Uganda gorilla trekking tours in bwindi national park
Uganda gorilla trekking tours in bwindi national park: Uganda Gorilla Trekking Tours are one of the most selling safaris in the country. Gorilla trekking tours in Uganda are conducted in either Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park; both located in the southwestern part of Uganda. However, the best place for gorilla trekking tours in Uganda is in Bwindi national park.
Uganda gorilla trekking tours give tourists an opportunity to spend quality time with mountain gorillas, which are a subspecies of the eastern gorilla species. They main live in montane and tropical rainforests in East and Central African countries. If not in Uganda, one can track mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda or Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although most travellers consider gorilla trekking tours to be expensive, the experience has proven to be worth every penny!
Uganda Gorilla Trekking Tours in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the number tourism destination for all gorilla trekking tours in Uganda. This national park is home to an estimated 459 mountain gorillas, which is about half of the world’s total population of mountain gorillas.
The national park was first established in 1925, and later declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994. This move was made in an effort to conserve and preserve the rich bio-diversity of both flora and fauna wildlife species that inhabit the dense forests of the renowned ‘Bwindi Impenetrable Forest,’ and that includes the highly sought after species of mountain gorillas.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park spans over a radius of approximately 321 square kilometers. The park is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), under the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities.
Trekking mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable national park is one of the best experiences that any tourist can have in their entire lifetime. Although gorilla trekking is quite tedious and physically demanding, the precious hour that you get to spend with the gorillas makes the activity worth it.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable national park can take from 2 to 8 hours, depending on how fast you can locate a given gorilla group. Once you have located the gorillas, you are given only an hour to spend with the gorillas; and this is the part where your camera will come in handy.
Uganda gorilla trekking tours in Bwindi Impenetrable national park are conducted in small groups of only a maximum of eight members. Each group is accompanied by an experienced UWA guide and armed ranger in order to ensure both your safety and that of these precious mountain gorillas. All Uganda gorilla trekking tours in Bwindi national park commence at exactly 7am, with registration of visitors/tourists that is followed by a briefing from the head guide/warden at the national park. Actual gorilla trekking begins at 8:30am. The national park provides eight trekking permits for each of the gorilla groups, thus issuing a daily maximum of 120 permits. It is for this precise reason that you should book your gorilla trekking permit at least six months in advance in case you are planning your Uganda gorilla trekking tour to Bwindi Impenetrable national park.
It is important for you to know that Uganda gorilla trekking tours in Bwindi impenetrable national park can only be done after you have purchased a gorilla trekking permit, which costs USD 600 dollars per person. However, with effect from 1st June 2020, a gorilla trekking permit in Uganda will go for USD 700 dollars person. This is a pretty good price for gorilla trekking given the fact that a gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda costs USD 1500 dollars, thus making it a luxury gorilla trekking destination. Congo gorilla trekking permits go for USD 400 dollars, although the amount of money one would spend in a lodge or camping facility in Virunga National Park, makes the activity quite expensive.
Uganda gorilla trekking tours in Bwindi Impenetrable national park are quite pocket friendly, with gorilla trekking lodges that range from budget, mid-range and luxury. All lodges within the national park offer guests top-notch services and the staff go an extra mile to give guests the best experience while staying at a given accommodation facility.
Some of the accommodation facilities that you can stay at while on your Uganda gorilla trekking tour in Bwindi Impenetrable national park include; Silverback Lodge, Gorilla Safari Lodge, Gorilla Resort, Buhoma Community Rest Camp, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Buhoma Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, Ruhija Gorilla Mist Camp, and Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge and Gorilla Heights Lodge.
Also, you might find it important to pack some essential items with you on your trip and some of these items include; warm sweaters, a light rain coat/ jacket, a good pair of hiking boots, a hat or cap, some sunscreen and insect repellent cream, sunglasses, a long pair of trousers and shirts, long stocking, a water bottle and not forgetting, your camera. All these items will come in handy on the day you are set to do your gorilla trekking activity in Bwindi national park.
A Uganda gorilla trekking tour in Bwindi Impenetrable national park can be combined with other interesting activities that are offered by the national park and these include; the Batwa trail experience, guided forest walks, birding, and mountain bike riding among others.
Other than Bwindi national park, another destination for Uganda gorilla trekking tours is Mgahinga Gorilla national park; which is also located in Kisoro district, in the southwestern region of the country. The national park currently has only two gorilla groups which can be trekked by visitors all year round; these are the Hirwa group and Nyakagezi gorilla group.
Uganda gorilla trekking tours in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park can be done throughout the year. However, the best time for such adventurous tours could be from June to October and also from mid-December to February.
In case you are planning your Uganda gorilla trekking tour to Bwindi Impenetrable national park this year, you might want to book your tour through a trusted tour operator company like Explore Rwanda Tours. Other trustworthy tour companies that you can use include Achieve Global Safaris and Focus East Africa Tours.
Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to see the extraordinary mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National once you book your Uganda gorilla trekking tour with us!
