DR Congo mountain gorilla safari from Uganda

September 28, 2020

How to organize and book DR Cong mountain gorilla safari from Uganda?

When it comes to organizing and booking DR Cong mountain gorilla safari from Uganda, look nowhere as Encounter Africa safaris is your number one destination management outfit for you when it comes to booking mountain gorilla trekking. Encounter Africa safaris has its offices in Uganda that takes care of checking the availability of all services ranging from Virunga National Park gorilla permits, accommodation in Virunga National Park as well as the transport to and from Uganda. You will need to send us your planned dates of travel, how many days do you want to spend on your safari, what do you want to do in Congo and we will check availability and get back to you with a quote and all the details then once you have chosen to book with us, we will send you an invoice and you will make payment and we secure your gorilla permits in advance, after purchasing your gorilla permit we will send you a scan copy for your records and perusal and with it will confirm that you have booked your mountain gorilla safari. Email us and we will answer you immediately.

How easy and best can one get to Congo for mountain gorilla trekking from Uganda?

This will depend on which part of Uganda are you in or from where you are interested in starting your safari to Congo. If you are in southern parts of Uganda it will be close to Congo and you can drive there by car which will take you around 3-4 hours for example if you are in Kabale, Kisoro or Kasese. For those in the Northern, Western, Eastern and Central parts Uganda we recommend you take either a domestic flight from Entebbe to Kisoro or Kigali Airports so that you can drive less to Congo, but it is still possible to start the drive on road from anywhere in Uganda and this will, in turn, determine how long and days you will spend on your trip.

Encounter Africa safaris has a fleet of vehicles stations in both locations in Uganda and Kigali that will drive you to Virunga National Park for gorilla trekking and then back to Uganda. All our vehicles are 4×4 Vans or Jeeps driven by well-trained safari driver guides knowledgeable in as far as Uganda, Congo and Rwanda are concerned. They know all corners and best routes to and from Uganda and you will feel safe and comfortable when you book a DR Congo mountain gorilla safari from Uganda with Encounter Africa safaris. Email us and we will answer you immediately.

How much does it cost to see mountain gorillas in Congo?

Gorilla trekking is a daily activity done in Virunga National Park in Congo, the trek normally starts with briefing at 7:45am, then you are you will be allocated a gorilla for your trek that day and you will start the walk into the Virunga forest to find the gorillas once you find them you will spend one hour encounter with them, like other national parks for mountain gorilla trekking you will have a chance to take photographs, see other attractions like birds and primates depending on your luck, learn more about the mountain gorilla habitat and how they survive in Virunga National Park. As Encounter Africa Safaris we do provide all inclusive gorilla tour packages for all the visitors with no hidden costs. The most essential and priority cost is the gorilla permit price that you will incur to secure your trek in Virunga National Park. All our tour packages range from budget safaris to Luxury safaris and you can opt to do any as we tailor your trip together according to your interest. We do have Gorilla tour packages for the DR Congo mountain gorilla safari from Uganda. This will still be determined by which location you will be in Uganda at the time of starting your trip and this will determine how many days you will spend on your safari. Safari from Entebbe/Kampala you will need atleast 4 Days a minimum where you will drive to Kisoro or Kabale for overnight on day one, day two drive to Congo Virunga National Park and then day three you will trek gorillas and drive back to Kisoro/Kabale for overnight, the last day that is day four you will drive back to Kampala/Entebbe for drop off to end the tour. For a 4 day Trip from Uganda costs USD1500 per person in a group of two inclusive of Gorilla permits and as a budget option, transportation, accommodation, Meals, guide services are inclusive as well.

What is the cost of the Gorilla Permits to See Mountain Gorillas in Congo?

Gorilla permits are the most essential when you are planning to see mountain gorillas in DR Congo Virunga National Park. Compared to other national parks for gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda that is Bwindi and Mgahinga and Volcanoes respectively gorilla trekking in Congo is much cheaper and affordable. Virunga National Park offers both normal and discounted gorilla permits for trekking mountain gorillas in Congo. It is during the high season or peak season of the months December, January, February, June, July, August, September and early October that the gorilla permit of Virunga National Park costs 400 USD per person per trek, these months the park receives many visitors because it is holiday season for many travelers and it is as well a dry season which makes it easy for the gorilla trek and walks through the trails in the Virunga forest. With this if you plan to visit Congo for gorilla trekking during these months we do advise you book your trek in advance atleast 3 months early so that you don’t miss out on the gorilla permits. Then for the discounted gorilla permits trekking in Congo Virunga National park these are offered during the off season months of early March, April and May then early October, November and early December annually at 200 USD per person per trek and this offer runs from 15^th of March to 15^th of May and then from 15^th of October and 15^th of December, the advance booking of the discounted permits is same to the normal permits and we do advice you book your spot in advance atleast 3 months before the trekking date.

Once you contact us and confirm your trip with us by making Payment for the permits, we shall secure your permits Virunga National Park Congo headquarters and send you scan of the receipt to confirm your trek for your specified date in Virunga National Park. Once we confirm your permits, you will book your international flights, and then you can pay the balance for all your services.

What to do and see on a DR Congo mountain gorilla safari from Uganda.

Mountain gorilla trekking, this is one of the major activity done in the Virunga National park and on your Congo mountain gorilla safari from Uganda you shouldn’t miss out of this experience, there are not so many mountain gorilla individuals in Virunga despite availability of the large habitat and it is only 6 families open for gorilla trekking activity, these include Kabirizi gorilla group, Humba gorilla group, Rugendo gorilla group, Mapuwa gorilla group, Lulengo gorilla group, Munyaga gorilla group, Nyakamwe gorilla group and Bageni gorilla group. Among these groups it is Kabirizi that is popular for gorilla trekking and loved by many tourists because it is the largest group with over 3 dozens of gorilla individuals. If you are interested in trekking this specific gorilla group, you will be required to book early enough your gorilla permit atleast 3 months in advance so that you don’t miss out on the trek.

Chimpanzee tracking and Habituation, Chimpanzee tracking and Chimpanzee habituation are the second most popular activities to do in Virunga National Park on your DR Congo mountain gorilla safari from Uganda, chimpanzee tracking gives you a one hour encounter with the chimpanzees while chimpanzee habituation gives an entire day encounter with the chimpanzees, both treks begin in the morning hours where you will be joined by trackers and researchers to walk through the Virunga forest and search for chimpanzees you will have a chance to observe and discover their habits, feeding and natural behavior for those on the chimpanzee habituation treks will spend the day with them until they nest for the night. Same with the gorilla trekking permits for the chimpanzee tracking and habituation experiences you will still need to book your permit in advance in order not to miss out atleast 3 months in advance.

Nature walks through the Virunga Forest, Virunga National Park is one of the oldest tropical rain forest in Africa with super dense vegetation, a nature walk through this forest on your DR Congo mountain gorilla safari from Uganda will give a chance to discover and see breathtaking beauty of the unique Virunga Landscape as well as learn about the various tree species, spot birds and if keen enough you will see some mammals and reptiles.

Nyirangongo Volcano Hike, Hiking the Nyirangongo Volcano is one of the once in a lifetime adventure one should do and this can as well be done in Virunga National Park on your DR Congo mountain gorilla safari from Uganda, the Nyiragongo Volcano one of the most active volcanoes in the world with an elevation of 3,470 m (11,380 ft), Not much is known about how long the volcano has been erupting, but since 1882, it has erupted at least 34 times and the most recent eruption happened in 2002.

Bird watching, Virunga Forest being one of the most diverse forest in the tropics it has various habitats and landscapes ranging from Forests, swamps to grasslands, these have thus attracted a vast number of bird species making the birding expedition one of the must do activity on your visit to virunga national park on your DR Congo mountain gorilla safari from Uganda. There are more than 706 recorded bird species that one on a birding safari will have a chance to spot and see. Contact us at info@gorilla-tracking-uganda.com and we will organize for you this safari accordingly.

What is the best time to visit Congo for mountain Gorilla Trekking?

Virunga National Park is located in the tropics and it is majorly covered with tropical rain forest vegetation, with this it prone to receiving uncertain rains any time of the day or week, however given it is a tropical rain forest there are still good months to visit this park that is dry season which occurs in the months of December, January, February, June, July, August and September during these months it always easy to walk through the trails which are drier compared to the wet months then as well the vegetations is not fully grown and this makes sighting of gorillas easy and more clear. Other months which are abit wet that is March, April, May, October and November most travelers avoid visiting gorillas during these months because the vegetation is fully grown and trails are much slippery making the trekking much harder. All said however Virunga National Park gives a discounted offer of gorilla permits for tourists visiting gorillas during the rainy months at USD200 only for the gorilla permit basically to accommodate the budget travelers to have a chance trek the gorillas during the low turnout of tourists visiting gorillas.

Where to stay on a DR Congo mountain gorilla safari from Uganda

Accommodations in Virunga National Park range from budget, mid-range to luxury. Budget options include Bukima Tented Camp and Kibumba Tented Camp among others fares range from 90-100 dollars a night per person, mid-range options include Tchegera Island Camp and Lulimbi Tented Camp among others fares range from 100-200 dollars a night per person and then Luxury options include Mikeno Lodge fares range from 200-400 dollars a night per person. You let us know the best option that works for you and we will for availability and book you according. Email us on info@gorilla-tracking-uganda.com and we will answer you immediately.

How to access Congo for mountain gorilla trekking from Uganda

Mountain gorilla trekking in Congo is only done in Virunga National Park which is located in the Eastern Part of Congo. For those interested in flying you will fly from Entebbe Airport to either Kisoro or Kigali Airports, if you have flown to Kisoro Airport you will cross Cyanika boarder then connect to Gisenyi town; from Gisenyi town you will cross the Rwanda-Congo boarder to Goma town in DR Congo then drive towards Bukima and then you will reach at the park headquarters of Virunga National Park from where you will do start the gorilla trek from, it is approximately a 2 hours drive from Gisenyi town to reach the park headquarters. Then for those interested in driving on road you will drive to Kigali from any location in Uganda through Kabale or Kisoro cross the Uganda-Rwanda boarder of either Katuna or Cyanika and then connect to Goma town crossing Rwanda-Congo boarder from Goma you will procced to Viringa National Park from where you will go for gorilla trekking.

When to book a DR Congo mountain gorilla safari from Uganda

It is great that Congo offers normal and discounted gorilla trekking permits annually for mountain gorilla trekking in Virunga National Park, so it will depend on your budget to choose when to book a DR Congo mountain gorilla safari from Uganda, however given gorilla trekking is Cheaper the permits do sell out quickly in advance so it is better to book your trek 3 months in advance. There is therefore need to contact Encounter Africa safaris early enough so that we check availability of gorilla permits in Virunga National Park, reserve them, pay for them so that we secure them for and on your behalf.

Why book DR Congo gorilla safaris with Encounter Africa safaris

Encounter Africa safaris was established in 2011 with an aim of providing unrivalled and professional tour and travel services in Uganda, Congo, Tanzania and Rwanda. Since then, Encounter Africa safaris as established herself as one of the leading tour operator for Uganda and Rwanda. Encounter Africa boosts of a professional office and field team that takes care of all your requests and inquiries. We are full members of AUTO (Association of Uganda Tour Operators) and work closely with Uganda Wildlife Authority. We are highly recommended on trip advisor as well as Safari bookings. Our website is one of the best and reliable point to help you start preparing for your DR Congo mountain gorilla safari from Kigali as we have the best and update information that you can rely on. Encounter Africa safaris is owned and run by Ugandans and as such, you will be dealing with a team that sells what they know.