Gorilla trekking in Uganda

Gorilla trekking in Uganda is considered and ranked among the top activities that have contributed a lot to the development of Uganda tourism industry. These mountain Gorillas are seen as the most tourist attraction and have led to many primate safaris where tourists travel from all over the world to Uganda to track these endangered mountain Gorillas as they experience and have remarkable memories during their safaris in Uganda.  During the Gorilla trekking activities, tourists are always accompanied with the park rangers and guides while they go through the park to track these endangered species in their natural habitats. In addition, after these mountain gorilla groups are trekked, tourists are always given one hour of interaction with the species and this is when they get chances to observe and learn the behaviours and characters of the species.

Gorilla Habituation Experience.

Gorilla habituation experience is when tourists are given enough time to spend with the endangered mountain gorilla species compared to gorilla trekking activities. During the Gorilla Habituation experience, the trekkers tend to spend around 4 hours whileinteracing the mountain gorillas as they monitor the behaviours and try to understand their way of lifestyle for example; how they eat and feed their young ones. The Unique part about these endangered species is they share 90% of their DNA with human being and this gorilla habituation experience is also always done to help these endangered species get used to the presence of humans.

However, it is important for tourists to know that Gorilla habituation experience in Uganda is only conducted within the Rushaga sector, which is found within Bwindi Impenetrable national park.

Places to go to for Gorilla trekking activities in Uganda.

Tourists who have their best interest in trekking the endangered mountain gorilla species in Uganda can only be to track them in places like; Bwindi Impenetrable national park and Mgahinga Gorilla national park. However, tourists who are planning to engage in this activity are advised to purchase their gorilla trekking permit, which they will be required to present at the park headquarters. Gorilla trekking permit costs 700 USD dollars per person and the advantage about this fee is that it covers other charges like; guide fees and act as a contribution towards developing the communities neighbouring with park.

 Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National park.

Bwindi Impenetrable National park is located in the southwestern region of Uganda in Kanungu district covering a total surface area of about 321 square kilometers. This national park is known as the best place tourists can go to for Gorilla trekking activities because it is a home to over 400 endangered mountain gorilla species and 19 habituated mountain gorilla groups, which can be easily tracked within the four sectors. In addition, it is noted that each of these four sectors have their own gorilla groups and these include;

  • Ruhija sector which is known to have around four habituated gorilla groups/ families such as; Bitukura, Kyaguriro, Oruzogo and Mukiza.
  • Buhoma sector which also has four habituated gorilla groups for example; Katwe, Mubare gorilla family, Rushegura, and Habinyanja.
  • More so, Rushaga sector which has around 8 habituated mountain gorilla groups such as; Nshongi, Rwigi, Kahunge, Mishaya, Busingye, Muchunguzi, Bikyingi, Bweza among others.
  • Nkuringo sector, which is situated in the southern region of the national park and only has three habituated mountain gorilla groups like; Rushegura, Christmas and Bushaho gorilla family.

How to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National park.

Tourists who would love to travel to travel to Bwindi impenetrable national park can opt to use either road or air transport. If one chooses to use road transport means, will travel from Kampala whereby it will take a distance of about 460 kilometers and about 8 hours to reach the national park headquarters in Buhoma. However, tourists who tend to have a tight schedule and wish to skip the long trips can decide to use Air transport whereby they can book their flights from Entebbe international airport to Kihihi and then head to Buhoma where they will take a short drive of about one and half hours to be able to reach the national park.

 Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla national park.

Mgahinga Gorilla national park is located in the Southwestern region of Uganda and well known to be among the smallest national parks in Uganda covering a total surface area of about 34 square kilometers. This national park is considered as the best place to go to for gorilla trekking activities compared to Bwindi Impenetrable national park because it is easy to locate and track the endangered mountain gorilla species within this national park.

Mgainga Gorilla national park shares boarders with countries like; Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo hence making it easy for the mountain gorillas to cross from one country to another. More so, gorilla activities in this national park require the trekkers to be physically fit and in good health conditions because it involves hiking through the forests and also identifying the fresh gorilla dropping in order to easily to track the species. Tourists in Mgahinga Gorilla national park not only engage in Gorilla trekking but also have opportunities to participate in other different activities like; bird watching, Golden monkey trekking, guided nature walks, hiking and volcano climbing at Mount Gahinga, Mount Muhabura, Mount Sabinyo, cultural encounters, and community visits whereby tourists get to interact with the Batwa people.

How to get to Mgahinga National park.

Tourists planning to go on an adventurous safari in Mgahinga national park can travel through using Air or Road transport means. For example, tourists who opt to use road transport from Kampala city can use the Kabale –mbarara highway to reach the national park and this journey takes about 8 hours and a distance of about 494 kilometers. More so, tourists who want to use air transport means can book their flights from Entebbe International Airport to Kisoro where they will take a drive of about 11 kilometers and 30 minutes to be able to access the park.

Contact our trusted tour operators in case of more information and inquires about Gorilla trekking in Uganda and Book with our Tours and travel companies for best tour packages while on your Gorilla trekking safari in Uganda.