Gorilla trekking tipping advice in Uganda and Rwanda

Here are some of our gorilla trekking tipping advice in Uganda and Rwanda. Tipping after your gorilla trekking adventure may not be compulsory but it’s a token of appreciation. The people conducting the gorilla treks need to be encouraged to keep making it a better experience even amidst conservation.

Immersing their life in the life of the great apes is a heroic act because they give up other activities to understand how the gorillas live. the ranger guides, driver guides, lodge staff are ready to make your gorilla trekking safari  experience  in Africa memorable.

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 Gorilla trekking is one of the sought after Africa safari experiences that many traveler have on there bucket list but succeeding is futile. the limitation in the number of gorilla trekking permits per day that is maximum 8 yet demand to participate is high leaves some tourists out.

In case the service providers meet your expectation and go beyond, tipping them is a way to encourage them to keep doing the best for their visitors. Everyone would like to be treated right during holiday and get best treatment from strangers. In case you are able to achieve this it’s the way you feel that suggest how to show some appreciation with tipping.

 Some lodges have s common tipping box where you may drop your support while others may not have. In case you have appreciated the information, service you have got while on your Africa primate safari, you may reach out to whoever has made it a successful experience.

 Much as there is no suggested amount for tipping during gorilla trekking safari, when tipping the amount you give is used by the people you give to support there families.

In case you wish to directly support the local people, tipping is one of the best ways. They give you service and you tip them. This is one way to encourage them to continue protecting the mountain gorillas.

Hiring a porter may not be tipping but in case you appreciate service done, you may tip the porter too. Porters are local people who earn a living to support there children, provide medical care and run their lives through money accumulated from tipping and porters fees.

How Much do You suggest For Tipping During Gorilla Trekking

The exact amount to give out on tips must be based on the level of appreciation that you feel. There is literally no amount that fits what you get after achieving the best feeling on your Africa safari.

 When you arrive safely after driving the long journey from Entebbe Airport through the dusty bumpy roads of the countryside of Uganda, it may be worth appreciating incase you had a safe journey.

When tipping, it is best to give an amount that is within your budget and not give off all your cash.

Note that in Africa using credit cards is still challenging because of the transaction delay. Collecting money off the cards is hard. Even people who know how to operate the credit card machines are still few so you must keep some hard cash on you.

As encounter Africa Safari, we do not encourage any of our staff to request for tips from any client. Its out of the will of the client that he or She tips.

Why Tip During Gorilla Trekking

As mentioned above it’s a token of appreciation for a service provided. Everyone would like to get a great feeling after meeting the mountain gorillas and understand in-depth information that may not surface anywhere in write-ups.

To encourage the service providers to do better for clients in their midst, tipping is one of the ways. Although gorilla trekking is a once in lifetime experience for many, the passion to return for another encounter with the gorillas may force you to do it again.

When you tip on your first trip, you create a friendship with the people who serve you. They are ready to even give you more than what you require just to show there appreciation.

In order to directly support the local people around the areas close to the gorilla trekking park, when you tip them after may be a guided community walk, they get the courage to preach the gospel of gorilla conservation to the rest. They will fight to the last breath to support the mountain gorillas because they recognize the gold amidst them

Where To Go For Gorilla Trekking In Africa

Volcanoes National Park

This park is in Rwanda the land of a thousand hills. It is one of the four leftover mountain gorilla habitats in the world. The research done by an American philanthropist Dian Fossey from 1967 on the gorilla at the Karisoke research center close to this park brought the plight of the mountain gorillas to the world map.

At the moment about 13 gorilla families are living in Volcanoes National Park. you need to reserve a gorilla permit from Rwanda Development center to be allowed to trek the mountain gorillas.

Bwindi Impenetrable National park

 The world Bwindi locally mean impenetrable and indeed the forest is worth giving this double meaning. The forest has existed for over 25000 years and is a biosphere reserve.  The mount of  fauna and flora here is exceptional. Over 10 primate species are resident of this park including the celebrated mountain gorillas, 310 butterfly species, 51 reptiles and much more

At the moment, 18 mountain gorilla families have been habituated for tourists viewing and open for trekking. You must get a gorilla trekking permit for this park but remember to check the area where you area booked and ask for advice about the accommodation to book for this area.

For birders, more than 350 bird species are residents of Bwindi impenetrable National Park of which over 23 of the 24 uganda Albertine Rift endemics may be spotted here. The varied vegetation zones of Bwindi Forest attracts several birds. The park lies in the rugged Kigezi Highlands of south Western uganda with montane to lowland areas.

You may have a chance to spot African Green Broadbill, Yellow Steaked Greenbuls, Rwenzori Batis, Collared Apalis, Western Green Tinkerbird, African Hill Babblers and others.

Mgahinga National Park

Placed in the far southwestern corner of Uganda is Mgahinga National Park backed by three volcanic peaks. Mountain Muhavura is stands at 1700 meters to 4100 meters high. The word Muhavura locally means the guide and indeed, its towering makes a landmark.

Mountain Sabyinyo stands 3669 meters high. Locally the word Sabyinyo means old man’s teeth and this was adopted from the eroded top that weathered into a ring of stubby peaks. It resembles the gap of an extracted tooth. From its top, you enjoy the 360 degrees of uganda, Rwanda and D.R.Congo.

Gahinga Mountain stands at 3474 meters high. Locally, Gahinga means small pile of stones that gather in the gardens of farmers

All these volcanic peaks can be hiked in a day in case you wish to challenge your fitness. You must book an escorting ranger guide. This is the policy of Uganda Wildlife Authority in order to protect the tourists from any possibility of a wild attack.

Mgahinga National park is a primate rich park with mountain gorillas as the famous ones. Only one gorilla trekking family has so far been habituated in this park for tourist viewing. In the past, the  Nyakagezi gorilla family used to meander into the Rwanda or D.R.Congo but of late it has settled in uganda.

Other primates in Mgahinga National Park Include golden monkeys, blue monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys, olive baboons to mention but a few.

What Is The Cost Of Gorilla Trekking Safari In Uganda And Rwanda

The costs of gorilla trekking has a constant price the gorilla trekking permit. In Rwanda the gorilla trekking permit costs $1500 and Uganda gorilla permit price is $700 per person per trek.

The gross cost of the gorilla trekking safari is packaged according to luxury, midrange and budget. The number of people travelling with adds a lot to gorilla trekking. The cost of gorilla trekking is levied per person.

Depending on the number of times you wish to do gorilla trekking, the cost is based on this. Some tourists would like to do double gorilla trekking safari to immense into the lives of the great apes. Others opt for gorilla habituation wish allows you four hours in the company of the mountain gorillas.

Any additional activities you combine with gorilla trekking like game drives, chimpanzee trekking, white water rafting, birding and others Africa safari activities contribute to the cost of the entire safari.

Consider the means of transport you used to get to the gorilla trekking park. If you used road transport, the vehicle you used and fuel or gas contribute to the total cost of gorilla trekking package.

The cost of using a safari land cruiser with a porch is different from using a safari van. When you book a fly-in gorilla trekking experience, you need to hire a transfer vehicle to. Charter flights costs to the gorilla trekking destinations also cost a different price.

What Is Included In the Cost of the Gorilla Trekking permit

In Uganda, the gorilla permit costs $700 per person per trek while in Rwanda the gorilla trekking permit costs $1500 per person.

This cost includes park fees which are used for medical care for the mountain gorillas, park maintenance, ranger guide fees, 20 % of the annual profit is given to the community to take care of their projects, park security and much more. To conserve the mountain gorillas, some funds are required and one of the ways to get them is through selling the gorilla trekking permits.

You can also directly contribute to the local community by hiring a porter. You pay them a fairly small fee that helps them run there day today lives. By being porters, the local people learn to love the presence of the mountain gorillas in their community instead of poaching them and setting snares.

Even taking the community walks like the Buhoma community walk, Nkuringo community walk, Batwa  community and Garama Cave visit gives you insight into the life of the locals. A local who is well versed with the behavior of the indigenous people guides these.

What Is The Best Time To Book A Gorilla Trekking Permit In Uganda And Rwanda

Advance booking of the gorilla trekking permit is very important to prevent last minute panic. When you book your gorilla trekking permit 6 months in advance, you have high chances of getting the best area.

In Uganda and Rwanda, the mountain gorillas live in families under the leadership of the dominant males.

The gorilla trekking permits are sold according to first come first served basis because of the high demand worldwide.

No gorilla trekking permit is reserved without payment, as it is the only confirmation that a tourist is serious about taking this safari.

In order to book a gorilla trekking permit, you must know when you wish to trek, the number of people travelling with and other details.

 Since gorilla trekking permits are sold per day, checking availability is first step, in case its positive, we request our clients to purchase there permits as soon as possible. This is because the status of the gorilla permits changes any time. Tourists from world over keep booking their gorilla permits and no one is allowed to book without payment.

After purchasing the gorilla trekking permit, you need to provide some details like the full names on your passport, nationality, date of birth, passport expiry date and others.

Is gorilla trekking Difficult

 Much as the topography of the gorilla trekking area is generally volcanic with highlands, you can still locate the mountain gorillas during the trek. You just need to have some level of fitness and wear the right gorilla trekking gears.

Have some snacks to munch on when you get hungry. Ensure that you follow the gorilla trekking guidelines so that you are not disqualified from attending the trek.

Some patience is required to locate the mountain gorillas because they keep moving to collect there own food.

Contact us for more information.