Uganda and Rwanda are definitely the two best places to film mountain gorillas in the world but in this article, we will be mainly concerned with the best time to film mountain gorillas in either Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Habituated gorilla families are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National park, Volcanoes National Park, and Virunga National Park in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo Respectively. Encounter Africa safaris operates in Uganda and Rwanda and as such, we will focus on these two countries when looking at best time to film mountain gorillas.

When is the best time to film mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda

For those filming companies that are looking at filming during drier months, then the best time to film mountain gorillas are June, July, August, September, December, January and February. During these months, rainfall is low and as such trekking up and down in either Uganda and or Rwanda is much more easier compared to rainy seasons of March, April, May and November. Kindly not that while we advise drier months as the best time to filming mountain gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda, there is no guarantee that it won’t rain. In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for example, due to the fact that it’s a tropical rain forest, its micro climate is influenced by factors like winds, moisture on top of the forest and human activities. Because of this, it tends to rain even in the traditional dry seasons.

When comparing the best time to film mountain gorillas in terms of costs to be incurred, low season months will offer the best option. All film crew members are required to purchase gorilla permit on top of the gorilla filming fee for the whole group as requested by Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rwanda Development board. If one films mountain gorillas in low season/rainy seasons of April, May and November, then you stand to save on the costs of gorilla permits since they are currently at a discounted rate of USD450.00 compared to high season rate of USD600.00 per permit per person. In Rwanda, a gorilla permit costs USD750.00 per person and such no difference.

Encounter Africa Safaris is an expert filming company and has helped many filming crews to acquire filming permits for mountain gorillas and other wildlife, processing media cards and clearing their kit into Uganda among other logistics which include transport and accommodation booking anywhere in Uganda and Rwanda. Contact one of our expert fixers and you will get the best Uganda and Rwanda has to offer in terms of film crew fixing services in the entire East African Region