Combing gorilla trekking in Uganda with Safari in Kenya

Planning a combination of gorilla trekking in Uganda and safari in Kenya requires you to have a gorilla permit. It is best to secure the gorilla trekking permit first, especially if you hope to do this African safari in the peak season, June to September and December to January. Each day, a maximum of 8 gorilla trekking permits are open to the public by the Uganda Wildlife Authority per gorilla family.

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7 Day Highlights of Kenya & Tanzania Safari

Kenya has a variety of safari activities and destinations you can visit, but let us zero down to Masai Mara National Reserve, the home of the great wildebeest migration in Kenya. If you hope to take on the game safari to Masai Mara in the peak season, reserve accommodation in advance because most lodges sell out as the season breaks in. This makes securing accommodation for the Kenyan safari at the last minute hard.

Uganda has two gorilla trekking parks, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. The most famous of them is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which offers chances for gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation experience. Currently, Uganda has about 21 gorilla trekking families living in both Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park.

The least number of days you can be on a gorilla safari in Uganda is three days, so as you plan, you must consider this time.

Apply for your visa to Uganda or Kenya in advance so as not to get inconvenienced on arrival at immigration. The long queues are disturbing, especially if you disembark from a long international flight. In Kenya and Uganda, you can obtain a visa online or from the consular of either country in your country.

Ensure you take all the inoculation travel requirements of Uganda or Kenya to avoid inconveniences on arrival. Ask your travel agent for details of what you must have as travel documents before entering Uganda or Kenya.

You can also apply for the East African tourist visa, which allows you entry into two East African countries. Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda consented to use the East Africa Visa in their countries. This single visa will enable you to enter either of these countries without having to reapply.

Gorilla Trekking Uganda And Kenya Safari Itinerary 

Day 1 drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National park in Uganda

After breakfast, your driver guide will pick you up from your point of commencement in Entebbe or Kampala, Uganda, to head for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. On the way, you may make stops to stretch and freshen up because the journey is about 8 to 9 hours, excluding stops.

The countryside may get messy when it rains, or it is so dusty during the entry dry season. Experience the African massage along the way, so do not expect a smooth ride because the roads get bumpy as you go deep into the countryside.

Arrive in the evening to check in to your lodge.

Bwindi accommodation: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Safari Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Engage Lodge, Bwindi View Bandas, Nshongi Camp, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Mahogany Springs, Silverback Lodge

Day 2 Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi, Uganda

Carry your gorilla trekking gear and pack it to the ranger station for briefing. Later, move into the forest for the mountain gorilla search. The time it takes to find mountain gorillas is hard to determine because mountain gorillas are mobile primates.

On the way, look out for other primates like olive baboons, blue monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkeys, and so much more. Keen birders have a lot to see, especially when booked to do gorilla trekking in the Ruhija area.

When you find the mountain gorillas, only one hour is allowed with them as they are habituated to be in front of humans for just one hour. Get away from the mountain gorillas without appearing suspicious.

Day 3 Depart from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you drive back to Entebbe International Airport to catch up with your flight to Kenya Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Overnight in accommodation within or closer to Jomo Kenya International Airport (Nairobi)

Day 4 Drive to Masai Mara National Reserve

Early morning, your driver guide will pick you up from your overnight facility to start another segment of your safari. You may drive or fly to Masai Mara National Reserve. If you decide to drive, the distance from Nairobi to Masai Mara is about 225 kilometers.

If you fly to Masai Mara National Reserve, you can board domestic flights to any different airstrips close to Mara Mara but also close to where your lodge is. You look out for the possible wild animals you can spot while in Masai Mara National Reserve.

Day 5 Game drive in Masai Mara National Reserve

With your packed breakfast, head for a Masai Mara National Reserve game drive. Look out for the early risers. As you drive along the tracks of Masai Mara National Reserve, you may spot animals like hartebeest, wildebeests, lions, leopards, hyenas, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, elands, impalas, elephants, buffaloes, and several others.

Open your mind to see other animals in the park and not focus on spotting a particular animal because this is a game drive where animals live freely in the wilderness. 

If it is time for the great wildebeest migration, expect to see vast numbers of animals in the game park this season if you get the opportunity to watch the Mara River crossing, where a huge population of wild animals tried to escape the guillotine of the merciless crocodiles of this river. 

Return to your lodge to relax.

Day 6 Second Game Drive in Masai Mara National Reserve

For every game safari you experience in Masai Mara, every time is different. Wake up and start your game drive in the Masai Mara National Reserve. Look out for several animals you may have missed the previous day.

Some of the animals of Masai Mara National Reserve include impalas, gazelles, zebras, cape buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs, bushbucks, and others.

Day 7 Departure 

After the gorilla trekking experience in Uganda and Kenyan safari in Masai Mara National Reserve, depart for Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or visit the Mombasa coast for water activities.

How do you book Gorilla Trekking permits for Uganda?

Choose a date when you hope to do the gorilla trekking safari in Uganda. In case you have company, state the number of gorilla permits you wish to book to help find availability.

As soon as we get your inquiry, our safari salesperson checks availability from the Uganda Wildlife Authority list. The age limit for booking a gorilla trekking adventure is 15 years and over.

Upon finding gorilla permit availability, our safari consultant will get back to you, but we advise clients to purchase these gorilla permits as soon as possible. This is because the demand for gorilla permits is high, yet supply is limited to a maximum of 8 per gorilla family per day.

Avail us with some personal details for identification, like your full name as presented on your passport, nationality, date of birth, and others. These details are added to your gorilla permit card and retrieved on gorilla trekking day for identification purposes.

When is the best time for gorilla trekking in Uganda and Kenyan safari?

Even though gorilla trekking in Uganda and safaris in Kenya are all year-round activities, the dry season, June to September, attracts more bookings in both countries. The mountain gorillas in Bwindi forest are full of life, plus other forest dwellers during this season. During the dry season, the great wildebeest migration is in high gear in the Masai Mara National Reserve.

The demand for gorilla permits is over the top, plus the logistics supporting this adventure, like accommodations, vehicle hire, etc. For game safaris in Masai Mara National Reserve, the peak season accommodation options of all budgets sell out, too.

Getting last-minute bookings for the gorilla permits and related logistics during the high season is challenging.

The wet season, which serves as the low tourism season that is March, April, May, and November, may open chances for discounts, especially from service providers that want to break even. If you want exclusive treatment with less crowds, you may use the opportunity of the low season to visit.

What to Pack for a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda and a game tour in Kenya?

You do not have to overpack for a safari to Uganda and Kenya, but include mainly the relevant items, so you do not have too many bags. The gorilla trekking safari requires special gear for walking in the jungle. You may also use items on this packing list for a safari in Kenya.

• Extract fully charged batteries to exchange with if one runs low
• Garden gloves to cover your hands in case you need to secure a tighter grip.
• Safari Boots that can withstand water-logged conditions in the forest in case the rivers overflow.
• A foldable safari hat with a large brim that can protect your hair from water dripping off the tree leaves
• Safari long shirt and trousers that can withstand forest conditions. They must be in colors like Tan or Khaki to camouflage dirt.
• A raincoat is needed if it rains while in the jungle, as this area is known to receive rain without warning.
• First Aid kit with emergency items, especially if you have a non-communicable infection that may require urgent medical care.
• Medicated Insect repellent to keep away stinging insects in the wilderness
• A camera to capture highlights of the gorilla trekking tour for memories of your safari.
• A pair of binoculars to bring close the far-ranging items of your interest
• Toiletries, especially if your skin is sensitive to certain body chemicals.
• Energy bites to snack on when hungry and keep you going.
•  Shoe bags to keep in your dirty shoes, especially when you have no time to clean them up after the trek.
• Hard cash to change into local currency if you need to purchase specific items like souvenirs. Credit cards are rarely used in Africa because of the lengthy process of obtaining money from them.

General Guidelines for a gorilla trekking Uganda and safari in Kenya

• While in the park, do not shout or hoot at the animals because you may scare them.
• Do not drive off track during the game drives unless you have permission from Kenya Wildlife Service.
• Feeding the animals while on safari is forbidden because these wild animals must not depend on human provision but not humans.
• Do not dump garbage or plastic wraps while on safari because this alters the environment where these primates thrive.
• During gorilla trekking, do not surround the mountain gorillas but remain in a tight group because you may cause them to feel ambushed.
• Avoid spitting on vegetation or grass during the gorilla safari, as you may spread an infection to the mountain gorillas or other forest dwellers.
• Do not expect toilet breaks during the game drives or get out of the vehicle because you do not know what is watching from a distance.
• For gorilla trekking, only one hour is allowed with the gorilla family for conservation purposes.
• Using flash photography as you watch wild animals is forbidden because you may scare them, yet other tourists would also like to see them.
• Never enter the park without an escorting ranger guide because you may encounter some dangerous animals that may hurt you.
• During gorilla trekking, keep a distance of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas when you locate them to avoid the chances of passing an infection to these primates.
• Keep your engine off when you locate the animals on game safari.
• In case you need to sneeze or cough during a gorilla trekking encounter. Do it away from the mountain gorillas to prevent chances of passing an infection to these primates.

Our safari team is the best in planning and organizing safaris to Uganda and Kenya, Contact us to plan your safari today.