Tour Guide, Kampala, Uganda
| 4 mins read
Prices
While booking a gorilla trekking safari you have to be mindful of two main things: the cost of the permit as well as the cost of the overall tour. All governments require that everyone acquires a gorilla trekking permit. The standard price for the Uganda gorilla tour permit costs $600 USD. Rwanda increased its gorilla permit cost to $1500 USD. DR. Congo Gorilla trekking permit go for $400 USD.
The habituated gorilla tracking family groups are usually monitored as well as followed so as tourists will be in position to see them. In all, Bwindi Forest, Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda and Virunga national park of DR. Congo. When you add it all together, it is usually a reasonable price for gorilla tours basing on your tour operator as well as the number of days you are to spend on your holiday. In case you are a bigger group the charge per person reduces because you are able to fill-up the tour vehicle.
Uganda or Rwanda?
There are about 900 mountain gorillas left in the whole world, half the population lives in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest of Uganda and the remaining half lives in the cradle land that harbors Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic republic of Congo. For that reason, it’s important to choose Uganda. Compare Uganda and Rwanda in detail.
What to expect?
It’s a full day drive from the capital Kampala to the jungles of Bwindi national park, with a stopover for photography at the equator line. Basing on the sector that your permit is allocated, you will go to one of 4 areas on the outskirts of Bwindi national park that include: Rushaga, Buhoma, Nkuringo, or Ruhija. We reached in Nkuringo on the south-western border of the park.
There you spend night at the nearby safari lodge, and then the following day you will set out for the thrilling gorilla trekking adventure! Next day head to the park early morning. Get a briefing with a number of rules include on that says that gorillas may approach you however you can’t approach the mountain gorillas. (Do not touch wild animals!) Following the orientation, set out deep into this big Ugandan gorilla tours sanctuary, along with the armed park rangers you will begin gorilla trek in the forested jungle.
The trek may take you between an hour up to five hours and this always depends on the gorilla movement. They are quite mobile animals which continuously move about looking for food. Once the ranger finds the gorillas, you will be in their presence for strictly one hour as you observe them, interacting with each other, take much photographs with a non flash camera, watch the young one play in the tree branches before you finally return to your lodge. (In event where you opt for a longer stay in the jungle, you can choose to trek another gorilla family group the following day)
The Uganda Mountain gorillas, particularly the silver backs, are unbelievably strong, if disturbed can easily injure a person in just few seconds. However, they didn’t fear us; they would walk right up to us in case you were in their way. (Tip: make sure you always move out of their way!)
Level of fitness
You don’t have to be much fit but different groups require different energies and time, some gorilla family groups are pretty easier to trek, if you are not fit enough, or facing old age, the Rushegura Gorilla family is the one you must insist on with your tour operator or Safari Company. For most of the families, you may need to work out before you can take a more challenging family trek. But this should not worry you, it’s not mountaineering! At the Uganda Wildlife Authority briefing point you shall receive free, walking sticks. Our safari guide will give you enough water to help you during your Gorilla tours.
Age restrictions
Children under 15 years of age are not eligible for any gorilla trek.
What should you wear?
This is one of the common and most frequent asked questions. Your list of trekking gears should have a pair of jungle boots or shoes that can handle slippery mud, because it frequently rains in the forest. You need a rain jacket, long sleeved shirt, gloves and the walking stick will be provided at the start point.
Right time to go
You can visit these gentle giants in Bwindi impenetrable forest at any time of the year, however during low seasons, April and May and November, is when the region receives heavy rains but now because of the trending global weather changes the rains are no longer as much as before.