Fly into Bujumbura/Burundi for gorilla trekking in Uganda.

For Gorilla safari in Uganda, you must have a gorilla trekking permit card from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. When you fly into Bujumbura in Burundi to connect for a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda, you need to know if you must have a visa for the three countries that you may have to cross into that is Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda in case you must have visa among your travel documents.

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Purchasing the necessary visa before your gorilla trekking safari in Uganda is important to reduce your time at immigration. If you need a visa for Rwanda and Uganda, you can apply for the East African community tourist visa, allowing you to enter these two countries.

From Bujumbura in Burundi, and you are taking road transport, you must drive via the Kanyanza Haut border with Rwanda. Drive to Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda, where you can spend the night. Continue into Uganda the next day via the Cyanika border with Uganda before arriving at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park.

How to Plan a Fly into Bujumbura Burundi safari for gorilla trekking in Uganda

Day 1: Fly into Bujumbura International Airport and drive to Nyungwe National Park 

Our driver guide will pick you up from Bujumbura in Burundi and drive you to Nyungwe National Park via the Kanyanza Hault border between Burundi and Rwanda. Carry on to Nyungwe National Park to break the long journey, and you can spend your night here.

Nyungwe accommodations: Gisaku Guest House, Nyungwe Forest Lodge, Nyungwe House, Gisaku Family Hostel

Day 2: Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda

After breakfast, your driver guide will embark on the journey from Nyungwe National Park to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via the Cyanika border. The journey is scenic as you drive on the winding roads curving on the evergreen slopes of the numerous highlands. This is a volcanic area from which Rwanda gets its name, the land of a thousand hills.

Check into your lodge.

Note that accommodations for the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park area are booked according to the area where your gorilla permit is secured. This is Ruhija, Buhoma, Rushaga, or Nkuringo, as these areas are separated by hard-to-navigate physical features, making it hard to catch up with early morning briefing the next day.

Bwindi accommodations: Cloud Lodge, Ichumbi Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Buhoma community Bandas, Bwindi View Lodge, Engage Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Lodge.

Day 3 Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Carrying your packed lunch and gorilla trekking gear and wearing a mask, head to the ranger station of your trailhead for briefing. Hire a porter to help you carry your gorilla trekking gear in case you need help. A porter is a local person. Some reformed poachers now use other means to earn from the mountain gorillas and their habitat.

After the briefing, you are allocated gorilla families within your booked Bwindi Impenetrable National Park area. The ranger guide leads the way, following the trail where the mountain gorilla family was last seen the previous day. Look out for other forest dwellers to keep you going until you locate the mountain gorillas. Keen birders, especially in the Ruhija area, the primary birding area of the Bwindi forest, may have a chance to identify over 100 bird species.

When you locate the mountain gorillas, only one hour is allowed with them during gorilla trekking. This is for conservation reasons, as these primates need to continue running their day-to-day life.

Return to your lodge to relax.

Day 4: Departure day

After the gorilla trekking adventure in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, you can depart to Burundi or continue into Uganda for other safari adventures.

How to Book Uganda gorilla Trekking permits?

Choose a date and the number of people you travel with for gorilla trekking in Uganda. The age limit for gorilla trekking in Uganda is 15 years and over.

Enquire about gorilla permit availability from a tour company or Uganda Wildlife Authority. At Encounter Africa Safaris, our team of safari consultants is ready to assist you in booking the gorilla permits and arranging all the necessary logistics according to your interest and budget. We work with you to make your gorilla trekking safari memorable and lift off your shoulders the burden of having to hassle to find availability.

When you send us an inquiry about your gorilla tour, our safari consultant checks availability from the list of Uganda wildlife authorities and gets back to you as soon as possible.

We advise our clients to purchase these gorilla permits immediately to avoid losing them. Gorilla permits are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and none is reserved without payment.

Later, please provide us with personal details to add to your gorilla permit card for identification purposes. Some details include your full name as presented on the passport, nationality, date of birth, and passport expiry date.

What is the cost of a Uganda gorilla permit and safari?

The Uganda gorilla permit is the universal cost for all luxury, mid-range, and budget packages.

The current cost of Uganda gorilla permits is:

$800 for foreign nonresidents 

$700 for international residents in Uganda

300000shs for East Africans

The entire cost of the gorilla trekking safari in Uganda from Burundi depends on factors like the number of days on safari, the number of people traveling with additional activities to combine with gorilla trekking in Uganda, time of booking, and other factors.

Is it safe for a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda via Burundi?

Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda are safe when you hope to cross them to do a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You need to respect the guidelines to follow when each of these countries, like Uganda, is very strict with carrying unlawful drugs within its boundaries. The boundaries of Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda are open despite the past conflict.

While in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger guides are trained to protect the forest dwellers, their inhabitants, and visitors.

The Uganda ranger guides escort each tourist group, with one carrying a machete and another a rifle in case of any emergency. These rangers communicate with the security team in case backup is needed.

On the ground, other Uganda security agencies help maintain law and order in the Bwindi forest area. They work closely with the park ranger guide to maintain harmony in this area.

How Long Is Gorilla Trekking In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park In Uganda?

Some tourists find the mountain gorillas in two hours while others spend more time; however, the moment you meet the mountain gorillas is exciting no matter the time. Seeing the mountain gorillas during gorilla trekking depends on factors prevailing in the forest, like the weather conditions if the gorilla family is adventurous, food area location, the pace of following tourists, and much more.

The ranger guide follows the pace of the slowest trekkers but ensures you do not get all the rest done. You need to have some level of fitness before traveling for gorilla trekking. This is because of the nature of the terrain of the Bwindi forest, which was affected by volcanic actions leading to the formation of ridges and plateaus.

Sometimes, the mountain gorillas spend their day on these highlands' slopes, so you must hike to find them. This is quite strenuous, so you need to have some fitness level. At the start of the gorilla trek, you may request a walking stick for extra support or hire a sedan chair service in advance in case you have some physical impairment.

Which is the best area for gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park?

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has four areas: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo, but each has something exciting and unique. The Ruhija area is the prime birding area of the Bwindi forest, especially when you take the Mubwindi swamp. This ridge route offers you an opportunity into the deep valleys of undisturbed forests where several birds can be spotted.

While in the Rushaga or Nkuringo area of the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you may get the opportunity to do a gorilla habituation Experience.

The gorilla habituation experience is an adventure where a maximum of four tourists accompany a team of researchers in the wild to follow a semi-habituated gorilla family and have four hours in their company. You must reserve a gorilla habituation permit in advance, as only two gorilla families are open to the public.

Buhoma area has some of the first gorilla trekking families to be habituated and opened to the public, like the Mubare gorilla family, which was the first to be opened in 1993, and the Habinyanja gorilla family, which was opened in 1998. The

What other Uganda safari destinations to combine with gorilla trekking in Uganda

Kibale National Park

Kibale National Park is a chimpanzee trekking haven with more than 1500 chimpanzees recorded as residents of this Park. You need to book a chimpanzee trekking or habituation experience permit to enjoy the morning or afternoon sessions.

More than 325 bird species are recorded as residents of Kibale National Park. Over 15 other primate species inhabit the Kibale forest, too.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the wildlife-rich countries in Uganda, coupled with great scenery on the floor of the Rift Valley. During the game drives on the Queen Elizabeth National Park tracks, you may spot animals like lions, waterbucks, herds of elephants, cape buffaloes, topis, and so many others.

By going on the three-hour return launch trip on the Kazinga channel, you may get a chance to spot different bird species that love feasting on the freebies of the banks of this channel. Enjoy the stunning view of various locations found on the rift valley floor, like the long chain of Rwenzori ranges.

Lake Mburo National Park

From and to the western part of Uganda, Lake Mburo National Park is a perfect destination for a detour. While on a game drive in this Park, you may spot animals 

like the Burchell's Zebras, waterbucks, bushbucks, reedbucks, herds of elephants, and others. 

A boat trip on Lake Mburo is perfect scenery after a game drive.

Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park is a kew garden and zoo of unlimited scale. During a game drive on the northern bank of Victoria Nile, especially when you take the Buligi track, you may have a chance to spot lions, leopards, Uganda Kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, cape buffaloes, hartebeests, and so many others.

While on a launch trip to Murchison Falls and you look over to the banks of River Nile, the chances of spotting several animals are more open as they come down to quench their thirst and bathe. Some animals you may spot include herds of elephants, cape buffaloes, giraffes, and others. Look out for the several birds that flock to the River Nile shoreline to enjoy something from the marshes.

Visit the source of the River Nile.

River Nile has its source in Uganda Jinja, where it separates from Lake Victoria water. You must hire a canoe boat to get to this dramatic but mysterious point. Look over the banks for many birds and lush evergreen vegetation covering the shore.

Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary 

The Ngamba chimpanzee sanctuary is a second-chance home for rescued, orphaned, abandoned chimpanzees who cannot return to their original communities. You can visit in the morning or afternoon to take part in feeding these chimpanzees from the visitor platform. 

Enjoy the stunning view of Koome Island, where this sanctuary is located in Lake Victoria.

Ziwa Rhino sanctuary

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the rehabilitation spot for rhinos in Uganda after they were wiped out of the country in the 1980s. The Rhinos were hunted down for their horns. At Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, they are being re-introduced in Uganda, and the progress is excellent as many calves have been born over the year.

Contact us to plan your fly-in safari to visit the mountain gorillas in Uganda.