What to expect on a 5 day double gorilla trekking safari in Uganda

The 5 day double gorilla trekking safari in Uganda includes visiting the mountain gorillas twice in the same safari. You need to book the gorilla permits for each one of these days because permits in Uganda are sold per day per trek per person.

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While  planning the 5 day gorilla trekking safari in Uganda, do not forget to reserve accommodation to use in advance because availability of the different categories of accommodations gets slim as time goes by. The peak tourism season in Uganda is normally characterized with overwhelming demand for gorilla permits and other logistics that support this safari so it is best to reserve yours in advance.

The five day double gorillas trekking safari in Uganda can be conducted in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park or either both days in one of these destinations as you please. Both are Uganda National Parks situated in the South Western Uganda and home to some of the only mountain gorillas in the world.

Highlights of 5 Day double gorilla Trekking safari in Uganda

Day 1 Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 2 First Gorilla Trekking Day in Bwindi

Day 3 Second Gorilla Trekking Day in Bwindi

Day 4 Drive to Entebbe

Day 5 Visit Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary And Departures

Full Details of 5 Day Double Gorilla Trekking Safari in Uganda

Day 1 Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Early morning our driver guide will pick you from your overnight hotel to start on the drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is long covering a distance of about 530 kilometers and drive time of more than 8 to 9 hours excluding stopovers.

Bwindi impenetrable National is a dense forest and one of the survivors of the ice age period that swept through Africa destroying a number of forest. The park is a biosphere reserve with more than 25,000 year of existence with lots of fauna and flora including more than 200 tree species, over 10 primate species, over 350 bird species, 88 month species, 312 butterfly species and others.

At the moment Bwindi forest is home to approximately 19 gorilla trekking families and 4 gorilla habituation experience families. The vast size of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park separated by has to drive through features led to it division into four areas that is Buhoma, Rushaga, Ruhija and Nkuringo. When booking the gorilla trekking permits for Bwindi, they are reserved according to these areas. It is best to book accommodation to use during gorilla trekking safari in this area within or close to these areas.

Arrive Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the late afternoon and check into your room.

Bwindi accommodations Clouds Lodge, Gorilla Forest Camp, Gorilla safari Lodge, Nshongi Camp, Volcanoes Lodge, Bwindi View Bandas, Bwindi Backpackers’ Camp, Mahogany Springs, Chameleon Hill Lodges, Silverback Lodge

Day 2 First Gorilla Trekking Day in Bwindi

After breakfast, head to the ranger station for briefing and document verification. At the briefing point expect to find other tourists booked for the day. In case you wish to have assistance from the porter, you may request for one at an affordable cost of about $20.

After briefing, the ranger guide allocated to the gorilla family you are to trek with fellow tourist follow the trail head suspected to lead where the mountain gorilla family may be spending the day. The time of finding the mountain gorillas may be hard to determine because these are mobile primates that may change location whenever they please. 

On the way, other primates including wild chimpanzees, black and white colobus, red tailed monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, blue monkeys, olive baboons may be spotted up in the tall trees. Ornithologist may spot over 100 bird species on the way to find the mountain gorillas with Ruhija area being the birding haven of Bwindi forest. Other mamals may also be spotted including the forest elephants, giant forest hogs and others.

Finally,  when you find the mountain gorillas, one hour is allowed with them because they are habituated to be before humans for just that time. Human presence disrupts the daily activities of the mountain gorillas.

Walk back to the lodge to relax

Day 3 Second Gorilla Trekking Day in Bwindi

Wake up early for breakfast and carrying your gorilla trekking gears head to the ranger station for another gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. It is best to request for another gorilla family at this point but this must be done prior to allocating the gorilla families

The traits of each gorilla family different from another so getting the chance to do gorilla trekking more than once gives you a glimpse into the varied life amongst gorilla families just like that of humans. In case you wish to trek a gorilla family that is closer on this second day of gorilla trekking, it is not guaranteed. Mountain gorillas as mobile primates in that the gorilla family that was easy to trek the previous day may be the furthest the next day.

Looking out for other primates that you may have missed and features that you may get to see on the way including waterfalls resulting from a dense network of rivers. Help with tracing the mountain gorillas using the clues they may have left behind including footprints, freshly chewed foliage, listen to there murmur and much more.

No matter how many time you do gorilla trekking, the reception and excitement you get each time is different. Watch each moment with the mountain gorillas unfold and take as many photos as possibly can to get back to in memory of this gorilla safari in Uganda.

Return to your lodge to relax.

Day 4 Drive to Entebbe

After breakfast drive to Entebbe drive time that may last about 8 to 9 hours from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You may make an optional stopover at the Equator to have a photographing moment standing on both sides of the earth at the same time that is the northern and southern Hemisphere.

Accommodation in Entebbe Protea Hotel Entebbe, Serena Hotel Kigo, The Boma, Travelers’ Inn, Lake Victoria Hotel

Meal Plan Bed and Breakfast

Day 5 Visit Ngamba Chimpanzee sanctuary And Departures

Join the early morning group that sails to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Koome Island lake Victoria. Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary is the second home to the endangered chimpanzees that cannot return to there original communities, orphaned, abandoned chimpanzees. The Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary is under the care of CSWCT non Government conservation organizations under the Jane Goodall initiative.

A visit to these chimpanzee is a chance to see them carry on with there life too as these chimpanzees freely live on the forested part of this lsland. Participate in feeding them from the visitor platform, may engage in keeper for the day or chimpanzee up-close and others interactions with the chimpanzees.

Get back to the main land to check out of your room and drive to Entebbe airport to catch up with your flight back home.

When is the best time to book the 5 day double gorilla trekking safari in Uganda

Gorilla Trekking in Uganda is open any time of the year but the dry season is most preferred that is June to October and December to February. Even though Bwindi forest is known for being wet most of the year, in the dry season the forest generally has less precipitation as more sunrays penetrate through the usual dense canopy to the ground. This leaves the trails dry and less undergrowth protrudes through to obstruct the way. River in Bwindi forest flow within normal course in the dry season.

Most of the primates and other forest inhabitants are visible in the dry season because they spend most of the time on the ground or open space of the forest. Note that the demand for gorilla trekking permits in the dry season, which is the peak tourism season in Uganda, is high creating scarcity of availability for last moment bookers.

Even other logistics that support tourism are at high demand in the dry season that is accommodations, transport, driver guides and others. It is safe to reserve these amenities in advance as options may run out

The wet season may not be bad timing to book the gorilla trekking safari in Uganda because mountain gorillas are available in all seasons. The mountain gorillas have bulky bodies that cannot move very first away from their usual location and may decide to move with a reason. The wet season which is normally March to May and November, expect to find the mountain gorillas at more elevated points away from the ground.

When the mountain gorillas spend the day on the slopes or deep in the valleys, tourists are expected to hike in order to get to them. Even though this may be quite inconveniencing, the excitement of getting up close with there giants is a life long encounter experienced by a few

How Much Is The Cost Of A 5 Day Double Gorilla Trekking Safari In Uganda

The cost of the 5 day double gorilla trekking safari in Uganda is categorized into luxury, mid-range and basic. For any gorilla trekking safari in Uganda, the cost of the gorilla permit is the base of other costs included in this safari, currently the cost of the Uganda gorilla trekking permit is $800 for international nonresidents, $700 for International residents, $500 for other Africans and 300,000shs East Africans. The cost of the gorilla permit is per person per day.

When making a safari quotation for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, other related amenities that support Uganda safaris include accommodation costs, gas costs, vehicle hire, driver guide fee and others.

At Encounter Africa Safaris, we carter for customers of all budgets but overall customer satisfaction is our number one priority.

Is the 5 day Double Gorilla Trekking Safari worth the time and money

The 5 day double gorilla trekking safari in Uganda is worth every penny as spending time in company pf the only leftover mountain gorillas in the world is a life time experience.

Purchasing the gorilla permit is a contribution to the sustainable existence of the mountain gorillas that were at the rim of extinction before the 1980s.

During the gorilla trekking safari, you may get the chance to see other primates that are residents of Bwindi forest including black and white colobus, olive baboons, blue monkeys, vervet monkeys and others.

When you hire a porter, you contribute to the livelihood of the local people and the money they collect from being porters, they use to run their day to day affairs.

What are the rules of Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

• Try not to surround the mountain gorillas when you locate them because this makes them feel ambushed. They are very sensitive primates that you need to follow the advise given by the ranger guides to enjoy every moment.
• Wearing a clean mask before meeting the mountain gorillas is compulsory after the outbreak of Corona Virus. This is one of the preventive measures to reduce on the chances of passing this infection to the endangered primate species.
• In case you wish to cough or sneeze, do it away from the mountain gorillas or in a handkerchief to prevent spreading of germs.
• Spitting on vegetation or soil is forbidden because it may contaminate the food on which the mountain gorillas depend on.
• Use of flash photography is forbidden because this may scare the mountain gorillas. They are highly sensitive to new occurrences in their vicinity.
• In case you wish to take a long call, ask the ranger guide to dig a hole for you atleast 30 centimeters deep and cover everything well beyond recognition. This is to prevent forest dwellers from exhuming what you may have covered.
• Provoking the mountain gorillas is forbidden because they have moods too. They may get agitated and move into hiding.in nature they are shy and serene creatures but do not test their patience.

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