How many days do I need for a safari in Masai Mara?
Hiring a Drone in Uganda
Booking gorilla permits and accommodation in Uganda is very important part when planning your gorilla trip to Uganda to visit Mountain Gorillas, this is one of the main requirements for you to have a successful gorilla trek in Uganda. In Uganda, Gorilla trekking is only done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Uganda Gorilla permits are identifications in form of documents with different booking Identification numbers that are offered by a governing body to allow a tourist access gorilla National Parks and be able to visit gorillas. This identification number shows that one has been authorized to visit a given national park for gorilla trekking. In Uganda gorilla permits are secured from Uganda Wildlife Authority through a trusted tour operator Eco Adventure Safaris. There are 200 gorilla permits available per day in Bwindi but these increase after a certain period of habituating other gorilla families. There are 25 gorilla families available for visiting gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Parks and each family is visited by 8 people. These families are distributed based on a region that is in Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo open for gorilla trekking.
For accommodation, you will need to book a hotel close to the sector you are trekking in gorillas that is chose where to stay in a lodge to close to either Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga or Nkuringo based on the where your gorilla permit is allocated for gorilla trekking in Bwindi. Lodge options include Bakiga Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge (for budget option), Rushaga Gorilla Lodge (for mid-range option) and the luxury options include Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Silverback Lodge and Four Gorillas Lodge among others
Mgahinga National Park has a number of accommodation choices where you can stay while on your visit. Most of the lodges are found in the out skirts of the forest with a clear view of the forest and the mountain ranges. The Lodges range from Budget to Luxury and these include; Gahinga Lodge which is a luxury hotel ranges from USD400 per person per night, Lake Chahafi Lodge, Lake Muhele Lodge which can serve as for both Midrange and Budget range from USD100 Per person per night. There is also an option of staying in hotels in Kisoro town where you can get as low as USD50 for a room, the town is just 30 minutes’ drive to the Park headquarters. Some the travelers opt to stay in Lodges/Camps in Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park as it is about 1 hour drive to Mgahinga National Park.
How to book Bwindi gorilla permits?
How many gorilla permits are available in Uganda, once you have your planned dates of travel confirmed we will need you to send us an email at info@ecoadventuresafaris.com so that we check for the availability of gorilla habituation permits online with the Uganda Wildlife Authority once we confirm permits are available for your planned dates we will let you know so that we can send you an invoice for you to make payment for the permits. Once the payment is done and we have received it on our account we will go ahead and purchase your permits immediately and send you a scanned copy of the permits for your records and perusal, this will confirm you are booked for Gorilla Trekking Experience in Bwindi Forest National Park. Booking permit for gorilla trekking is advised to book your Gorilla permits in advance at least 2-3 months prior your visit given the fact few permits are available per day and sell out very quickly on first come first serve basis.
Cost and Getting Gorilla permits in Uganda
The Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla permits in Uganda Costs $700 Per person per trek for the Foreign nonresidents, $600 Per person for residents and $70 for East African Citizens (Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi and South Sudan), this gives you an opportunity to spend one hour encounter with the mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Uganda has 17 habituated gorilla family groups with 16 found in Bwindi and 1 in Mgahinga this means 136 Gorilla permits are available every day for gorilla trekking in Uganda. Gorilla trekking in Uganda also gives you an option to spend more time with the mountain gorillas through Gorilla habituation experience which is only done in Bwindi forest, gorilla habituation permits costs $1500 per person giving you an opportunity to spend 4 hours encounter with the semi habituated mountain gorillas under the guidance of trackers and researchers as opposed to one hour for the normal trekking. Getting gorilla permits in Uganda can be done directly by booking them through Uganda Wildlife Authority or through a trusted tour operator in Uganda like Eco Adventure Safaris Limited.
What is the age limit for Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi?
The minimum age limit for Gorilla Trekking is 12 years and there is no maximum age it all depends on fitness levels. Gorilla trekking for elders is now made possible especially in Bwindi forest through the provision of sedan chair carriers, these chairs are used to carry those who feel unfit and are unable to walk into the forest at the time of their trek, you will be carried by potters to and from the forest during your trek, hiring the sedan chair can done in advance or at the day of the trek and price ranges from 400-500 dollars.
What is the best time for Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi?
Gorilla trekking in Uganda is done throughout the year and the best time to do a gorilla trekking in Africa is during the drier months of January, February, June to early September, this is makes it easier to travel to the park and gives a clear view of gorillas given the vegetation cover is not too much high grown.
What to pack for Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi?
During gorilla tracking you will need a comfortable, hard wearing, pair of walking shoes or boots. Conditions are generally very muddy in the forest when it is raining. There are uphill sections which may be quite steep and strenuous. It is also advisable to wear a long sleeve cotton shirt and lightweight long trousers to protect yourself from the undergrowth, stinging nettles and biting ants. Suggested Items to pack for Gorilla trekking;
• Insect Repellent
• Torch/Flashlight – and Spare Batteries
• Wet Wipes
• Water Bottle
• Camera, lenses etc
• Comfortable walking/hiking boots & socks
• Gardening gloves for gorilla tracking
• Sandals/strops/walking shoes
• Hat and Sunscreen
• Rain Jacket
• Sweater/fleece
• Swimwear
• Binoculars (game/bird watching)
How to get to Bwindi Forest National Park
By Road; The southern sector of Bwindi Forest National Park can be accessed through the main safari circuit from Entebbe/Kampala which approximately 8-9 hours drive. You will need to turn off at Muko along the Kabale-Kisoro road you will see the sign post of Uganda Wildlife Authority which you will follow upto to your booked lodge for accommodation in either Rushaga or Nkuringo sector.
By Air; You can fly from Entebbe International Airport or Kampala’s Kajjansi airfield to Kisoro airstrip to access the southern sectors of Rushaga and Nkuringo. Scheduled and chartered flights are available and operated by domestic airline operators of Aero link and Fly Uganda. You will need to plan with your tour operator for a transfer from the airstrip to the Park
Booking gorilla permits and accommodation in Uganda Through Eco Adventure Safaris.
At Eco Adventure Safaris we provide personalized service with the utmost dedication to the safety and enjoyment of our clients. We are committed to the well-being of our staff and guests as well as to having a positive impact on the communities and wild places that our operations reach. On all our operations and safaris, we embrace the environmental ethic “Take Nothing but Photographs, Leave Only Footprints” all our packages are eco-friendly. Contact us here for more information about Booking gorilla permits and accommodation in Uganda.