Things to consider when planning a luxury gorilla safari in Uganda

Things to consider when planning a luxury gorilla safari in Uganda. As one booking a luxury gorilla safari, you want upscale services with an eco-touch and a sophisticated experience while on this once-in-a-lifetime Africa safari adventure.

When taking a luxury Uganda gorilla trekking plan, you need to consider securing the Uganda gorilla permit first. In Uganda, you must choose whether to do gorilla trekking, which allows you one hour with the mountain gorillas, or gorilla habituation experience, where you take four hours with the semi-habituated mountain gorillas.

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Uganda has two gorilla safari destinations, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. These are all located in the southwestern part of Uganda. It would help if you chose where you wish to spend your gorilla safari days.

Choose luxury accommodation within or closer to the Uganda gorilla safari destinations as this plays a significant role in determining which safari package it is. 

Select the means of transport to use when getting to the Uganda gorilla safari destinations: road and air transport. You can charter from Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip or book a seat on the internal daily domestic flights to Kisoro or Kihihi Airstrips.

Choose a credible safari company to help you plan the luxury gorilla safari in Uganda. Select one that will accord you value for money. At Encounter Africa Safaris, we pride ourselves in our over ten years of experience in planning gorilla safaris of all budgets, and this can be attested to by our client's reviews on platforms like Trip Advisor, safari Bookings, and others.

Summary of Uganda Gorilla Safari Destinations

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi is Uganda's most prominent mountain gorilla's inhabitants, covering about 329 square kilometers of land. The Park is subdivided into four areas because its vast size and varying highlands make it hard to access all its sectors. Bwindi sectors include Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the east, Nkuringo, and Rushaga in the south.

While in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you can gorilla trekking, where, so far, 19 gorilla families are open to public viewing. Gorilla habituation experience is happening in the southern sector of the Park. Two gorilla habituation experience families are available for public booking. Bwindi Forest is a Uganda birding haven, and over ten species of primates are forest residents.

Mgahinga National Park

Mgahinga National Park is Uganda's smallest National Park, covering approximately 33.7 square kilometers of forested Land. This Park may be small, but it hosts the endangered mountain gorillas; so far, one gorilla family called Nyakagezi is open to public booking. The Nyakagezi gorilla family has a history of wandering into Rwanda.

This gorilla family lives in Uganda, and permits are available for pre-booking. While in Mgahinga National Park, you may do golden monkey trekking, mountaineering, birding, and forest walks, to mention but a few.

What to consider when Planning Luxury Gorilla Safari in Uganda

Book the Uganda Gorilla Safari permit

Since Uganda gorilla permits are limited to a maximum per gorilla family, you must secure your permit as soon as possible. High-season gorilla permits, that is, June to September and December to January, are highly competed for, so advance booking is needed.

When you contact us about your gorilla safari, we would like details like the date and number of gorilla permits you wish to book. Our safari consultant checks for availability from the Uganda Wildlife Authority list, to which we are chanced to be some of the few companies with access to it.

As soon as gorilla permit availability is found, we advise clients to purchase their permits shortly, or chances of selling out are more open especially the peak season permits. Sometimes, tours and travel companies stork these gorilla permits for future use, which creates scarcity.

Avail some personal details to be added to your gorilla permit card, like your full name as presented on the passport, date of birth, nationality, and expiration date.

How Much is a Uganda Gorilla permit?

The Uganda gorilla trekking permit costs $800 for foreign nonresidents, $700 for foreign residents, and 300000shs for East Africans. 

The current gorilla habituation experience permit cost is $1500 per person for foreign nonresidents, $1000 for foreign residents, and 750000shsh for East African residents.

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

The exclusion of gorilla safari permit accommodation, tipping, and any personal expenditures during the gorilla safari.

Book luxury Gorilla safari accommodation

Accommodation plays a big part in determining the type of gorilla safari package. On a luxury gorilla safari, you would wish to overnight in a facility with top-notch services and a cozy and self-contained ambiance. You would want to for excellent services and other accompaniments. 

While in Bwindi, the gorilla permits are booked according to the area, so you need to book accommodation in or closer to these areas. Bwindi is divided into Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo, and Rushaga. Connecting from one Bwindi area to another is challenging because of the possible obstacles, like slippery roads, deep foggy conditions, fallen logs, and others. 

Bwindi luxury accommodation: Clouds Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Bwindi Volcanoes Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Ichumbi Lodge, Gorilla Forest Camp, Mahogany Springs, Ruhija Gorilla Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge.

Mgahinga accommodations: Gahinga Volcanoes Lodge.

These lodges typically offer complete board services except for a few exclusions in their service packages, like the drinks.

Transport To The Uganda Gorilla Safari Destinations

By road

You can transport from Entebbe Airport or Kampala city to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park. You need a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle in good condition. The roads in the countryside sometimes get messy, but expect them to be bumpy and dusty too.

Hiring a safari vehicle with each person having at least a window seat gives you the best experience of the countryside. The safari vehicle may bear a pop-up roof if game drives are an addition to your Uganda luxury gorilla safari. Having a professional and experienced driver guide also keeps you wanting to hear more about the unfamiliar Uganda safari activities, making the trip more impactful and unforgettable.

The drive time from Entebbe Airport or Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park is about 8 hours to 9 hours, excluding stopovers.

You may also take Kigali, Rwanda, to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park route crossing via Cyanika or Gatuna borders. The drive is about 5 to 6 hours, but you may need a visa for either countrycountry or apply for the East African visa at once if it's one of your travel requirements for either countrycountry.

By Air

At Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip, you can book a seat on the daily domestic flights to Kihihi or Kisoro Airstrip. You must hire a transfer vehicle to your lodge as each airstrip is about 2 hours away.

Charter flight services at Entebbe or Kajjansi airstrip are also available, but booking is needed to deal with the necessary clearances with CAA.

Select additional Uganda safari activities to combine with the luxury gorilla safari in Uganda.

Uganda has several safari activities you can add to your gorilla safari itinerary. On the same route to the gorilla safari destinations, you may make a detour to Lake Mburo National Park. This Park is home to most herbivores in Uganda and is the closest to Kampala. A game drive in this Park may allow you to spot impalas, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, zebras, elands, herds of buffaloes, herds of elephants, giraffes, and so many others.

In Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is about 160 kilometers from the Buhoma area of Bwindi Impenetrable Park, you enjoy the scenic view of the floor of the Rift Valley and great wild animals during the game drives where you may spot lions, leopards, topis, herds of buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs, bushbucks, hyenas the list is endless. Taking the electrifying launch cruise on the Kazinga channel is mind-blowing.

Chimpanzee trekking or Habituation experience in Kibale National Park is exceptional; Uganda hosts some of Africa's Largest communities of fully habituated chimpanzees. This Park currently hosts over 1500 chimpanzees out of the population of 5000 chimpanzees registered to be living in Uganda.

Consider your Gorilla safari packing list.

As you travel for a luxury gorilla safari in Uganda, you must pack light but relevant items, as many bags inconvenience you and the people traveling with you. You can pack gorilla trekking gear like:

Safari boots, long-sleeved shirt and trousers in wilderness-friendly colors, insect repellant, garden gloves, safari foldable hat, camera, pair of stockings, a pair of binoculars, extra fully charged batteries, travel adopter and charger, Toiletries, a torch, some warmers, rainproof gears, to mention but a few.

Having so many bags may reduce legroom, causing you to feel uncomfortable 

Have some level of fitness before the gorilla safari

 Whether on gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience, you need to have some fitness level. This area is Mountainous, so expect to do some hiking to where the mountain gorillas may be appending their day.

If you have a physical injury, you can hire a sedan chair, but this must be done upfront, as finding one on the ground is hard.

Consider tipping for excellent services during gorilla safari

Tipping is not compulsory, but it's a token of appreciation for the superb service. Tip generously to encourage the service providers who dedicate their lives to providing a comfortable stay and help you create great memories of your holiday.

Age Limit for Gorilla Safari

 If you hope to do a gorilla safari with children, they have to be 15 and beyond. This is the set age limit for gorilla safaris because this is a wilderness activity that requires physical walking to find the mountain gorillas. The time of finding the mountain gorillas is still being determined, which may be hard to withstand by a child below 15 years. Following the guidelines of gorilla safari may be challenging for a child below this age.

What are the rules of gorilla safari in Uganda?

• Keep a clean mask on when you locate the mountain gorillas as a measure adopted after the COVID-19 pandemic to protect the mountain gorillas from catching human communicable infections.
• Volunteer to stay behind if you catch a communicable infection like flu, cough, or COVID-19, as mountain gorillas are highly susceptible to human diseases. They have about 96% human genes.
• Littering in the forest is forbidden, especially with indecomposable garbage. It alters the nature of the forest where mountain gorillas thrive.
• Keep your voice low or quiet when searching for the mountain gorillas because you may scare them. They are very conscious of intruders in the wilderness.
• Do not mimic the mountain gorillas when you locate them. You may not know what you may be saying.
• If you wish to eat or smoke, do it away from the mountain gorillas at least 300 meters away. This is to prevent chances of them pulling eats from you.
• When you locate the mountain gorillas, stay about 8 meters from them to reduce the chances of contracting any infection from them or you to them. Retreat stealthily in case they approach you. 
• You are allowed one hour of gorilla trekking and four hours of gorilla habituation experience when you locate them. They are habituated to be in front of humans for just that time.
• When taking photos, do it without flash to prevent causing a stampede in the forest. Unfamiliar occurrences in the forest scare the mountain gorillas.

Contact us for more information to plan your luxury safari.