The cheapest gorilla safari destination of either Uganda or Rwanda depends on your interests and what you wish to achieve by the ends of the gorilla tour. Travelling for gorilla tours in Africa does not go cheap no matter the package you choose or whether you fix all by yourself or use the assistance of the tour operator.
With gorilla safaris whether in Uganda or Rwanda purchasing the gorilla permit is the first priority before securing other logistics that support these safaris like accommodation, transport and others. For the cost of the gorilla permits, at the moment the cost of gorilla trekking permit for Rwanda is $1500 per person while $800 is the cost for Uganda gorilla trekking permit. Uganda also offers gorilla habituation experience where four hours are allowed with the mountain gorillas but currently the cost of this permit is $1500 per person.
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To do gorilla safari in Rwanda, Volcanoes national park is the destination open for this adventure while Uganda has Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park as its destinations. In terms of gorilla families. At the moment Rwanda has about 12 gorilla families open to the public while Uganda has over 20 gorilla trekking families.
The number of people allowed to do gorilla trekking in both Uganda and Rwanda is 8 per visit per family to minimize on habitat disturbance by humans. Mass tourism leads to trampling on the vegetation yet this is the main source of food for the mountain gorillas and other forest dwellers.
For transport costs during gorilla safari, from Kigali, the drive to Volcanoes National Park is about 3 hours on facilely well done road which is fuel saving whereas the drive from Entebbe Airport in Uganda to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is about 8 to 9 hours on fairly poor roads in the countryside. You can also break the distance to the gorilla trekking destinations in Uganda by making stopovers to the Uganda safari destinations enroute.
For a combo of gorilla trekking with other African safari activities like game drives, chimpanzee safari to mention, Uganda has better options to boost your African safari experience. Rwanda also has additional activities you can combine with gorilla trekking safari but most ae fixed.
How To Book Gorilla Permits In Uganda And Rwanda?
When booking the gorilla safari permits for either Uganda or Rwanda, choose the date for this adventure or state the possible starting and departure date during this African tour. Note the number of people hoping to travel with to save time on finding gorilla permit availability. In Uganda the Uganda wildlife Authority or Rwanda has the Rwanda Development Board as the bodies responsible for selling and regulating gorilla permits.
Upon receiving your enquiry, our tours consultant checks availability from the list of the above bodies per the dates of your choice. He or she gets back to you as soon as possible in case the permits are available.
Note that the status of gorilla permits changes anytime without warning. This is why we advise our clients to purchase there gorilla permits as soon as possible. During the high seasons that is June to September and December to mid February, demand for gorilla permits is high creating scarcity for last minute bookings.
In order to avoid panic at the last minute while trying to search for gorilla permits in both Uganda and Rwanda, it is best to book them atleast 6 months to before. This is a more secure way to plan for your gorilla safari in Uganda or Rwanda.
You may choose to fully pay for your gorilla permits in Uganda or Rwanda or pay in instalments as long as you are within the slated timeframe.
Later, avail some personal details like your full names as presented on the passport, date of birth, nationality and other details. These are used for identification purposes.
All gorilla permits for Uganda or Rwanda are sold at first come first served basis but none is reserved without payment. Due to the limited number of gorilla permits opened to the public per day, they are demanded for in advance in order to prevent last minute panic especially during the high season
Currently, the Rwanda gorilla trekking permit cost is
$1500 for foreign nonresidents
$500 for foreign residents
$200 for East African nationals
The current cost of Uganda gorilla trekking permit is:
$800 for foreign nonresidents
$700 for foreign residents
$500 for other African countries
300,000 shs for East Africans.
At the moment the gorilla habituation experience permit cost in Uganda is
$1500 for international nonresidents
$1000 for international residents
$1000 for other African countries
$750000for East Africans.
What is included in the cos of gorilla permits for Uganda and Rwanda
Gorilla trekking permit cost includes
Park entrance fees, one hours with the gorillas, mountain gorilla conservation support, security, community support, ranger guide fees and others
Gorilla habituation experience permit cost includes
Researcher fees, park entrance fees, four hours with the mountain gorillas, ranger guide fees, mountain gorilla conservation, security and others.
Is The Gorilla safari Safe In Uganda Or Rwanda?
Going on gorilla safaris in Uganda or Rwanda is safe because mountain gorillas are some of the highly protected primates in the world because of they are endangered. According to the latest mountain gorilla census, about 1000 mountain gorillas are living in the world. All this achievement is awed to the efforts of conservation bodies internal and external plus gorilla trekkers who visit each year.
These mountain gorillas are first habituated as process that helps them get accustomed to human presence without altering there nature. Gorilla habituation is carefully done by professional researchers and trackers for unknown time until they are proved for public visits.
Before the gorilla trek, tourists must go for briefing where information about the mountain gorillas, how to behave before the primates are carefully passed on and must be followed without fail.
A team of ranger guides patrols the gorilla families each day before tourists are let into the forest. This helps to also establish the security of the forest. The rangers leading the gorilla trekking groups carry some protective gears like the machete, rifle, a radio call through which they communicate with those on ground in case back up is needed.
The Rwanda Development Board or Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger guides work closely with other Uganda security agencies to keep law and order in and around these gorilla destinations.
For personal security, donot walk in the forest alone without an escorting range guide as there are other forest dwellers that may hurt you in the due course.
How Much Is The Gorilla Safari Package Cost for Uganda And Rwanda?
The cost of gorilla trekking or habituation experience safari in Uganda or Rwanda varies with inclusions in the itinerary. At Arch Safaris and Tours, we package or gorilla safaris according to Up-Market, Midrange and basic.
Overall, the cost of gorilla permit for Uganda and Rwanda is covered in all safari packages. Other items that may be included in the gorilla safari package cost include accommodation cost, transport costs,
In addition, other cost of items that make up gorilla safaris have to be considered like the number of days, number of days, additional safari activities and much more.
The best time to book gorilla safaris in Uganda or Rwanda is all year with the dry season as the most exciting. The dry season is normally June, July, August, September, December and January. In the forest, the mountain gorillas and others forest dwellers are in a jovial mood and there is a lot of activity in the forest.
Although Bwindi, Mgahinga and Volcanoes forest receive untimely rains, during the dry season, there is less precipitation. The trails that traverse these forests are quicker to navigate whereas rivers flow in the normal course. Although the ground is normally soggy and logged, the conditions in the dry season may be better since more sunlight is let in through the dense forest canopy to the ground.
Spotting other interesting features and wild animals in the jungle is easier in the dry season. this too is the high tourism season so demand for gorilla permits is highs yet there supply is limited.
Donot shy away from gorilla trekking in the wet season in Uganda or Rwanda that is March to May and November as chances to unplanned for solo gorilla trekking experience may be open. Although fewer tourist book safaris for this season, those with a limited budget may gain this opportunity to do gorilla trekking since even service providers may be propelled to discount there costs.
What Is The Time Taken On Gorilla Trekking Safari In Uganda Or Rwanda?
As you take the gorilla trekking tour in Uganda or Rwanda, the time taken to return from this adventure is quite hard to estimate. Finding the mountain gorillas from the time of starting the trek depends on factors prevailing in the forest like weather conditions, incase the gorilla family is brutally attacked they have to run into safety, death of a member and much more.
Instead of getting bored before finding the mountain gorillas, look out for other forest dwellers like birds, primates, different natural tree species, sparkling water falls and others.
You may not realise how quick time flies but finally when you locate the mountain gorillas, wait for the ranger guide to establish the mood in the gorilla family. Take photos as souvenirs to remind you of this once in lifetime encounter with these huge primates.
Only one hours is allowed before the mountain gorillas during gorilla trekking so that to allow them go about there day today life. The presence of humans disturbs the running of daily life of the mountain gorillas.
Are mountain Gorillas dangerous?
Mountain gorillas are naturally calm and shy primates that may cause no harm to there visitors. Mountain Gorillas’ outlook is quite nerve-wracking but this is the opposite of there reality. These primates are calm and serene but this doesn’t mean you test there patience.
When agitated, mountain gorillas may charge by chest humping, pull grass around them, walking on one foot and much more drama. All the time you get to see such odd behavior it doesn’t mean you are in trouble with these primates. Wait for the ranger guide to find out the reason for there behavior as at times they are trying to tease you, showing off, family feud and much more.
Follow the instructions and actions of the ranger guides at this moment so that you can still spend your time in the presence of these gorillas.
In general the gorilla trekking safari in Uganda or Rwanda is quite tiring because of the nature of the terrain in this area. The terrain of the Virunga area was affected by volcanic action that led to the formation of ridges or plateaus where mountain gorillas spend there time on the slopes at times.
Tourist may be required to hike in order to locate the mountain gorillas but this is quite challenging especially during the rainy seasons when the ground gets slippery even from the decomposing matter. The trail are obstructed by the ever-growing vegetation so it has to often be trimmed by a machete.
For first times, the glance at the mountain gorillas is both exciting and may stimulate some adrenaline too. Physically, mountain gorillas have large bodies covered in dark fur from head to toe. There sunken brown eyes and knuckle locomotion makes them seem aggressive which is the opposite of there reality.
Before traveling for the gorilla trek in Uganda or Rwanda, tourists are advised to do pre gorilla tour exercise to keep fit. Also carry the right gorilla safari gears like safari boots, long trouser and sleeved shirt, garden gloves and others.
When it rains, getting shelter in the wilderness is not possible so expect to endure through the rain that may fall the entire day. When the mountain gorillas charge as tourist, you need to show signs of respect sometimes because they are the jungle masters at that moment.