Rwanda borders Uganda in the southwestern region and Uganda gorilla safaris can be done from Rwanda. The capital of Rwanda, Kigali is located 130 kilometers from Uganda’s gorilla destination. Therefore, visitors can travel for approximately 2 hours to Uganda’s gorilla destinations for a gorilla safari. Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills has also a lot to offer regarding gorilla safaris. This is because it is crossed by the Virunga conservation area in Volcanoes National Park together with the Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Uganda is the formidable Pearl of Africa with the many tourist attractions it hosts most notable is the endangered mountain gorillas. Why endangered one may ask? Well, there are only 1,063 mountain gorillas left in the wild. These are harbored only in the Virunga conservation area that stretches from the Democratic Republic of Congo through Rwanda to Uganda. Mountain gorillas live to their name as they dwell in the highland areas of the conservation area.
What are gorilla safaris?
Gorilla safaris refer to the activity of encountering the endangered mountain gorilla primates in their natural habitat. This safari in Uganda is only possible at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Gorilla safaris involve traversing the dense forest canopies searching for these primates and spending an hour in their presence after their allocation. Visitors are expected to assemble at the park headquarters at around 7 am. A pre-trekking briefing session conducted by a park ranger is done to equip the visitors with the rules and regulations followed while trekking gorillas in the dense forest. Each visitor is put in a group containing a maximum of eight others. Each group is assigned a gorilla family to visit, depending on their fitness level. Each group is accompanied by an experienced tracker and armed ranger to follow specific trails to track their gorilla family. The entire trek takes 4 to 8 hours depending on where the gorilla family spent the night during the previous day. After encountering the gorilla family, the visitors are allowed a maximum of an hour to observe and photograph the primates.
What are the gorilla destinations in Uganda?
Uganda offers incredible gorilla safaris from Rwanda it is a vast and well-equipped gorilla destination. These destinations include the following.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Stretching for about 331 square kilometers, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is not just a popular gorilla destination in Uganda but also in the world. It is located in the southwestern region of the country close to the border with Rwanda. It was established as a national park in 1991 from a forest reserve after the mountain gorillas were sighted in the park. The mountain gorillas are social beings who stay in groups called gorilla families. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park hosts over 50 gorilla families with over 26 habituated and ready to be trekked. The habituated gorilla families include Mucunguzi, Kutu, Busingye, Kahungye, Bweza, Nshongi, Bikingi, Mishaya, Katwe, Nkuringo, and Mukiza. These families are scattered across the four gorilla sectors in the park including Buhoma, Nkuringo, Ruhija, and Rushaga. These sectors are evenly distributed across the four different compass directions. The park boasts as the best gorilla destination in the world after it harbors the most endangered mountain gorilla population in the world.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Park of the Virunga conservation area, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the second gorilla destination in the country. It is situated in the southwestern part of the county spanning approximately 33.7 square kilometers. It is the smallest gorilla destination in the conservation area. It hosts over 100 mountain gorillas with only one gorilla family. The park also hosts the rare golden monkey primates that have dwelled in the park for a very long time. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park also harbors 3 volcano mountains which include Sabyinyo, Gahinga, and Muhabura. The mountain gorillas can be found along the slopes of the volcanoes, which are Mount. Sabinyo, Mount. Muhabura and Mount. Gahinga. Visitors can track and spend an hour with only one habituated gorilla group called Nyakagezi.
How much does it cost for a gorilla safari from Rwanda?
Trekking mountain gorillas in Uganda requires a gorilla trekking permit. This gorilla permit is only acquired from the Uganda Wildlife Authority through a trusted tour operator. A gorilla permit is a document that gives visitors access to encounter the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. The cost of purchasing the gorilla trekking permit varies from nationality to region of the visitor. For instance, foreign non-residents pay USD 800, foreign residents USD 700, and the East African citizens including Uganda UGX 300,000. Payments for the gorilla trekking permit should be made at least a month before the trekking date. This is because gorilla trekking is only done by 8 people per gorilla family per day. This makes this activity incredibly competitive and sometimes getting your preferred dates can be tricky as permits may be done. Each gorilla family is limited to only 8 visitors a day to reduce stressing the primates.
When is the best time to have a gorilla safari from Rwanda?
Uganda’s gorilla destinations are situated close to the equator and thus receive two dry and wet seasons per year. Gorilla safaris in Uganda are done all year round, however, the dry season poses the best to encounter these primates. This is because during this season the park receives limited rainfall. This assures that the vegetation remains sparse and trekking trails dry hence aiding navigation and proper sighting of the mountain gorillas. The dry runs from December to February and June to September.
