Where can I trek gorillas in Uganda?
Where can I trek gorillas in Uganda?
Where can I trek gorillas in Uganda? : In Uganda there are two gorilla trekking destinations that is Bwindi Impenetrable national park and Mgahinga Gorilla national park, among these two destinations. Bwindi impenetrable national park is the most popular destination and most loved by tourists as it is a home to half of the world’s population of Mountain gorillas, which is also the biggest population found in one destination. Bwindi impenetrable national park is also suitable for fly – in safaris and has a greater range of accommodation options, still Mgahinga Gorilla national park also offer a rewarding gorilla trekking experience.
Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park are both located in the extreme corner of South western Uganda, near the border of Uganda with Rwanda to the south and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west.
As a tourist on a gorilla trekking experience, the gorilla destination you will visit solely depends on you depending on your travel plans and the time you have for your safari.
Note: Gorilla permits cost the same in both gorilla destinations and chances of sightings are high in both parks.
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi impenetrable national park is the main gorilla trekking destination in Uganda located in South Western Uganda within the districts of Kanungu with is also the nearest Town together with Kihihi, the park is a home to the largest population of Mountain gorillas in the world and is half of the total gorillas in the world.
Mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable national park are recorded to be approximately 459 gorillas including both wild and habituated gorillas, habituated gorilla families in Bwindi are found in four sectors also known as trail heads that are Buhoma sector, Ruhija sector, Rushaga Sector and Nkuringo Sector . Each of these sectors has their own characteristics, families and levels of difficulty in hiking.
In Bwindi impenetrable national park there is a total of 13 habituated gorilla families including
- Nshongi gorilla family
- Mishaya gorilla family
- Kahungye gorilla family
- Bweza gorilla family
- Busingye gorilla family
- Mubare gorilla family
- Habinyanja gorilla family
- Rushegura gorilla family
- Nkuringo gorilla family
- Bitukura gorilla family
- Christmas gorilla family
- Oruzogo gorilla family
- Katwe gorilla family
Note: Each of these families is visited by a group of 8 people
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park starts the park headquarters of each of these sectors with briefing conducted by a ranger guide, in the briefing you are taken through the rules and regulations to follow while in forest and in the presence of mountain gorillas. The trekking takes approximately 2-6 hours or more depending on the movement of mountain gorilla and where they spent their previous night and it involves hiking through hilly rugged terrains with dense foliage.
Upon seeing the mountain gorillas you are rewarded with a once – in a life time experience of seeing these endangered creatures face to face, you will stay in the presence of gorillas for one hour while enjoying the behavior of the gorillas and taking amazing pictures.
If you wish to stay for more than one hour in the presence of mountain gorillas, you can do gorilla habituation experience offering you 4 hours in the presence of the gorillas.
Gorilla Trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla national park
Mgahinga gorilla national park is another gorilla trekking destination in Uganda popular for tourists on a safari for cross-over itineraries from Rwanda, the park is the only place in Uganda where you can trek Golden Monkeys.
Mgahinga gorilla national park is the smallest national park in Uganda at a size of 33.9 square kilometers, the park is also found in the Virunga Conservation Area comprising of two other gorilla destinations that is Volcanoes national park in Rwanda and Virunga national park of Congo.
Mgahinga Gorilla national park is more secluded than Bwindi and the trekking is not as challenging, the park has only one habituated gorilla family called Nyakagezi consisting of 5 silverbacks, 2 adult females and 3 young gorillas.
Mgahinga Gorilla national park is loved by most tourists because of its close proximately with Rwanda where gorilla trekking permit is USD 1500 per person which has prompted tourists to trek Mgahinga where the permit is USD 700. Also the park has wonderful places to visit such as Lake Mutanda and Bunyonyi which are situated in close proximity.
Mgahinga also has volcanoes such as Mgahinga which you can climb, the climb takes approximately 8-9 hours.
When is the best time to go?
Uganda experiences Equatorial climate and because this climate type, temperatures remain quiet consistent year – round with 2 seasons that is rainy season and dry season.
- Rain season is experienced from March to May (long rainy season) and October to November (short rainy season).
- Dry season is experienced from December to February and June to August
Gorilla trekking in Uganda can be done all year round, the best time to do gorilla trekking is during the dry period in the months of June, July, August and September when the trails are less slippery. Other months also known as the rainy seasons are also good for gorilla trekking, the beauty in trekking during rainy season is that the gorillas are easy to find as they move to lower grounds.
Securing a Gorilla Permit
In Uganda, a gorilla permit costs $700 per person throughout the year. Securing a gorilla permit in Uganda is easy and it is done through your safari agency, gorilla permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and when planning to visit Uganda for a gorilla trekking experience kindly note that a limited number of permits are issued on the daily basis and they are not enough to fit the demand.
Gorilla permits are easy to secure during long rainy season that is from March to May and October to November due to relatively low demand for the permits, in the peak travel months (January – February and June – August), the permits are very limited due to high demand and they even sell out as early as a year in advance.
When compared to Rwanda permit costing $1500, Uganda’s gorilla permit is relatively cheap costing.
Note:
- A Gorilla permit offers tourists an opportunity to visit one gorilla trek visiting one gorilla family and allows you one hour of being prescience of mountain gorillas.
- Gorilla permits are non – refundable, however if you do not see the gorillas, Uganda Wildlife Authority will refund 50% of the permit cost (this rarely happens).
How difficult is the trek itself?
Generally gorilla trekking is challenging as it involves a walk through a challenging terrain of steep ridges and valleys following trails through tangled undergrowth, the hikes normally take approximately 2-6 hour.
Gorillas typically prefer staying in higher altitudes so expect to the trek to be more challenging due to the period of steep gradients. However, during the rainy season the gorillas tend to move to lower grounds thus shortening the length of the trek.
What to wear on a gorilla trek?
While on gorilla trekking activity in both Bwindi and Mgahinga a proper clothing is crucial, these destinations are situated near the equator and they are covered by dense forest cover so should expect rain at any time of the year. Proper clothing will not only protect you from the rains but also from thorny plants and forest critters and keep you cool for the 2-6 hours trekking. It is advisable to carry light and comfortable clothing.
Essential clothing perfect for gorilla trekking include
- Good quality and fitting waterproof trekking shoes or booats
- Light waterproof trekking pants and trousers
- Long socks to pull over your pants/ trousers to keep your skin protected, Waterproof Gaters are a better option
- Waterproof jacket/ rain coat and wind breaker
- Long sleeve trekking T-shirt (ideally Dri-FIT or similar)
- Gardening / outdoor gloves to protect against thorns and allow you to push through the more difficult parts of the trail without worrying about what you are grabbing on to.
It is also recommended you bring a few sachets of re-hydration salts and walking sticks provided for you at the park’s headquarters.
The rules around gorilla trekking
For the safety of both the trekkers and the gorillas, there is a set of rules and regulation set to govern gorilla trekking activity, prior to trekking. Trekkers undergo briefing session at the park’s headquarters in which you are taken through rules and regulations to follow while tracking the gorillas. Gorilla trekking rules and regulations are as follows
- You are to spend one hour in the presence of mountain gorillas
- You must keep a distance of at least 7 meters from the gorillas at all time
- Under any circumstances, no flash photography is allowed
- Making of unnecessarily noise and actions is not allowed while in the presence of mountain gorillas
- Do not mimic the gorillas
- Ill trekkers are not allowed to take part in the trekking
- Do not feed the gorilla
Are Gorilla sightings guaranteed?
Though sightings of mountain gorillas can never be guaranteed, the rise of the gorilla populations in Uganda, the habituation of the gorillas and with the experience of the trekking guides, chances of seeing mountain gorillas in Bwindi and Mgahinga are very high.
However you have to be prepared to trek as much as possible to see the gorillas, the trek takes approximately 2 – 6 hours to find a habituated gorilla group. In case you do not see the gorillas, the Uganda Wildlife Authority will refund 505 of your permit cost, however this has never happened in Uganda.
