevant attire.

Expect to by pass thick vines that drape down the plateaus or ridges and some makes it hard to locate the mountain gorillas because of there thickness.

Time of finding the mountain gorillas is still hard to determine because there location depends on a number of factors including location of food, mood of the gorilla family and others. Having some level of patience is recommended to avoid getting exhausted and losing morale for meeting the mountain gorillas.

Some tourists have got the opportunity to find the mountain gorillas in two hours while other have spent more than three quarters of the day.

Expect to have lunch in the wilderness during gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience. This because return time from the wilderness after finding the mountain gorillas may go beyond the lunch break.

For Gorilla habituation experience, expect to find semi-habituated mountain gorillas that can run into hiding any time. They still posses there natural characteristics even though they are habituated a process that helps them get accustomed to the presence of humans.

During gorilla trekking, expect to spend one hour with the fully habituated gorillas family. These mountain gorillas can only withstand the presence of humans for atleast an hour or else they move into hiding. The presence of humans interrupts the daily life of the mountain gorillas yet they have to feed, groom, solve family issues and much more.

Expect the mountain gorillas to charger when provoked so try to stay disciplined with the rule of gorilla safaris. Even though the mountain gorillas are known for being gentle and shy, they can charge when provoked. Upon noticing such odd characters, wait for new instructions and follow the guide which sometimes involves trying to chew foliage, showing submission and other techniques.

What Is The Cost Of Gorilla Safari In Uganda

The cost of Uganda gorilla safari package varies with category that is luxury, mid-range and basic. The cost of the gorilla permit is incurred equally by all categories.

Currently the cost of the Uganda gorilla trekking permit is $800 and cost of gorilla habituation permit is $1500 per person. The cost of the gorilla safari permit of Uganda includes four hours of gorilla habituation or one hour of gorilla trekking, park entrance fees, ranger guide fees and others.

In addition, the cost of accommodation, meals, transport and other amenities may make part of the full gorillas safari cost.

Why Do Gorilla Safari in Uganda

Doing gorilla safari in Uganda is an opportunity to spend time with the few leftover mountain gorillas there is in the world. Even though the conservation of the mountain gorillas is progressing, more funds and effort is still required.

By purchasing a gorilla permit, you contribute to the fund that supports the existence of these endangered primates and there habitats.

Uganda has about half the total number of mountain gorilla from which about 20 gorilla trekking families and four gorilla habituation families are open to the public. This gives tourists more chances to find gorilla permits in Uganda compared to her counter parts Rwanda and D.R.Congo.

The cost of the Uganda gorilla permits is quite lower that is $800 compared to Rwanda gorilla trekking permit which is $1500. With the balance, you can use it to pay for other safari logistics which is cost saving.

From or before gorilla safaris in Uganda, enroute you can stop for a game drive in destinations like Lake Mburo National Park or Queen Elizabeth National Park. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park is open to the public too and this you can do before or after the gorilla safari in Uganda.

Which Is The Best Season For Gorilla Safaris The Dry Or Wet Season In Uganda

The dry season is best choice for gorilla safaris in Uganda even though the adventure is open all year. The dry season which is June to September and December to February is characterized with drier conditions even tough rains are expected to fall any time no matter the season. The mountain gorillas are more active in the dry season as they stay closer to the ground. In Uganda, the dry season serves as the peak tourism season of the country with demand for gorilla safari activities over the top. Note that availability of gorilla permits also gets slimmer for this season as it opens. The cost of most safari amenities also gets increases in the dry season as they run out of availability too.

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