Best offer for gorilla trekking in Uganda

The best offers for gorilla trekking safari in Uganda depend on different factors like the time of booking the gorilla safari, the number of people traveling with, and additional activities you combine with the safari.

No matter the season when you book the gorilla trekking safaris, whether during the low or peak season, the cost of the Uganda gorilla permits is not discounted. The Uganda gorilla trekking permit costs $800 for international nonresidents, $700 for resident foreigners, and 300000shs for East Africans. In 2021, the Uganda Wildlife Authority withdrew from offering discounts for the gorilla trekking permits.

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The low-season gorilla trekking safari booking sometimes comes with discounts on logistics that support this adventure. In case you have a limited budget but have gorilla trekking on the bucket list, you may get a chance to receive discounts on accommodation costs as some facilities try to break even. Even when you wish to get an upgrade, the low season may offer you this chance.

The low tourism season in Uganda usually is March, April, May, and November. 

When traveling on a luxury gorilla trekking safari in Uganda, you must book the gorilla permit and supporting logistics in time. This is because the best options for these amenities sell out in advance, leaving you with no or fewer choices.

At Encounter Africa Safaris, we package our safaris according to Luxury, mid-range, and budget. Each of these packages has different inclusions and exclusions that suit the needs and interests of our clients. We also tailor and customize gorilla safari packages to soothe our client's needs and help them make memories on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Where to go on gorilla trekking safari in Uganda

Two Uganda National Parks are home to the mountain gorillas. 

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the host spot for gorilla safaris in Uganda. This park has the most significant mountain gorillas compared to its counterparts in Rwanda and D.R.Congo. Bwindi is a vast forest covering about 327 square kilometers of tangled vegetation from the fissured landscape.

Four areas comprise Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the East, and Nkuringo and Rushaga in the south. Gorilla trekking permits for this park are booked according to the area, which you must consider before securing accommodation.

Gorilla habituation experience is also available in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The gorilla habituation experience is when tourists follow a semi-habituated gorilla family in the wilderness to spend four hours with them.

When booking accommodations for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you must consider the area under which your permit is booked.

Mgahinga National Park

Mgahinga National Park may be the smallest Uganda National Park, covering about 33.7 square kilometers, but it hosts a mountain gorilla family called Nyakagezi. This gorilla family used to cross into Rwanda in the past but is steadily living in Uganda, and its gorilla permits are open for pre-booking.

This park also hosts golden monkeys, a rare monkey species with a body structure larger than normal monkeys. You can do golden monkey trekking or have a habituation experience while in Mgahinga National Park. These primates may be habituated, but they still possess their typical characteristics as they keep you on your toes while you are with them.

How to book Gorilla Trekking Permits for Uganda?

Booking the Uganda gorilla trekking permits can be done through a tour company, or you can do it yourself.

At Encounter Africa Safaris, we are one of the few companies accredited to have access to the Uganda Wildlife Authority permit list. We would like these details when you contact us to check for gorilla permit availability and book the gorilla safari.

The date when you wish to do the Uganda gorilla trekking adventure or the starting and ending time of your gorilla safari. Do not forget to indicate the number of permits you wish to book to avoid moving back and forth.

When you enquire from us about your gorilla safari, our tours consultant checks gorilla permit availability from the list of Uganda Wildlife Authority according to your dates.

Our tours consultant gets back to you when he or she finds gorilla permit availability. This is because the status of the gorilla permits changes at any time without warning. No gorilla permit is ever reserved without payment, and first come, first served criteria are used.

Later, provide your details for identification, that is, your full name as presented on the passport, date of birth, nationality, and passport expiry date.

When is the best time to book a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda?

Although gorilla trekking is open all year, the dry period is most sought after, which is June, July, August, and September. The mountain gorillas feed closer to the ground in this season, while other forest dwellers, too, are quicker to trace.

The trails are dryer and quicker to navigate because less undergrowth obstructs the way. Although the Virunga area receives untimely rains, the dry season precipitation is less. More sunlight let in through the dense canopy reduces the amount of water on the ground. The water in the different waterfalls in the forest is clear and sparkling. 

Demand for this season's limited number of gorilla permits is high, creating scarcity for last-minute bookers. It is easy to miss out on the gorilla permits for the peak season, plus the logistics that support this adventure as options run out.

Demand for gorilla permits is less for the low season, which is March to May and November, giving a chance for last-minute bookings. Even though it is the low tourism season, you must book your gorilla permit in advance because they can sell out anytime.

If you wish to have the gorilla family to yourself and the people traveling with you, the low season may offer you this chance without spending any extra penny to close off other permits.

How much is the Gorilla Trekking safari in Uganda?

The cost of the gorilla trekking safari in Uganda starts with the gorilla permit cost. The gorilla permit cost for Uganda is $800 for foreign nonresidents, $700 for international residents, and 300,000 for East Africans.

When costing the entire gorilla trekking safari, at Encounter Africa Safaris, we consider factors like the number of days on safaris, number of people traveling with, time of booking, additional activities safari activities, and other items.

At Encounter Africa Safaris, we package our gorilla safaris according to Upscale, Mid-range, or budget. Our team of safari consultants is always ready to work with you to customize a safari package according to your needs and interests. They are always prepared to answer your safari questions based on the knowledge we have acquired over the ten years of planning safaris for different African countries.

How sure can I Be To see The Mountain Gorillas in Uganda

There is a 99% chance of seeing mountain gorillas on safari. The gorilla families in Uganda are first habituated to being in the presence of humans for at least one hour. Every gorilla family has to undergo the habituation process, which takes an unknown amount of time until it is proven ready for public visits.

The Gorilla habituation process is an adventure where researchers and trackers follow a wild gorilla family and spend one hour with them. The mountain gorillas' traits are not altered during the habituation process. This is why they can still react when they notice something odd.

Each day, a team of Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers guides patrol the gorilla families to establish where they nest and possible hangout points for the day. These clues are communicated to rangers leading tourists, and they use this to lead the tourists.

Experienced ranger guides with knowledge of the wilderness and the gorilla families escort every gorilla trekking group. They follow the trail leading to where the gorilla family allocated to you was last seen the previous day.

Mountain bulky in size, a full-grown male mountain gorilla weighs about 250 kilograms, while the fully grown female is about half this weight. It is quite challenging for the mountain gorillas to move quickly and far from where they spent the night unless provoked.

As one of the activities used to help trace the mountain gorillas, tourists are requested to help look out for clues left behind by the mountain gorillas, such as footprints, fresh dung, listening to the sounds, freshly fed from the area, and much more. With these clues, tracing the mountain gorillas becomes easier.

How difficult is gorilla trekking in Uganda?

Gorilla trekking in Uganda is quite strenuous because of the nature of the topography of this area. The terrain of the Bwindi and Mgahinga forests is rugged, resulting from volcanic actions in this area. These ancient forests lie on the slopes of the ridges and plateaus draped by tangled vegetation accumulated over many years. 

When it gets challenging to penetrate through the thick vegetation, the ranger guide trims some of this foliage with a machete to create a path to trace the mountain gorillas.

You must hike to get there if the mountain gorillas are feeding or lounging on the slopes or deep in the valley. Having some fitness level and wearing the right gorilla safari gear helps you walk through the jungle. 

 Before moving into the forest, you can hire a porter to help you carry your bags so they do not weigh you back. Ask the ranger guide for a walking stick, giving you extra support while you trek in the wilderness.

Open your mind to look for other forest dwellers so you do not get bored before finding the mountain gorillas. Bwindi and Mgahinga forest host other primates like olive baboons, black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, blue-cheeked mangabey, and others.

What are the rules of gorilla trekking safari?

• Stay in a tight group when you locate the mountain gorillas so they do not feel ambushed by your presence. This agitates the mountain gorillas and may push them into hiding.
• Wearing a mask and sanitizing your shoes before starting the gorilla trek is important as a measure adopted after the coronavirus pandemic.
• Spitting on vegetation and the ground is unacceptable as you may pass an infection to the mountain gorillas.
• If you have a contagious infection like cough or flu or COVID-19, volunteer to stay behind to save the mountain gorillas from acquiring it. This may lead to their massive death.
• When you meet the mountain gorillas, leave a gap of about 8 meters from them so that you do not pass any communicable infection to them. When they move closer, retreat slowly without looking suspicious.
• As you take the mountain gorilla photos, use no flashlight as you may scare them. They are afraid of new occurrences in their presence.
• If you wish to defecate, ask the ranger guide for assistance digging a hole of about 30 centimeters and covering well beyond recognition.
• Provoking the mountain gorillas and mimicking them is forbidden because you may not know what you are communicating.
• If you wish to feed or smoke before the mountain gorillas, do it at least 250 meters away from them. This reduces the chances of the mountain gorillas grabbing it from you, which may cause them to start depending on humans, yet they are wild animals that must search for their food.
• Only trekkers aged 15 years and beyond are allowed to do gorilla trekking. The initial age limit for gorilla trekking tours in Uganda was 15 years and beyond, but by lowering it to 15 years, more children can see the mountain gorillas.
• One hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas when you locate them.

Contact us for more information and please check out our trip advisor.