Early bird gorilla trekking in Uganda 2023/2024
Early bird gorilla trekking in Uganda 2023/ 2024; Gorilla trekking is one of most popular activities in Uganda where visitors get an opportunity to explore the tropical rainforests on foot in search of the habituated gorilla families and once found spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is done in two national parks that is Bwindi impenetrable national park which is known for harboring the highest number of mountain gorillas and Mgahinga gorilla national park both located in southwestern part of Uganda. Gorilla trekking is also done in Volcanoes national park in Rwanda, Virunga national park and Kahuzi Biega national park in Democratic Republic of Congo.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park starts very early in the morning with a briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during trekking. Mgahinga gorilla national park is a home of one habituated gorilla families and Bwindi impenetrable national park is a home of about 22 habituated gorilla families which are found in four sectors namely Rushaga sector in the south, Ruhija sector in the east, Nkuringo sector in the south and Buhoma sector in the north. Trekking of mountain gorillas in Uganda takes about 30 minutes to 7 hours depending on where the gorillas are located and during trekking, you will be able to view other wildlife species, different birds, trees among others. Once the mountain gorillas are found, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you a chance to watch them carry out their daily activities, learn more about their behaviors, take photos and record videos.
Uganda also offers gorilla habituation experience where the wild mountain gorillas are trained o get used to human presence for trekking. Gorilla habituation experience in Uganda is only done in Rushaga sector southern part of Bwindi impenetrable national park and the habituation experience takes about 2 to 3 years to be complete. Gorilla habituation experience starts very early in the morning with a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations at the park headquarters. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the jungle with a team of park rangers, guides and researchers. Once the mountain gorillas are located, you will be allowed to spend four hours with the gorillas in their habitat which helps you to learn and monitor their habits, behaviors, watch them feed, breastfeed, groom young ones, engage in the naming process, take photos among others.
Price of a gorilla trekking permit in Uganda 2023/2024
A gorilla trekking permit in Uganda is a legal document that is issued to any visitor above the age of 15 years allowing him or her to visit a habituated gorilla family and spend one hour with the gorillas in their natural environment. A gorilla trekking permit in Uganda costs 700 USD per person for foreign non residents, 600 USD per person for foreign residents and 250,000 UGX per person for East African citizens.
A gorilla habituation permit in Uganda costs 1,500 USD per person for foreign non residents, 1,000 USD per person for foreign residents and 750,000 UGX per person for East African citizens.
How to book a gorilla trekking permit in Uganda 2023/2024
There are two ways of booking a gorilla trekking permit in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park for example booking directly through Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) where you will contact the park headquarters through email or telephone calls inquiring about availability of gorilla permits.
The second option is booking through a trusted tour operator like Achieve Global Safaris where you will contact us with the date, month, year and gorilla destination that you wish to visit. After contacting us we will check for permit availability on your preferred dates and if there are permits available, you will be asked to make a deposit for the permit. Once we receive the money, we will purchase the permit on your behalf and send you a scanned copy of receipt as confirmation.
Gorilla trekking permits in Uganda should however be booked 3 to 6 months in advance before the trekking date because they are competitive and usually get sold out quickly especially during the dry or peak season during the months of June to September and December to February.
Best time to go gorilla trekking in Uganda 2023/2024
Gorilla trekking in Uganda can be done all year round though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February because during this period there is less or little rainfall in the gorilla destinations therefore access roads and gorilla trekking trails will be dry and passable which makes trekking easy compared to the wet/rainy season when the trails are muddy and slippery which makes gorilla trekking difficult.
What to pack for gorilla trekking in Uganda 2023/2024
When going for gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park in 2023/2024, there are a number of essential items that you should pack including hiking shoes, garden gloves, long sleeved shirt and trouser, waterproof rain jacket/poncho, insect repellent, energy snacks and drinking water, camera and extra batteries, a pair of binoculars, warm sweater, walking stick, hat and sunglasses among others.
For more information about early bird gorilla trekking in Uganda 2023/2024, do not hesitate to contact us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website to book a gorilla trekking safari package.
