How To Organize A Fly In Safari To See Mountain Gorillas In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

How to organize a fly in safari to see mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable National Park. When you fly to the Bwindi impenetrable national park, you can use the daily domestic flights or charter flights from Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Airfield to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrips. When you drive from Kampala or Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you take about 8 to 9 hours, excluding stops en route. The daily domestic flights from Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Airfield take about 1 hour and a half to two hours to either Kihihi or Kisoro airfields, respectively, then catch a transfer vehicle for approximately 2 hours to your lodge.

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Organizing a fly-in gorilla safari to Bwindi's impenetrable national park starts with booking a gorilla permit, as gorilla safaris are the topmost activities of this park. You can do either gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. 

A Gorilla trekking safari is an adventure where you follow a fully habituated gorilla family and spend one hour with them. This time is restricted to one hour for conservation reasons, as humans' presence disrupts the mountain gorillas' day-to-day life.

The gorilla habituation experience is an adventure where a maximum of 4 tourists can accompany a team of researchers for four hours with a semi-habituated gorilla family.

One must have a gorilla permit for either gorilla trekking or habituation experience, which he must reserve at least six months to a year upfront to be safe.

Secure accommodation to use during your gorilla safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in advance, as these sell out in advance. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park may have the biggest options for accommodation categories. Still, they need more for the vast population of tourists who would like to use them during the peak season. The peak Uganda tourism season usually is June, July, August, September, December, and January. The demand for gorilla safaris in the high season is overwhelming.

Reserve a seat on the daily domestic flights from Entebbe or Kajjansi to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrip. You can choose the morning or afternoon flights. Securing a flight seat in advance is very important because they sell out too, as sometimes locals going up-country use them too.

For a private fly-in gorilla safari to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you can charter from Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi airstrip to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrips. You need to make an advance booking to make all the necessary aviation clearances. You must hire a transfer vehicle from Kihihi or Kisoro to your lodge.

How to book A Gorilla Permit for Fly-in Safari To Bwindi Impenetrable National Park?

Book the gorilla permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, as no gorilla safari is ever confirmed without confirming a permit. You need a date secured for your gorilla tour, then enquire about gorilla permit availability. At Encounter Africa Safaris, we are ready to assist you in planning your fly-in gorilla safari, booking the gorilla permits, and other related logistics. You must have a date when you hope to engage in the gorilla safari and several permits you are interested in.

Note

Gorilla trekking permits for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are booked according to the area, as this park is subdivided into four regions: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo. It is best to note where your gorilla permit is booked before booking any accompanying logistics like accommodation.

Our safari consultant will check gorilla permit availability from the Uganda Wildlife Authority list as soon as possible. Upon finding availability, our consultant will get back to you shortly. We advise clients to book the gorilla permits as quickly as possible because their status changes at any time without warning. A first come, first served basis is used to secure the gorilla permits, and none is reserved without payment.

Later, forward us personal details on your gorilla permit card, including your full name as presented on the passport, date of birth, passport expiry date, and nationality. You may not be allowed to do gorilla trekking on the booked date when you submit the wrong details.

How To Book Flights For Fly-in Gorilla Safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park?

Select a date you hope to fly to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for the gorilla safari. Choose either the morning or afternoon flight session for the daily domestic flights in Uganda. Encounter Africa Safaris is available to help you reserve the flights for your gorilla safari.

If your gorilla permit is booked for the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is Rushaga or Nkuringo, booking flights departing for Kisoro airstrip would be a good choice as this area is about 1 hour and 30 minutes away. 

When your gorilla permit is booked for activities in the northern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, domestic flights to Kihihi's airstrip would be great. The drive from Kihihi airstrip to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is about two hours.

You must hire a transfer vehicle from Kihihi or Kisoro airstrip to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

At Encounter Africa safaris, we can also book Charter flight services for the gorilla safari to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Note

Due to unstable weather conditions of the Kisoro area, the nature of its terrain and thick vegetation sometimes cause flights to Kisoro Airstrip to be altered.

When is the best time to fly to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on a gorilla safari?

The gorilla safaris to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are open all year, no matter which means of transport you are taking. The dry season, however, is best preferred because of the excitement in the forest. The dry season is usually June, July, August, September, December, and January when the mountain gorillas and other forest dwellers are full of life.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, being a rain forest, receives rain anytime without warning, no matter the season, but the dry season receives less precipitation. Even other primates like blue monkeys, chimpanzees, black and white colobus, red-tailed monkeys, and olive baboons may be easier to spot. Gorilla safari birds have a double opportunity to spot various birds, including Albertine rift endemics.

Trails spread throughout Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are regularly slippery and soggy from the rains that often fall, yet less sunlight is let in through the dense forest. As you traverse the Bwindi forest searching for mountain gorillas in the dry season, movement is relatively easier since there may be less undergrowth obstructing your way.

What Is The Cost Of A Gorilla Permit For Bwindi Impenetrable National Park?

The gorilla trekking permit costs $800 for foreign nonresidents, $700 for foreign residents, and 300000shs for East Africans. For the gorilla habituation experience, gorilla permits cost $1500 for foreign nonresidents, $1000 for foreign residents, and 750000shs for East Africans.

The cost of a Uganda gorilla permit covers park entrance fees, ranger guide fees, security, mountain gorilla conservation, local community support, one hour of gorilla trekking or four hours of gorilla habituation experience, government tax, researcher fee during gorilla habituation experience, certificate after the gorilla trek.

Exclusions in the gorilla permit cost include porter hire, snacks, transport, sedan chair services where required, and other specialized expenses.

Is The Cost Of Uganda Gorilla Permit Worth The Money?

The cost of a Uganda gorilla permit is worth every expense, as you enjoy the presence of the few leftover mountain gorillas worldwide. Mountain gorillas are endangered primates that must be conserved, but funds to support this work are still required. When you purchase the gorilla permit, a portion of it is used for gorilla conservation support.

When you book a porter on gorilla safari day to carry your gear, you contribute to the life of the local people. When you want to contribute to the conservation of mountain gorillas, the local community must be included in this campaign, and one of the ways to do so is by hiring them to help carry your belongings. The money the porters get from helping tourists on gorilla safaris is used to support their daily lives.

Tipping during the gorilla safaris is a noble gesture as it is a token of appreciation for a service rendered. We encourage you to tip generously during the gorilla tour to encourage the service providers to improve their game even more. Making your gorilla tour memorable is the essence of the entire experience.

How sure can I Be to See the mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park?

Finding the mountain gorillas during the gorilla tour is a sure deal, although they are wild primates. During the game drives, locating some wild animals is not guaranteed, but finding mountain gorillas is guaranteed. There are about 99% chances to see the mountain gorillas in the wild.

These primates occupy their feeding area for some time and can only leave when food is exhausted. This makes it a sure opportunity to find them. If they relocate, the mountain gorillas stay within where they have been. 

The mountain gorilla may weigh about 300 kilograms or 450lb, and a female weighs nearly half. This makes fast movement hard for these primates, given the nature of the mountainous topography of the area they live in.

Each gorilla family is first habituated for an unknown time till proven ready for public visits. The researchers and habituators were the first to encounter the gorilla family until they opened top public booking. Researchers help a wild mountain gorilla family get used to human presence without altering their nature during the gorilla habituation process. 

A team of tourists monitors the mountain gorillas each morning before tourists are allocated these mountain gorillas. They establish where the family may have nested and possible day hangout spots. These clues are some of what ranger guides with tourists use to locate the mountain gorillas.

As a tourist, to make the gorilla tour even more fun, you are asked to help trace the footsteps of the mountain gorillas by looking out for footprints, freshly chewed-on foliage, fresh dung, and other traces. Mountain gorillas usually are close to these clues.

Note

Although the time of locating the mountain gorillas varies, the moment you find them is exciting and unforgettable as you experience the human mirror in these gentle primates. Every moment you spend on a gorilla safari is memorable.

You can also board a return flight from Kihihi to Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Airfield and catch up with your international flight departure check-in time.

What are the Rules of Gorilla Safari?

• Sneezing or coughing before the mountain gorillas may spread an infection, so keep it away from them.
• Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas when you locate them to prevent the chances of spreading infectious germs to them.
• Use a clean mask with the mountain gorillas to prevent the coronavirus's spread to these precious primates.
• Only children aged 15 years and above can do gorilla trekking because of the nature of the entire experience. Hiking to locate the mountain gorillas may be challenging for children below this age. Even the time of finding the mountain gorillas is still being determined, which requires patience. A child below this age may not withstand this.
• Dumping in the forest is forbidden, which may alter the nature of the forest where the mountain gorillas live.
• Only enter the forest with an escorting ranger guide because there are other unhabituated forest inhabitants that you may encounter, and they hurt you.
• Only one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas during trekking and four hours of gorilla habituation experience when you locate them. They have been habituated to be in the presence of humans for just that time.
• Surrounding the mountain gorillas is forbidden because it makes them feel ambushed.

Our team is ready to assist you if you plan to do a fly-in safari to Bwindi. Contact us for more information.