Planning a Uganda gorilla and wildlife safari from Kigali Rwanda

Planning a Uganda gorilla and wildlife safari from Kigali Rwanda. A safari combo of gorilla and wildlife adventure through Rwanda is picking up an international route into Uganda as an African safari destination. With a great plan, which starts with securing a Uganda gorilla trekking permit from either Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park, this experience, is guaranteed.

When you collaborate with our experienced safari consultants at Encounter Africa Safaris, you lay down the best plan for your Gorilla and wildlife safari holiday experience in Uganda through Rwanda without backtracking. Uganda is endowed with a great number of wildlife parks with a variety of wild animals like chimpanzees, lions, herds of elephants, cape buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, giraffes, and leopards to mention but a few. 

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Some Uganda wildlife destinations include Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, and Kibale National Park. These national parks are dispersed throughout Uganda, so more days, including transfer and activity days, must be considered when planning this Uganda safari.

As you plan, note that the least number of days for a gorilla safari in Uganda is 3 days of gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience. Other wildlife activities may take at least two to three days, depending on the park.

For clarity, identifying the number of people you hope to travel with for the gorilla and wildlife safari in Uganda through Rwanda is very important. This assists in checking and purchasing the right number of gorilla permits, booking accommodation, securing the appropriate safari vehicle, etc. Moving back and forth with changing laid-out preparations due to the increasing number of people joining this Uganda safari may disrupt your plans. 

How to make Plans for the gorilla and wildlife safari in Uganda through Kigali

Secure the gorilla permit.

While in Uganda, you can do gorilla trekking, which allows tourists one hour with the mountain gorillas, or gorilla habituation experience, where tourists have four hours in the company of the mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking is an adventure where a maximum of 8 tourists are allowed to view the mountain gorillas for just one hour. 

The gorilla habituation experience is an adventure where tourists are allowed to accompany a team of trackers in the wilderness and stay with them for four hours.

You must possess in advance a gorilla permit for either gorilla trekking or habituation experience because they are limited and highly demanded, especially during the peak season. The Uganda tourism peak season runs June, July, August, September, December, and January, but booking your gorilla permit at least 6 months to a year upfront is a safe decision if you are to go for gorilla safari in the high season.

What is the cost of the Uganda gorilla trekking permit?

 Currently, a Uganda gorilla permit costs $800 for foreign nonresidents, $700 for foreign residents, and 300000 shs for East African residents. 

The cost of the Uganda gorilla trekking permit covers park entrance fees, security, mountain gorilla conservation, local community support, and a certificate after the gorilla safari to mention but a few.

What is the cost of a Gorilla habituation experience permit?

The gorilla habituation experience permit costs $1500 per person for foreign nonresidents, $1000 for foreign residents and 750000hshs for East African residents.

The cost of a gorilla habituation experience permit includes researcher fees, ranger guide fees, mountain gorilla conservation, local community support, and others.

Exclusions in the gorilla permit cost include transportation, accommodation, snacks, tips, energy snacks, and other items.

Select Destinations For Uganda Wildlife Activities 

Uganda is endowed with a number of wildlife parks with different primates and game. You must make a great selection of where you wish to enjoy your wildlife experience. You can do a combo of gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Kibale National Park.

A gorilla and game drive safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park gives you a chance to see several wild animals. The supernatural, powerful view of Murchison Falls National Park, with its splendid wild game along the shores of the River Nile, gives an everlasting impression to those who take on the game drives in this park.

Kidepo Valley National Park may be the furthest in the northeast corner of Uganda, but it gives the most impressive game safaris in Uganda. It is Uganda's prime game viewing destination, especially for the big games. Kidepo Valley National Park boasts of absent or rare wildlife from other Uganda-protected areas, like cheetahs, aardwolf, striped hyenas, and others.

Lake Mburo National Park is almost in the center of the route from western Uganda to Uganda's capital, Kampala or Entebbe Airport. This park hosts elands, Impalas, zebras, giraffes, and statungas to mention but a few.

With a well-tailored gorilla and wildlife itinerary, you can explore the best safari destinations in Uganda. It would be best if you had apple time to spend on your Uganda gorilla and wildlife safari.

Book Accommodation For Your Gorilla And Wildlife Safari In Uganda 

Upon booking the gorilla permit, accommodation is one of the immediate items you must secure. The Uganda accommodations are graded according to luxury, mid-range, and budget. In case your gorilla permit is booked in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, it's according to the area of which this park has four areas: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Ruhija.

It is best to secure accommodations for Uganda gorilla safari closer or within the area where your gorilla permit is booked. This is to enable you to catch up with an early morning briefing before gorilla trekking or habituation experience.

• Bwindi accommodations: Clouds Lodge, Gorilla Forest Camp, Bwindi View Bandas, Engage Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Backpacker's Camp, Buhoma Lodge, silverback Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Safari Lodge, Nshongi Camp, Icumbi Gorilla Lodge

Each Uganda wildlife game park has a different accommodations facility, which you must secure in advance for your game safari. These accommodations are graded according to luxury, mid-range, and budget.

When is the best time to Book a Gorilla and wildlife safari For Uganda Through Kigali?

The Uganda safaris are open throughout the year; however, the dry season is most preferred: June to September and December to January. Most parks have less humidity in the open grassland and closed forest vegetation. This makes it easier for the visibility of a number of primates to move through the tracks during game drives in the National Parks. Wild animals are more active during the dry seasons.

The peak season always comes with cutthroat competition for services and the Gorilla or chimpanzee permits, so booking is vital.

Gorilla and wildlife Uganda safari are open in the wet season, but for game viewing, the animals tend to hide in the long grass in the park, making it challenging to spot them. In case you wish to have the Uganda game parks to yourself or with a few tourists, the wet season is the most appropriate. The wet season is normally March, April, May and November. Chances of having less disturbance while on a Gorilla or wildlife safari are high since fewer people are booking.

Which Uganda Wildlife Safari Is Best For Game Safaris?

Each Uganda game park is unique in its content, and taking a game drive through its environment gives you different feelings depending on what you wish to see.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park lies on the floor of the Rift Valley, overlooked by the glaciers of Rwenzori Mountain. This park enjoys great views, and a game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park gives you a chance to an array of wild game. While on a launch trip on the Kazinga channel, you enjoy a plethora of birds, including both local and foreign migrants.

During a game drive through the Queen Elizabeth National Park tracks, especially the Kasenyi track, you can spot lions in action as they love preying on Uganda Kobs that spend their day in this area. While on a game drive, you may spot animals like herds of elephants, cape buffaloes, topis, waterbucks, bushbucks, and leopards, to mention but a few. The chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge are impressive to watch.

Murchison Falls National Park

Located astride River Nile is Murchison Falls National Park, with the most powerful falls in the world resulting from River Nile squeezing through a narrow bend of 6 meters wide to burst out and form a cloudy appearance. The earth trembles when the majestic Murchison Falls touches the ground as it flows down a 43-meter-high cliff.

While on an exhilarating game drive through the tracks of Murchison Falls National Park, especially on the park's northern sector, you may spot lions, leopards, waterbucks, bushbucks, cape buffaloes, elephants, and others. During the River Nile launch cruise, you watch crocodiles and hippos.

Chimpanzee trekking in the Kaniyo Pabidi forest gives you a chance to interact with a variety of chimpanzees and other primates.

 Kidepo Valley National Park

Placed in the Northeastern corner of Uganda is Kidepo Valley National Park. This park generally has flat plains and ranks one of the finest African wildernesses. The semi-arid climate of Kidepo Valley National Park favors the existence of a number of wild animals and the prime habitat for carnivores like bat-eared foxes, striped hyenas, aardwolf, caracals, cheetahs, lions, leopards, black-backed jackals others. A number of herbivores are residents of this park including Klipspringer, Guenther's dikdik, greater and lesser kudu and others.

Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National Park is located en route to and from the western side of Uganda. This park is almost in the center of most of the routes to or from the western regions of Uganda, with a number of wildlife parks. The impressive variety of vegetation zones f from open savannah, wetland and forest patches favors the lives of a variety of herbivores like impalas, zebras, waterbucks, elephants, elands, topis to mention but a few.

From the mountain gorillas, you can stop in Lake Mburo National Park before proceeding to Kampala or Entebbe Airport. 

Kibale National Park

 For a Chimpanzee trekking experience in Uganda, Kibale National Park is the ideal destination. If you hope to do a gorilla trekking combo with chimpanzee trekking, Kibale National Park gives you a sense of belonging with chimpanzees with about 98% human DNA.

You can take part in chimpanzee trekking or chimpanzee habituation experience and have chances to spot other primates like L'Hoest'e, blue monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, bush babies, and so much more.

How Safe Are Gorilla And Wildlife Safaris In Uganda?

Although gorilla safaris and wildlife experiences are in the wilderness, the Uganda Wildlife Authority has a well-trained ranger guide team that dedicates their lives to the survival of wildlife, their habitats, and tourists. Rest assured of your safety while on a gorilla and wildlife safari in Uganda.

You must follow gorilla and wildlife safari rules to succeed as a tourist. Much as walking in the Uganda wildlife parks or driving through the dusty park tracks is refreshing, conserving wildlife and its habitat takes precedence. 

Have respect for the mountain gorillas and stay on track during game drives in order to stay safe and protect the mountain gorillas.

Try to go into the wilderness with an escorting ranger guide because there are unhabituated dwellers that may be harmful to you.

What Can I Pack For Gorilla And Wildlife Safari In Uganda

• Safari attire in colors that are wilderness-friendly and long enough to cover your body in case you have to walk, like during Gorilla or chimpanzee trekking.
• A camera to protect memories of your gorilla safari and wilderness experience 
• Safari hat to protect your head from buzzing insects.
• Garden gloves
• Backpack to carry with your belongings.
• Insect repellant to keep away stinging insects
• A pair of binoculars
• Flip flops
• Rain gears
• Adapter or travel charger
• Toiletries in case the lodge doesn't offer
• Rainproof gears
• First aid kit.
• Foldable water bottle
• Warm wear as it gets cold during early morning and late afternoon.

For your gorilla and wildlife safari from Kigali, Contact us for more information.