Cheap gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda or Rwanda start with the cost of the gorilla permit. Although Uganda no longer opens discounted Uganda gorilla permits for foreign nonresidents, the foreign resident permits and resident permits are discounted. The cost of the Uganda gorilla permit is currently $700 per person but for foreign residents, the gorilla permit is discounted to $600 and 250000shs for East African residents.
In Rwanda the low season gorilla permits are discounted from $1500 to $1050 per person as long as you spend atleast two nights within Nyungwe National Park or Akagera National Park terms and conditions apply. Rwanda also discount gorilla permits for foreign residents at $500 per person and $200 for East Africans.
You may receive discounts on gorilla safaris for Uganda and Rwanda during the low season in case the service provider offer discounted prices to break even. The low tourism season in Uganda and Rwanda is normally March, April, May and November. During the low seasons, the service providers may offer discounted prices which you can use in case you have a limited budget.
7 day gorilla, chimpanzees and wildlife safari
8 day gorilla, chimpanzee and wildlife tour
5 Day gorilla and wildlife safari Rwanda
In Uganda
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi impenetrable national Park is Uganda’s gorilla safari hot spot. This pristine forest lies in the southwestern part of Uganda hosting currently about 21 gorilla trekking families and two gorilla habituation experience families.
Gorilla trekking permits for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are booked according to the four areas under which the park is subdivided. The four areas under which gorilla trekking permits for Bwindi Impenetrable national Park are booked include Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo and Rushaga.
When booking accommodation to use during gorilla safari in Bwindi, you need to consider which area the gorilla permits is booked. This is because most of these Bwindi gorilla safari areas are separated by physical features that make it hard to cross from one area to another. In case you overnight in another are, you have to drive in the dark in order to catch up with briefing. Chances of encountering obstacles are high like poor visibility, logs across the road, slippery roads and so much more.
Mgahinga National Park
Mgahinga National park which is the smallest national park in Uganda covering an area of 33.7 square kilometers is currently home for one gorilla family called Nyakagezi. The history of Mgahinga national Park shows that Nyakagezi gorilla family was adventurous as it used to wander into Rwanda. This made pre-booking of its gorilla permits hard in the past.
At the moment, Mgahinga National Park gorilla permits are available for pre-booking at Uganda Wildlife Authority. Other than the mountain gorillas, Mgahinga National park is home to the golden monkeys, black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey and others. Birding in Mgahinga forest is exceptional and may give you chance to spot some Albertine rift endemics like Dusky Tutle Dove, Rwenzori turaco, Alpine Chat, Kivu Ground Thrush. Malachite Sunbird and so many others.
In Rwanda
Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park is the only home to the Rwanda mountain gorillas. At the moment, Rwanda has 12 gorilla trekking families open to public visits. Every day, Rwanda Development Board opens about 96 gorilla permits for the public to book.
Other primates in Volcanoes National park include golden monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons, grey cheeked mangabey and others.
Before the gorilla safari in Volcanoes National Park, tourists gather at the ORTPN for briefing and other formalities that precede the gorilla safari area carried out.
When Is The Best Time To Book Cheap Gorilla Safaris In Uganda And Rwanda?
The low season which is March, April, May and November opens chances to tourists with a limited budget to do gorilla safaris in Uganda and Rwanda. In Rwanda, the gorilla permit cost in the low season is discounted to $1050 per person as long as you have atleast two nights in Akagera National Park or Nyungwe National Park.
Some safari service providers in Uganda and Rwanda may discount there prices in the low season to break even like on accommodation, vehicle hire, driver guide fee and other safari costs. You can also get chance to a service upgrade during the low season like on accommodation.
High season gorilla safaris in Uganda and Rwanda may be sold a higher cost but at Arch Safaris And Tours we offer various gorilla safari packages that is Luxury, Mid-range and Budget safari packages. The peak Uganda tourism season is normally June, July, August, September, December and January.
What is the best country for gorilla safaris of Uganda and Rwanda?
Whether going to do gorilla safaris in Uganda or Rwanda, the moment when you stand before these primates is unforgettable no matter which country you visit of the two. Just being a few meters from the mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda is a heart melting experience.
The difference between gorilla tours in Uganda and Rwanda comes with:
At the moment, the gorilla permit cost for Uganda is $700 per person per trek whereas the cost of Rwanda gorilla tour permit is $1500 per person per trek.
Currently, Rwanda has about 96 gorilla permits from 12 gorilla trekking families open per day while Uganda has approximately 168 gorilla trekking permits open per day and 8 gorilla habituation experience permits.
From Entebbe or Kampala the drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National park or Mgahinga National Park is about 8 to 9 hours. The time you take driving from Kigali to Volcanoes National park is about 3 hours. You can also use the Kigali Rwanda to Bwindi impenetrable National Park route or Mgahinga National Park in Uganda which takes about 5 to 6 hours.
Uganda offers more optional activities to combine with gorilla safaris like chimpanzee safari in Kibale National Park, Kaniyo Pabidi, Kyambura gorge, game drives in Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mburo National park, Kidepo Valley National park and others. Golden monkey safaris, visit the source of River Nile, white water rafting, birding in Uganda and others.
Rwanda optional safari activities to combine with gorilla safaris are limited including chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe National Park, Game Drives in Akagera National Park, birding in Rwanda, canopy walk over Nyungwe National Park, golden monkey trekking, excursion hiking on Virunga mountains and so many others.
What accommodation can I use during Gorilla Trekking Safari in Rwanda and Uganda?
Accommodations to book for gorilla safaris in Uganda and Rwanda are categorized into Luxury, mid-range and budget facilities. For gorilla safari accommodations of Bwindi Impenetrable national Park in Uganda, you must note the area where your gorilla permit is booked before reserving accommodation.
The cost of gorilla safaris in Uganda and Rwanda varies with inclusions in the gorilla safari itinerary. For low cost gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda and Rwanda, you need to book the gorilla permit whose cost is currently $1500 per person in Rwanda and $700 for Uganda.
Other gorilla safari expenses you may incur in Uganda and Rwanda include booking accommodation, vehicle hire, driver guide fee, gas, other activities to combine with gorilla tour and others. These vary with destination and number of people booked in the gorilla safari.
The more people joining the gorilla safari, the less the per person cost. If you wish to share the gorilla safari costs, you can join groups like scheduled gorilla safaris. These however have fixed dates and the gorilla tour itinerary is not flexible. The scheduled gorilla safaris have shared rooms in case you wish to sleep in a single supplement, you have to pay surcharge.
How Sure Can I Be To See The Mountain Gorillas In Uganda And Rwanda?
Chance of seeing the mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda are 99%. The mountain gorillas are first habituated before opening them to the public. During the process of gorilla habituation, the wild gorilla family is helped to get used to human presence without altering its traits.
Even when you book semi-habituated mountain gorillas, they do not run away from you if you abide by the rules of gorilla safaris as presented by the ranger guides during briefing.
Each day ranger guides from Rwanda Development Board or Uganda Wildlife Authority rise up early to patrol where the mountain gorillas may have nested and establish the possible hang out point for the day.
At the start of the gorilla trek or habituation experience, the ranger guide leads tourist to the trail heading where the mountain gorillas were last seen the previous day. The rangers also use the clues of the way about of the mountain gorillas provided by early risers.
Mountain gorillas are bulky weighing about 450 lb for a fully grown male and a female is about half this weight . it is hard for these mountain gorillas to walk far from where they were last seen the previous day. Even the mountain gorillas leave traces of the direction they may have taken from the point of nesting in the night. Tourists are asked to help trace the mountain gorillas by observing clues like fresh dung, dropped vegetation, footprints, unfamiliar sounds and so much more. this is what makes gorilla safaris an exceptional once in lifetime experience.
What is the Age Limit for gorilla safaris in Uganda and Rwanda?
The age limit for gorilla safaris in Rwanda is 15 years and over while the current age limit for gorilla safaris in Uganda is 12 year and over. The nature of the terrain where mountain gorillas live is rugged with highlands that you may be required to hike in case that is where the mountain gorillas are spending there day time.
The forest conditions may not favor children below these ages and so they may unknowingly violet the rules of gorilla safaris and cause the mountain gorillas to charge.
The time of finding the mountain gorillas is not known which requires one to have patience but children below these ages not have that patience.
Which country has the most difficult gorilla safari experience of Uganda and Rwanda?
Rwanda gorilla trekking is in a more steeper area because of the influence of the five Virunga volcanoes but very interesting. Even Uganda gorilla safari destinations’ topography is volcanic so in case the mountain gorillas are on the slopes of the highlands, you are required to hike this is why you need to beat some level of fitness before the gorilla tour.
It is hard to determine which country has the quickest gorilla families to see too because finding the mountain gorillas depends on factors happening in the wilderness. To locate the mountain gorillas factors like the weather conditions prevailing in the forest, food location, adventurous nature of the gorilla family, in case of a fight with other mountain gorillas, death of a family member determine how fast or slow you get to find the mountain gorillas.
What are the dos and do nots of gorilla safaris in Uganda and Rwanda
In case you catch a communicable infection like cough, flue, volunteer to stay behind because this may lead to the massive death of the mountain gorillas.
Hand sanitize and wear a mask before meeting the mountain gorillas as a way to prevent spreading any infection to these gentle giants.
Keep your voices low when searching to find the mountain gorillas. They are very sensitive primates to unfamiliar voices in there vicinity.
Do not dump garbage in the forest because this alters the nature of the forest where mountain gorillas and other inhabitants thrive.
Keep close to the people you are doing gorilla trekking with so that you do not scare the mountain gorillas.
Only one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas upon locating them during gorilla trekking. Four hours are allowed with the mountain gorillas during gorilla habituation experience.
Do not provoke the mountain gorillas because you may cause them to charge at you.
In case you wish to eat or smoke, do this in 200 meters away from the mountain gorillas.