Mountain gorilla experience in Uganda – Bwindi impenetrable national Park

Mountain gorilla experience in Uganda -An Encounter with  mountain gorillas is one of the most interesting activity that can be done across the globe as they possess 98.9% human DNA which makes them special in their way of life and thus makes interaction with them more like humans. These amazing Primates can be found in Uganda and specifically in the tropical rain forests of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park located in the south western part of the country.

Mountain gorillas have been Habituated and other families under habituation process in the above designated places for visitors who make their adventure to the land however Uganda has a lot to offer with several wildlife and many tour sites distributed across the country that anyone can choose to supplement on a mountain gorilla experience safari.

Access to gorilla locations in Bwindi and Mgahinga National Park

Gorilla tracking and Habituation experience is done in Mgahinga and Bwindi impenetrable national park respectively. Both parks can be accessed from Entebbe airport, a drive which can take you to about 8-9 hours’ drive through the equator via the thrilling hills of Kigezi termed as the “Switzerland of Uganda” in Kigezi however flight in safari can work from Kajjansi to Kihihi airstrip in Kisoro. This entire adventure takes you through the life changing mountain gorilla experience before you meet them in the jungle.

Price for permits

Its indeed always better to secure your gorilla permits at least three months before, issuing of gorilla permits in Uganda is done by Uganda Wildlife Authority a regulatory body which ensures conservation of all wildlife in the country, at times visitors may want to purchase the permits by themselves but the process tends to be inefficient than use of a local tour company/ operator. We therefore advise you to all ways validate the operator/ company who can help you purchase all the required permits for your safari and this is through company trip advisor and safari bookings,

The cost of gorilla permits apparently stands at USD600.00 but will increase to USD700.00 from 1^st JULY 2020 and habituation process costs USD1500.00, the money collected is diverted to protect the great Apes and support the local communities. Therefore this is a must pass to see the giants in the jungle and spend an hour or 4 hours of habituation experience and a certificate after the activity on your mountain gorilla experience as evidence to having taken part in the exercise.

How the process starts

The process for gorilla trekking starts immediately the day you requested to do the activity, upon this day your driver guide briefs you on the place you’re going to track from and the likely fitness levels required to determine the gorilla group to be allocated for tracking and proceed to the park headquarters where you are briefed on the dos and don’ts while in the jungle. Normally the activity starts at 8:00am where you are divided in a group of 8 per gorilla family and access to the giant Apes can take 30 minutes to a full day depending on the gorilla family movement in the jungle.

encounter with gorillas

As described above the activity to meet Gorilla families can vary from 30 minutes to three quarters of day depending to the movement of a gorilla family in the forest but chances of meeting them are very high. Hiking can be tiresome but adventurous as you can be able to meet different primates and bird species along the trail. An hour experience staring into the eyes of so human a creature and seeing characters such as silver backs defending family members while female adults nurse the young ones. The recognition and acknowledgement that makes it impossible to leave without a very different attitude to all our fellow inhabitants of earth. More so you can take as many pictures as possible for memories and reference.

What to carry on the trail

On a gorilla tracking experience, We advise you to travel with a  porter along the hike who will help you carry your knapsack and offer you support by holding you along slippery slopes since the gorilla families are not in a zoo but roaming free in a very large area of very dense forest. This will make your gorilla trekking quite easy and in case you get any injury they can carry you down and out of the forest – but if this is as a result of your lack of physical ability it’s going to cost you a rather large sum of money but at the end you will enjoy your gorilla trekking experience in the jungle.

Book/inquire with Safari Vacation and travel services for more details upon your safari.