Combine hiking Mount Gahinga with gorilla trekking in Bwindi

Combine hiking Mount Gahinga with gorilla trekking in Bwindi, Mountain Gahinga and its height is a much smaller mountain of the three and is found between Muhavura and Sabinyo, but closer to the former. It is a dormant volcano of the Virunga Mountains, it is the shortest and easiest hike and you can only take about 6 hours to ascend and descend and stands at 3474 meters above sea level. It has a bigger swampy Crater Lake at the top which isn’t so easy to circumnavigate to gain better views. The name Gahinga originates from the local language meaning Pile of stones.

The hiking of all the three mountains starts early morning with a briefing at the Park headquarters about the guidelines to follow while on the Hike, this is done by the guides and park wardens to guide you on this experience. After the briefing, you are guided by the guides and Park rangers to the trails for a volcano climbing experience. You are issued walking sticks to help you where it gets steep and we always advise you to hire porters, to give you a hand on the climb and carry your bag backer and any other item for you to walk freely. The experience of these mountains is incredible while on your visit to Uganda.

Eco Adventure Safaris we are able to help plan and Combine hiking Mount Gahinga with gorilla trekking in Bwindi. Gorilla trekking is one of the top activities you should do on your visit to Uganda, you will have an opportunity to visit and trek the mountain gorillas in Bwindi forest located in the far south western part of Uganda. Gorilla tracking in Uganda is done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. These are one of the only 2 national parks home to the endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda, other national parks include Volcanoes national park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in DR Congo.

How to Combine hiking Mount Gahinga with gorilla trekking in Bwindi?

There are many options on how to Combine hiking Mount Gahinga with gorilla trekking in Bwindi, you can start the tour with visiting Bwindi for gorilla trekking then go for hiking Mount Gahinga volcano and vice versa.

Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi?

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi forest is done in 4 sectors which include Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo and Rushaga. Buhoma sector is located in the northern part of Bwindi and Ruhija sector in the North Eastern part of Bwindi both sectors are located close to Queen Elizabeth National Park making it easy to combine gorilla trekking with game viewing if you are trekking at these sectors. In the southern Part of Bwindi, it is where Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors are located close to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for gorilla trekking and Golden monkey tracking. Each sector has different habituated mountain gorilla families open for gorilla trekking with Rushaga sector having many families compared to other sectors.

How much is Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi

A Gorilla Permit costs USD700 per person per trek for Foreign Non-Residents, USD600 for East African Residents and USD70 for East African Citizens. This Gorilla permit gives you an opportunity to spend one-hour encounter with mountain gorillas in Bwindi forest once you find them on your trek.

How to book Gorilla trekking in Bwindi

You will need to secure your gorilla permit in advance to confirm you have booked Uganda gorilla trekking. Gorilla trekking permits are purchased from Uganda Wildlife Authority, this can be done at their headquarters in Kampala or Kisoro for tourists arriving in Uganda through Entebbe it is recommended to purchase their gorilla permits from Kampala and for tourists arriving in Uganda through Kigali they can purchase their permits at the branch headquarter of Uganda Wildlife Authority in Kisoro town which is 1-2 hours drive to Bwindi. Eco Adventure Safaris is one of the best gorilla safari companies which can purchase for you your gorilla permit in advance and on short notice, once you confirm your dates and share them with us via email or WhatsApp we will first tentatively reserve the gorilla permits for you online and then send you an invoice for you to make payment and once money comes through on our account we will purchase your gorilla permits immediately and send you scan copies of your permits for your records and perusal and this will confirm you have purchase your gorilla permits for your gorilla

What is the best time to Combine hiking Mount Gahinga with gorilla trekking in Bwindi?

The best time to Combine hiking Mount Gahinga with gorilla trekking in Bwindi 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 wear during Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi?

 You might be probably wondering what to wear for your trek, below is a compiled list on what to wear;

• A long armed sweater since the park gets cold
• 2 pairs of long trousers
• Water proof hiking boots
• A hat and sun glasses depending on the weather though this is optional
• Cameras and long lasting batteries since photography are very important to keep your memories alive. Always remember to keep our flash off.
• A pair of Binoculars. This will help you to see the vast birds Bwindi impenetrable forest has among other primates
• Gardening Gloves; these will help you when you a holding onto trees are branches through the trek.
• A rain coat; Since Bwindi impenetrable forest is rainforest, the rain is unpredictable so to be on a safer side, you will be required to carry along a coat.
• A mosquito Repellent; since it is a forest, it has different dangerous insects so it’s advisable to carry it along or wear it
• A sun screen; Well this is optional but depending on the season, it might get too hot and you end up getting sun burns on your skin so to avoid that, you will need a sun screen.
• You should not wear very bright colors since this will charge or scare away the gorillas.
• Black and Blue colors are also not recommended since they attract Tsetse Flies So I would recommend neutral colors.

Where to stay during Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Forest National Park is done in the northern part that is Buhoma and Ruhija and in southern part that is Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors. In Rushaga lodges, you can stay at Rushaga Gorilla camp, Four Gorillas Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Havens Lodge, Nsongi Camp, Icumbi Gorilla Safari Lodge, Gorilla Safari Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge and Karungi Camp. In Nkuringo lodges you can stay at Nkuringo Bwindi gorilla lodge, Clouds Mountain gorilla lodge or Lake Mutanda Resort, all these lodges are close to the start point of Gorilla Habituation and Gorilla trekking.

In the northern part, in Buhoma sector you can stay at Buhoma Lodge, Bwindi Lodge, Buhoma Community Rest Camp, Ride 4 a Woman among others, In Ruhija you can stay at Trekkers Tavern Cottages, Agandi Eco Lodge, Gift of Nature Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge, and Broadbill Tented Camp among others.

Why book with Eco Adventure Safaris?

Eco Adventure Safaris is a local tour operator in Uganda, we take pride in customizing tailor-made Gorilla trekking in Uganda and Mountain Hiking in East Africa. Including Combining Gorilla Trekking in Uganda with Burundi Safari. We have a very diligent and trustworthy team. Your queries are answered within 20 minutes by our team of professional tour consultants. These consultants will make you a travel plan for you, answer to all your questions and make sure all your services are booked in advance for you to avoid inconveniences. We also have very knowledgeable safari guides depending on your language preferences. Contact us here about how to Combine hiking Mount Gahinga with gorilla trekking in Bwindi.