Gorilla Trekking in Uganda
EMBRACING THE MAJESTY OF THE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS
Gorilla Trekking in Uganda Overview
Gorilla trekking in Uganda is a powerful wildlife experience. This thrilling adventure allows you to immerse yourself in African jungles to enjoy up close and personal with a fully habituated family of mountain gorillas. It is estimated that there are 1063 mountain gorillas in the world with over half of them residing in Uganda and the other half shared between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Trekking with Uganda gorillas in the wild and locating them leaves remarkable emotions among primate enthusiasts. In Uganda, one can carry out gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Southwest Uganda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The 2 gorilla protected areas are situated in far Southwestern Uganda and are where the 5 regions are all found for gorilla trekking.
The four (4) regions exist in Bwindi and include the Buhoma sector, Ruhija, Nkuringo and Rushaga. Crossing over to Mgahinga, gorilla trekking is done starting from the Ntebeko area, Kisoro District.
Different gorilla families to explore on gorilla safari in Uganda
Mgahinga national park has a total of 80 mountain gorillas and tourists can only access one gorilla group that is Nyakagezi family which is habituated. Having one gorilla family, translates into only 8 gorilla permits. Trekking to see gorilla members of Nyakagezi family begins right at the Ntebeko with the lead of an experienced park guide.
Rushaga sector which is located in the southern region of the park. The sector hosts the greatest number of gorillas including;
- Kahungye gorilla family
- Nshongi gorilla family
- Bweza gorilla family
- Busingye gorilla family
- Mishaya gorilla family
- Kutu group
- Mucunguzi family
- Bikingi
Buhoma sector is located in the northern region of Bwindi National Park. It has 4 gorilla families and these include.
- Habinyanja gorilla family
- Mubare gorilla family
- Rushegura gorilla family
- Katwe family group
Ruhija sector. It is located in the eastern region of Bwindi impenetrable national park and it has the following gorilla families.
- Bitukura gorilla family
- Oruzogo gorilla family
- Kyaguriro gorilla family
Nkuringo sector: Situated in the southern sector it consists of three gorilla families.
- Nkuringo gorilla family
- Bushaho gorilla group
- Christmas group
Gorilla permits are cards or documents that are offered by a governing body to allow tourists access to gorillas in a national park. A tourist has to get a gorilla permit before coming for trekking. One has to book with the travel agent or Uganda Wildlife Authority and this has to be a month or 3 months. A traveller has to inform a travel agent or Uganda Wildlife Authority of the date and number of days one wants to do the trekking in order to get a permit. One is required to have a passport which would be used to check the details of a tourist that is to say they can check and see the type of country where one comes from, the person’s age and in case of an emergency
Through your trusted tour operator, a single gorilla permit in Uganda costs USD 700 (foreign nonresidents), USD 600 –foreign residents and shs.250000 –East African citizens.
There are several requirements that are required before carrying out gorilla trekking and these include; One must carry their travel formalities that is travel insurance, national ID, passport, Visa, waterproof hiking boots, first aid kit, gardening gloves, bottled drinking water, energy giving snacks, trousers, long sleeved shirts, insect repellents and others.
One can do gorilla trekking throughout the year but the best time to carryout gorilla trekking is during the dry season which is June to September, mid-December to early February. However, there might be less rain during this season; the grounds are less slippery compared to the rainy season.
Mgahinga and Bwindi impenetrable national parks have a variety of accommodation that caters for both luxurious, mid-range and low-budget tourists.
- Luxurious accommodation options; Nkuringo Bwindi Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Gahinga Lodge, and Chameleon Hill Lodge.
- Mid-range choices include; Mucha Hotel, Gorilla Mist Camp, Agandi Lodge, Bwindi Engagi Lodge and others.
By air, a traveller can book a charter flight from Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi airstrip to Kisoro airstrip (perfect for Mgahinga access), or Kihihi airstrip (ideal for Bwindi). Using road transport, drive a comfortable 4×4 tourist vehicle: from Kampala via Mbarara to Kanungu to Kisoro to Bwindi/Mgahinga.
