Trekking mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda during the dry season

Details about trekking gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda during the dry season. The busiest gorilla trekking period is the dry season, usually in June, July, August, September, December, and January for both Uganda and Rwanda safaris. During the dry season, the mountain gorillas and other forest dwellers are full of life, and a lot of activity is happening in the forest.

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To the tourists, more sunlight penetrates through the dense canopy of the Virunga forest, which is known to allow less sunray penetration. In Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park are the homes of mountain gorillas. Rwanda has Volcanoes National Park as its only home of the mountain gorillas.

You must purchase a gorilla permit for each countrified to be allowed access to a gorilla trekking adventure. Gorilla permits for the dry season, which serves as the peak tourism season of Uganda or Rwanda, are sold off very fast. This is because of the overwhelming demand for these permits, yet demand is extremely high. The gorilla permits opened to public booking are limited to a maximum of 8 per gorilla family per trek.

What Is The Cost Of Uganda And Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Permit For The Dry Season?

The Uganda gorilla permit costs $800 per person per trek for foreign nonresidents, $700 for foreign residents, and 300,000shs per person per trek for East African residents. The Uganda gorilla trekking permits are sold and regulated by Uganda Wildlife Authority, but you can use an accredited tour operator like Encounter Africa Safaris to reserve your permit.

Rwanda gorilla trekking permits cost $1500 per person per trek for foreign nonresidents, $500 for foreign residents, and $300 for East African Residents.

The long queue of calls to Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board reservation is sometimes nagging in case you wish to check for the availability of the gorilla permits. To avoid such frustrations, you can book your gorilla permit through an accredited tour operator with access to the gorilla permit availability list.

What Is Included In The Cost Of Uganda or Rwanda Gorilla Permit?

The cost of the Uganda and Rwanda gorilla permit includes:

• The park entrance fees.
• Ranger guide fees.
• Community support.
• Gorilla conservation fees.
• A certificate after gorilla trekking.
• One hour with the mountain gorillas.

During gorilla trekking, conserving the mountain gorillas takes precedence as they are the gist for starting this activity. To earn some funds to support gorilla conservation. So even when you book a gorilla permit but misbehave before or on the way to the mountain gorillas, you are liable to get disqualified from gorilla trekking without a refund.

What Is Excluded From The Cost Of Gorilla Permit?

The porter fee. A porter is an assistant that carries your gorilla trekking gear on your behalf so that you can freely move with nothing holding you back, tips, accommodation, transport to gorilla trekking destinations., snacks, and any other items of personal nature.

You can use a tour operator like Encounter Africa Safaris to reserve gorilla permits, accommodations, transport, and any other amenities that support gorilla safaris. We have acquired expertise in organizing gorilla safaris for over 10 years. This experience has fetched us a great working relationship with several service providers like hotels, lodges, transport providers, and destination managers, making it easier for us to fulfill our client's needs in the shortest time possible.

How Many Gorilla Families Do Uganda And Rwanda Have?

Uganda has 21 gorilla families living in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Uganda also has 1 gorilla family in the southern sector used for gorilla habituation experience. At the moment, Uganda Wildlife Authority issues 152 gorilla permits per day for public booking.

The gorilla trekking permits for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are served according to the area into which the park is subdivided: the Buhoma area, Rushaga area, Ruhija area, and Nkuringo area.

Rwanda currently has 15 gorilla families open for public booking. They are all residents of the volcanoes national Park in NorthWestern, Rwanda.

Some Rwanda gorilla trekking permits include; Hirwa Family, Susa Family, Agashya Family, Amahoro Family, Sabyinyo Family, Muhoza Family, Karisimbi Family, and others.

When Is The Best Time To Book A Gorilla Permit For The Dry Season In Uganda And Rwanda?

Booking gorilla trekking permits is best done at least 6 months to a year in advance of the gorilla trekking date. This is because of the high demand for the limited gorilla permits, yet supply is capped at 8 permits per gorilla family per day.

You may book gorilla permits even 3 months to gorilla trekking days of the dry season, depending on prevailing availability status. However, the chances of getting frustrated are high. You are on a probability of not getting your desired gorilla permit, as options are limited as days draw closer.

Chances of finding last-minute gorilla permits are next to zero during the dry season. You may have last-minute gorilla permits during the wet season, which is normally March, April, May, and November.

Can I Reschedule The Gorilla Permit For The Dry Season?

Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rwanda Development Board accept gorilla permit rescheduled as long as you follow the necessary procedures.

Write to either Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board requesting to reschedule your gorilla permit per your new suggested date. If you have evidence, attach it to support your request.

If approved, your gorilla permit is moved as promised; however, it's dependent on the prevailing availability status per the new date for the trek.

Note

Uganda offers two free gorilla permit rescheduling chances, but the executive director of Uganda Wildlife Authority only approves the third.

Rwanda charges gorilla permit reschedule.

How Difficult Is Gorilla Trekking In Uganda And Rwanda In The Dry Season

Although gorilla trekking is generally not a walk-over adventure because of the nature of the topography of the Virunga area, the dry season is relatively easy. The trails are usually more passable because more sunlight is admitted through the dense canopy to the ground. The forests generally have averagely less humid conditions compared to the wet season, when severe rains fall almost the entire day.

This makes the trails more accessible because less overgrown vegetation protrudes through to obstruct your way.

During the gorilla trekking adventure in Uganda and Rwanda, expect to walk passed draping vegetation that has grown over time, creating thick, tangled foliage that hangs over ridges and plateaus left as volcanic remains.

The escorting ranger guides follow the pace of the slowest trekker and carry a machete to trim the obstructing vegetation. 

Walk through the forest with your gorilla trekking gear.

 How Safe Is Gorilla Trekking Safari?

Gorilla trekking is safe because the wild mountain gorillas are first habituated before being presented to the public. Each group of gorilla trekkers is escorted by skilled and professional ranger guides, one having a machete and another carrying a rifle.

You must pay attention to personal safety by not entering the forest without an escorting ranger guide. Keep close to the rest of the group so you are remembered in the wilderness during gorilla trekking.

 How Long Is Gorilla Trekking Adventure?

The duration taken when doing gorilla trekking is still being determined as it's dependent on prevailing factors in the wilderness, like the amount of available food in the area they occupy. The mountain gorillas occupy an area for some time and relocate to another place when food is exhausted.

The mountain gorillas sometimes fight each other, so the losers have to relocate, which makes it challenging when you are allocated to such a family. The mountain gorillas sometimes have adventurous dominant silverbacks, so the rest of the family follows his hobby, which may bring them closer or further from the starting point of the trek. When allocated to a gorilla trekking group with slow partners, you may take long to find the mountain gorillas. 

Sometimes tourists can find the mountain gorillas in two hours, while others spend more time.

Some level of fitness is necessary to keep up with the pace and locate the mountain gorillas in time. 

When you locate the mountain gorillas, you are allowed only one hour in their presence.

Are Mountain Gorillas Aggressive?

Mountain gorillas are naturally calm primates despite their gigantic size and scary outlook. Mountain gorillas seem frightening, but you realize how vulnerable they are when you sink into their lives during that one hour of viewership.

In the history of gorilla trekking, no person has ever succumbed to an attack from mountain gorillas because they are first habituated for some time to get accustomed to human presence without altering their nature.

When agitated, the mountain gorillas may retreat into hiding or hoot, pull grass around them, and thump their chests and others hard. It is not always that when mountain gorillas show these signs, they are angry at their visitors. It would be best if you listened to the ranger guides as they have more knowledge about the traits of the mountain gorillas.

Which Country Is Best For Gorilla Trekking Of Uganda And Rwanda During The Dry Season?

Whether you go gorilla trekking in Uganda or Rwanda, that moment when you are face to face with the mountain gorillas is astounding. Some tourists have been hard, saying you may need to remember all the troubles you may have gone through while planning the gorilla safari. 

Some of the few differences that you can base on to find which country is best for gorilla trekking may include:

The cost of gorilla permit

The Uganda gorilla permit costs $800 per person per trek, while the current cost of the Rwanda gorilla permit is $1500 per person per trek.

Number of gorilla families open to public booking

Uganda currently has 19 gorilla families open for gorilla trekking with 152 gorilla permits and two open for gorilla habituation experience, while Rwanda has 15 gorilla families with 96 gorilla permits.

Drive time from the airport to gorilla trekking destinations

The drive time from Kigali Airport to Volcanoes National Park is about 3 hours, while from Entebbe Airport to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park is about 8 to 9 hours.

Alternatively, you can drive from Kigali airport Into Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Or Mgahinga National Park by crossing the Cyanika or Gatuna borders. This drive lasts about 5 hours to 6 hours.

Alternative Activities To Combine With Gorilla Trekking

Uganda has a number of alternative activities you can combine with gorilla trekking, like chimpanzee trekking, visiting the source of the River Nile, white water rafting, and game drives to mention but a few. Rwanda is limited with choices of what to combine with gorilla trekking, like game drives, chimpanzee trekking, Dian Fossey trek, and others.

What Are The Rules Of Gorilla Trekking?

• No feeding the mountain gorillas; do it at least 300 meters away. They are wild animals that must search for their food.
• Dumping garbage in the forest is forbidden as it alters the nature of the forest. In case you damp indecomposable garbage, it may gradually prevent plants from thriving.
• Only one hour is allowed with the mountain gorillas when you locate them. This is because they have been habituated to be in the presence of humans for just that time. There is less activity amongst the mountain gorillas when they are being watched. They cannot feed properly, conception is disrupted, and so much more.
• Avoid spitting vegetation or the ground because the mountain gorillas feed on it. You may contaminate it with germs that may cause an infection to the mountain gorillas. They are highly susceptible to human infection that may cause massive death.
• In case you have a communicable infection, volunteer to stay behind so that you do not pass it to the mountain gorillas. They are very sensitive to such infections as flu, cough, cholera, etc.
• Wearing a clean mask before facing the mountain gorillas is compulsory as a measure adopted after the covid 19 pandemic. The mountain gorillas need to be protected from human communicable infections because conservation has come a long way.
• Try to lower your voice or keep quiet when searching for the mountain gorillas so that you do not look suspicious, even amongst other forest dwellers who are very sensitive to the presence of intruders.
• Provoking the mountain gorillas is forbidden because they may perceive it differently, causing them to retreat into the deeper ends of the park.

Contact us for more details about trekking gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda during the dry season.