How much is gorilla trekking in Bwindi National Park in Uganda: Bwindi National Park is the leading gorilla trekking destination in the world and the most popular national park in Uganda, Bwindi national park is located in the Southern region of Uganda sharing borders with Congo.
Bwindi National Park is one of the only national parks in Uganda and one of the only 4 in the world where one can trek and see the Gentle Giants – Mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, the park is popular for hosting more than half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas population.
Bwindi National Park is ranked as the best place in the world to see Mountain gorillas, the park is divided into 4 sectors namely Buhoma sector, Ruhija sector, Rushaga sector and Nkuringo Sector. The mountain gorillas in Bwindi open for gorilla trekking underwent through the gorilla habituation process through which they go familiar with human presence, each gorilla family in Bwindi is under the rule of a dominant silverback who protects the family and decided their next move.
To go gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park you need to have a gorilla trekking permits, for each gorilla family only 8 gorilla permits are issued per day.
A gorilla permit for Bwindi National Park costs
USD 800 per person per trek for Foreign Non – Residents
USD 700 per person per trek for Foreign Residents
UGX 350,000 for East African Community Citizens
Cost of Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
Bwindi National Park has 4 gorilla trekking regions namely Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo where gorilla trekking is done. Gorilla trekking as an activity means visiting gorillas in their natural habitat in the thicket forests, the experience starts early at 07:00 am with briefing at the Park’s headquarters about the do’s and don’ts. In groups of 8 people accompanied by park guides, rangers and trackers you will into forests to find the gorillas. You are allowed to stay with the gorillas for one hour of viewing the gorillas of taking pictures and watching their behavior, then head back to the starting point marking the end of the experience. You will be rewarded with a gorilla trekking certificate as assign that you successfully trekked mountain gorillas.
Mountain gorillas are amazing creatures sharing 95% of human DNA composition, watching them in their natural habitat is not only an amazing experience but also life changing.
Gorilla trekking is governed by a set of rules and guidelines issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority.
- Only eight people are allowed to visit each gorilla family a day
- Only one gorilla family is visited per trek
- Trekkers must be aged 15 years and above as per the policy of Uganda Wildlife Authority, minors are not allowed to participate in gorilla trekking as they may not be easy to control in the forest.
- Visitors with any sort of illness are not permitted to participate in gorilla trekking as they can easily transmit the diseases to mountain gorillas.
The cost of gorilla permits in Bwindi National Park
Knowing the cost of a gorilla permit as you plan your gorilla trekking adventure in Bwindi is very important as it greatly influences the cost of your Bwindi gorilla safari.
A gorilla permit in Bwindi costs
USD 800 per person per trek for Foreign Non – Residents
USD 700 per person per trek for Foreign Residents
UGX 350,000 for East African Community Citizens
For visitors who wish to spend more hours with mountain gorillas, you can do a gorilla habituation experience allowing you to spend 4 hours with the gorillas while watching the gorillas feed, rest and live together as a family.
Gorilla habituation permit costs
USD 1,500 per person per trek for Foreign Non – Residents
USD 1,000 per person per trek for Foreign Residents
UGX 750,000 for East African Community Citizens
Gorilla permits in Uganda tend to sell out quickly most especially during the high season in January, February, July, August, September and December.
If you are planning to visit Bwindi National Park for gorilla trekking, it is advised to book for your gorilla permit about 3-6 months prior to your gorilla trekking date.
The cost of transportation on gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi
On a gorilla trekking safari, you need transport means to move from either Entebbe International Airport or Kampala or Kigali City to Bwindi national park for your safari.
Transportation costs are inclusive of fuel for the round trip, vehicle hire, driver guide fees, for a 3 days Bwindi gorilla safari transportation cost ranges from USD 150 – USD – 340 USD per day, guide allowance ranges from USD 50 per day.
The cost of accommodation in Bwindi.
The number of nights to have to your safari and the types of accommodation you plan to stay at determines the cost of your safari. Bwindi National Park has a range of accommodation facilities ranging from budget, midrange and luxury.
- Budget lodges are the cheapest ranging from USD 80 to USD 100
- Midrange lodges are moderate priced costing USD 150 – USD 400
- Luxury lodges are purely expensive and normally 5 star ranging from USD 600 – USD 4,000.
The above factors will determine you much your gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi national park costs.