How many hours can one spend with mountain gorillas in Uganda

During gorilla trekking in Uganda, one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas when you find the fully habituated gorilla family. For the gorilla habituation experience in Uganda, four hours are allowed with the semi-habituated gorilla family.

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Uganda has two gorilla safari destinations, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, which are located in southwestern Uganda. Uganda has about 21 gorilla trekking families open to public booking and two gorilla habituation experience families. 

Each day, the gorilla trekking safari starts at about 0730 hours, preceded by a briefing at any of the four gorilla safari trailheads. During the briefing, tourists are taken through the rules of gorilla safari adventure, including no littering the wilderness, no feeding the mountain gorillas, keeping your voices low while searching for the mountain gorillas, and only one hour is allowed with mountain gorillas during gorilla trekking or four hours during gorilla habituation experience.

Although the time spent with the mountain gorillas during gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation safari in Uganda is restricted to one hour or four hours, respectively, the time spent finding them is unknown. From the starting point of the gorilla search, the time of finding the mountain gorillas is influenced by factors like proximity of their feeding area, death of a family member, adventurous nature of the mountain gorillas, weather conditions prevailing in the day, pace of tourists and much more.

Some patience is required before finding the mountain gorillas to keep the blaze of finally looking into the dense brown sunken eyes of the mountain gorillas alive. Tourists are requested to explore to spot other interesting forest dwellers like black and white colobus, vervet monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, olive baboons, blue monkeys, and others. 

Keen birders visiting the Ruhija area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or gorilla trekking have a double opportunity to identify over 100 bird species, including Albertine rift endemics.

How do you book gorilla permits for Uganda?

Choose what to do during your Uganda gorilla safari from the gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience and the destinations Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Select the date you hope to do a gorilla safari in Uganda and the number of gorilla permits you are interested in booking to help check availability.

When you inquire about finding gorilla permit availability for the dates of your choice, state the timeline for starting and ending your gorilla tour in Uganda.

Our tour consultant immediately checks gorilla permit availability from the Uganda Wildlife Authority list. Encounter Africa Safaris is one of the few companies accredited to have access to the list of Uganda gorilla permits. We can also assist you in pre-booking the logistics that support the gorilla safari, like accommodation, vehicle hire, driver guides, and others.

With our tour consultants, you can customize and tailor an itinerary that includes your safari interests and is within your budget. At Encounter Africa Safaris, we package our safaris according to Upscale, Mid-range, or essential.

Upon finding gorilla permit availability, our safari consultant gets back to you, but we advise clients to secure the gorilla permit as soon as they can before they sell out. 

Uganda gorilla permits are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and no gorilla permit is booked without payment. The number of gorilla permits opened to the public for gorilla trekking is limited to 8 permits per day per family and four gorilla habituation permits per family.

The status of gorilla permit availability changes time without sending any notification.

Note:

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park gorilla trekking permits are booked according to the area under which the park is subdivided. The four regions of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include Ruhija in the East, Buhoma in the North, Nkuringo, and Rushaga in the South.

Before booking accommodation for the gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi, you must consider the area where your gorilla permit is secured. This is to avoid driving at night to catch up with briefing in another area of Bwindi.

How much is a Uganda gorilla permit?

Uganda Gorilla trekking permit cost

At the moment, the cost of the Uganda gorilla trekking cost is:

$800 for foreign nonresidents

$800 for foreign residents

300,000shs for East Africans.

Uganda Gorilla Habituation Experience Permit cost

Currently, the cost of a gorilla habituation safari cost is:

$1500 for foreign nonresidents 

$1000 for foreign residents

750000shs for East Africans.

What is included and excluded in the cost of the Uganda gorilla permit?

The gorilla permit cost covers ranger guide fees, one hour of gorilla trekking or four hours of gorilla habituation, researcher fees during gorilla habituation experience, security, mountain gorilla conservation, certificate of accomplishment, local community support, and others.

Exclusions on the cost of Uganda gorilla permits are packed lunch, accommodation, porter hire, and other personal expenses.

What accommodation do you book for a gorilla safari in Uganda?

Accommodations for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are booked according to the areas under which the park is divided and where the gorilla permit is secured. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is divided into four regions: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo.

Since you must attend a briefing at the trailhead where your gorilla permit is booked, you need to overnight within or closer to where your gorilla permit is secured, or you may have to drive in the dark to get there. On the way, there are high chances of encountering obstacles in the dark, like poor visibility, slippery roads, mechanical damage, blocked roads, and much more. These may prevent you from arriving at the gorilla briefing point on time.

Bwindi accommodations: Gorilla Forest Camp, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Clouds Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Safari Lodge, Bwindi View Bandas, Bwindi Backpacker’s Camp, Gorilla Resort, Lake Kitandara Tented Camp, Bwindi Volcanoes Lodge, Engage lodge, Silverback Lodge, Nshongi Camp, Mahogany springs

Mgahinga accommodations: Gahinga Lodge, Traveller’s Inn, Kisoro Tourist Hotel, Mgahinga gorilla Triangle, Majambere Iwachu

How Long is Gorilla Safari in Uganda?

Some tourists have found the mountain gorillas within 2 hours after starting the search, while others have spent more than three-quarters of the day. The time of finding the mountain gorillas varies with factors prevailing in the forest, which is why it is hard to determine the closest gorilla family to trek or habituate in Uganda.

Before finding the mountain gorillas, factors like their adventurous nature, feeding location, weather conditions prevailing in the day, death of a family member, and supremacy feud play a significant role in determining when and where to find the mountain gorillas.

A ranger team patrols the forest daily to establish where each gorilla family may have nested and possible hangout spots. The rangers, with tourists, use some of these clues to help trace the mountain gorillas.

Tourists need to bear some patience before finding the mountain gorillas and open their minds to finding other beautiful features in the wilderness, like sparkling waterfalls, dense networks of rivers, different botanical species, and others. The forest also hosts a variety of other primates like chimpanzees, blue monkeys, black and white colobus, red-tailed monkeys, and others.

When you locate the mountain gorillas, you have one hour with them during gorilla trekking and four hours during gorilla habituation experience.

The time of gorilla trekking or habituation safari is restricted to minimize the after-effects of overstaying with the mountain gorillas.

Walk away slowly and stealthily from the mountain gorillas without them realizing so as not to appear suspicious, as instructed by the ranger guides or researchers.

What is the age Limit for gorilla safari in Uganda?

The age limit for gorilla safari in Uganda is 15 years and beyond from 15 years and over. The age limit was lowered to this age to allow more children to see the mountain gorillas. Children below 15 years may be unable to be with the mountain gorilla for the four during the gorilla habituation experience.

 The mountain gorillas look intimidating and scary, yet tourists are restricted from showing signs of freight. This causes them to look suspicious before the mountain gorillas, yet you have to last the time allowed with them.

Walking in the jungle, including passing through rough surfaces that children below 15 years may be ready to withstand.

If you have children for the gorilla safari, brief them before the gorilla tour so that they are not taken by surprise because you do not know their reaction as individuals.

How safe is Uganda As a Gorilla Tour destination?

Gorilla safaris in Uganda are safe because the Uganda Wildlife Authority has its rangers in place to protect the mountain gorillas, their habitat, and the visitors. This is why briefing before the gorilla tour is a must-attend and may cause you to be disqualified if you abscond.

Before the gorilla family is opened for public visits, it is first habituated for an unknown time until proven ready. Under habituation, The gorilla family undergoes mock tests to prove their readiness. 

The ranger guides escorting tourists carry some emergency protective gear, such as a machete and rifle, and keep on a radio call in case backup is needed. To avoid forgetting anyone in the wilderness, the ranger guide follows the pace of the slowest trekker.

Other Uganda security agencies are on the ground to keep law and order in and around the Uganda gorilla safari destinations.

Tourists must pay attention to personal security by only walking in the forest with an escorting ranger guide. Do not provoke or mimic the mountain gorillas because you need to know what you may be communicating.

How sure can I be to locate the mountain gorillas in Uganda?

Locating the mountain gorillas in Uganda has about a 99% chance. Uganda has about half the total number of mountain gorillas living in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. 

About 21 gorilla trekking families live in Uganda, and two gorilla habituation families. These open more chances to spot these primates. 

Each morning, a team of ranger guides follows the mountain gorilla families to find where they might have nested and the day feeding area. Although the ranger guides follow the trail where the mountain gorillas were last seen the previous day, they also use the clues the early riser gave. Mountain gorillas rarely move far from where they spent the last day due to their bulky size. 

What are the Guidelines for gorilla safari in Uganda?

Mountain Gorillas are wild animals that must not depend on human provision but on the forest for survival.

• Spitting on vegetation is forbidden as you may pass germs to the mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are highly susceptible to human communicable infections like COVID-19, cough, flu, and several others. 
• Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas to avoid passing germs to them. 
• Littering the forest is forbidden as it alters the nature of the forest where mountain gorillas thrive.
• Only 1 hour of gorilla trekking and four hours of gorilla habituation experience are allowed with the mountain gorillas when you locate them during a gorilla trekking adventure.
• The age limit for gorilla habituation is 15 years and above in Uganda, as the wilderness may be rough for a child below this age. Sometimes, mountain gorillas feed deep in the forest, which may not be easy to withstand.
• Stand in a tight group when you locate the mountain gorillas. They are susceptible to visitors around them as they may look suspicious. In case they come closer, stealthily retreat.
• Talk at a low tone or keep quiet during gorilla trekking so that you do not cause a stampede in the forest.
• Use a flash-less camera to take photos, and it should be soundproof.
• Wear a clean mask during gorilla trekking and when locating mountain gorillas.
• Do not surround the mountain gorillas when you locate them, as you may cause them to get agitated. 
• If you catch a contagious infection, volunteer to stay behind because when mountain gorillas see these infections, they may massively die, yet conserving them has taken a long time.

Contact us to plan your safari with the mountain gorillas in Uganda.