Planning a Gorilla and Wildlife Safari on Christmas Day in Uganda or Rwanda

If you are planning a Gorilla and Wildlife Safari on Christmas Day in Uganda and Rwanda, this is the right place for you because we are going to be discussing how you can easily plan this perfect holiday during the Christmas season. The moment you think about planning a gorilla and wildlife safari, there are things that you need to take into consideration, especially considering the time of the year and the number of people planning to take on the exercise during the jolly holidays.

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Whether you are planning on going to Uganda or Rwanda, there are a few steps that you need to follow like the purchase of the gorilla permit and due to many people planning for the season, many tourists start planning for the Christmas gorilla and wildlife safari a year in advance mostly when it comes to the purchase of the permits. You also need to first identify your destination, the number of days you plan on spending on your holiday and the number of people.

In Uganda, gorilla tracking is done in Mgahinga National Park, which is home to one gorilla family and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is home to 19 habituated gorilla families. Wildlife safaris in Uganda are carried out in different safari destinations that are found in the different national parks which include Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Kibale National Park, Pian Upe National Reserve, and many more others. Each of these national parks has unique features and a variety of wildlife which make them unique in their own way.

Rwanda has only one gorilla trekking destination known as Volcanoes National Park, and the other national parks where you can go for a wildlife safari in Rwanda include Akagera National Park and Nyungwe Forest National Park.

Planning a gorilla safari and wildlife safari in Uganda and Rwanda on Christmas day

The steps that you need to follow when planning a gorilla and wildlife safari on Christmas day include the following:

Booking a gorilla permit: The Christmas season is a busy and popular day for both gorilla trekking and wildlife safaris among tourists, so you need to book the gorilla permit in advance since the permits are limited to only 8 per gorilla family per day. Gorilla permits in Bwindi are issued according to the sectors within the national park and these are Rushaga, Ruhija, Nkuringo and Buhoma.

The gorilla permits in Uganda are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Rwanda Development Board in Rwanda and these can only be purchased directly from the regulatory bodies or preferably through a trusted tour operator. Before purchasing the permit, you need to find out how many people you are going with for the safari and the number of days and dates for trekking the gorillas, which is 25^th December on Christmas Day. After getting all this information, get in touch with a tour guide with this information so that they can check for the availability of the permits for that specific date. After checking the availability and it shows that they are available, you will be contacted and asked to make the necessary payments for the permits, it is safe to note that the permits are sold on a first-come and first-serve basis, and the earlier you pay, the better chances of getting the permit.

After the payment has been made and confirmed, the operator will proceed with booking and purchasing the permit on your behalf and a copy of the permit will be sent via email for record purposes.

When booking permits in Uganda, it is best to book through a tour operator, especially if you are a foreign non-resident, and when it comes to Rwanda, you can either book directly through the Rwanda Development Board website or through a trusted tour operator. Provide details of your name and a copy of the biodata page of your passport with your passport number, name, nationality and photo visible because these details will be used when awarding certificates upon completion of the exercise and when purchasing the permits.

Getting accommodation in Uganda and Rwanda during a gorilla and wildlife safari on Christmas day: since Christmas day attracts large crowds for both gorilla trekking and wildlife safaris, you need to book the accommodation in advance to get better deals. There are three categories of accommodation facilities that you can use, and these are budget, mid-range and luxury accommodation facilities. Your travel budget and the amenities you are looking for in a facility will determine the type of facility you get, and the time of booking is crucial to you getting what you want on your Christmas holiday during a wildlife safari and gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda.

Some of the accommodation facilities you can use when trekking gorillas in Uganda include Gahinga Lodge, Mutanda Lake Resort, Mgahinga Gorilla Triangle, Community Camp and Majambere for Mgahinga, Bwindi View Bandas, Rushaga Gorilla Safari Lodge, Mahogany Springs, Gorilla Resort and Engagi Lodge among others for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Accommodations in Rwanda that you can use during a gorilla trek safari on Christmas day include Kinigi Guest House, Sabinyo Silverback Lodge, Hotel La Palme, Hotel Muhavura and Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, among others.

When booking accommodation in Bwindi, you have to consider the sector you have been assigned, and when it comes to wildlife safari destinations in both Uganda and Rwanda, make sure that the accommodation booked is not far away from the national park to ease access and keep time.

Planning transport to use for the gorilla and wildlife safari in Uganda and Rwanda: Transport during the Christmas season is hard to come by and expensive with many people traveling upcountry for Christmas, especially in Uganda and this is why you are advised to book your transport means in advance and through a tour operator who knows the destinations and is familiar with the country. 4x4 safari vehicles are the recommended mode of transport for tourists driving to their destination because of the road network system in the country and within the national parks. We at Encounter Africa Safaris have trained and experienced driver guides and well-equipped safari vehicles that will take you to the various and chosen safari destinations in Uganda and Rwanda on Christmas day for your gorilla and wildlife safari.

There is also the option of flying to the safari destinations; you must, however, reserve a seat on the domestic flights in advance to ensure that the plane is available on the day of your travel to the chosen safari destination. Rwanda and Uganda have charter flight arrangements that can be got from the tour operator for proper planning, but you need to know that this is an expensive way to get to the destination but offers exclusive safari experiences to tourists and a faster way to get to the national parks.

Identifying the wildlife destinations to visit

Uganda: Uganda is home to several wildlife safari destinations you can select to explore on your Christmas holidays; however, the one factor you should put into consideration is the number of days that you are likely to spend on your safari. Some of the wildlife safari destinations in Uganda include Kibale Forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Rwenzori National Park and Kidepo Valley National Park among others. Some national parks have common animals whereas some animals are harder to spot. The best way to see these animals is by going for a game drive and these include lions, waterbucks, Kobs, antelopes, buffaloes, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, zebras, Oribi, elands, sitatungas, crocodiles, hippos, and many more others.

There are other activities that you can engage in while on your safari to the wildlife destinations, and these include guided nature walks, bird watching, boat cruises, cultural visits, mountain hiking, chimpanzee trekking and primate walks, among others.

Rwanda: Rwanda unlike Uganda has a limited number of national parks and these are Nyungwe Forest National Park best known for chimpanzee trekking and Akagera National Park, the only savannah park in the country where you get to see a variety of mammals including waterbucks, bushbucks, elephants, cape buffaloes, rhinos, zebras and hippos among others. The dry season from June to October and December to February are considered one of the best times to visit Rwanda for a wildlife safari and other activities that you can engage in while on your safari include guided nature walks, bird watching, chimpanzee trekking, boat rides and cultural trips among others.

What to expect on your gorilla and wildlife safari on Christmas Day in Uganda and Rwanda

This is a busy season that is filled with festivities and large crowds of tourists and other people looking to have a good time. You need to know that you are visiting the wild and should expect anything from the weather changing, few or large crowds and missing out on seeing other wildlife species.

What to expect during a gorilla trek

The gorilla trek experience starts early morning with a briefing from the guides about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking, and all participants are expected to participate in the exercise. After the briefing, the participants are divided into groups of 8 and assigned gorilla families to trek for the day. The exercise will start immediately after the briefing and can take 1 to 6 hours, depending on the location of the gorillas you have been assigned, after locating the group, each has an hour with the Mountain gorillas before heading back to the park headquarters, where you will be awarded a certificate. This is the wild and although the gorillas are habituated, you need to be careful and follow all the rules and regulations given to you. If you want to spend more time with the Mountain gorillas, you can decide to go for the gorilla habituation experience offered only in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the Rushaga sector. There are, however, steps being taken to introduce gorilla habituation experience in the Nkuringo sector as well.

Uganda: The cost of the gorilla permit in Uganda is $800 for foreign non-residents, $700 for foreign residents and UGX300,000 for East African citizens. The gorilla habituation permits, on the other hand, cost more because you get to spend four hours with the gorillas, and it costs $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 for foreign residents and citizens from other African countries and UGX7UGX750,000 East African citizens.

Rwanda: The cost of the gorilla permit in Rwanda is $200 for East African citizens, $500 for foreign residents and African citizens from other countries and $1500 for foreign non-residents.

What to expect on a wildlife safari in Uganda and Rwanda

Uganda and Rwanda are the perfect combination for a wildlife safari on Christmas Day. With the various locations to choose from, you should know that there are so many wildlife animals and bird species that can be spotted during a game drive, and you should go with an open mind of spotting the wildlife animals within the national parks or missing out on spotting some of them. The national parks offer two game drives per day tha, the early morning and the second late in the afternoon, and both usually take between 2 to 3 hours. There are, however, some destinations that offer night game drives, and these are usually paid for separately starting at around 6:30 pm. Armed with a spotlight, a safari vehicle and an experienced guide, you get to spend two hours seeing the nocturnal animals and other mammals that usually come out at night to hunt.

Follow all the rules and regulations given by the guides, like switching off your phones, communicating in low tones so as not to distract the animals, and not alighting your vehicle at any point unless when the guides tell you to do so.

Planning a gorilla and wildlife safari on Christmas day in Uganda and Rwanda is an easy task if you get the best tour operator to help you with the planning. Get in touch with Encounter Africa Safaris to help you plan for the safari and for more information.