Is Gorilla Trekking Experience in Uganda Worth the Money?
The answer is YES, gorilla trekking experience in Uganda is worth all the money you will spend because once you sit a few meters from a four-hundred-pound silverback and his family, the world comes alive. Your view of the natural world is changed forever. Then you will better relate with world creatures humans have so feared for thousands of years.
The experience will stay for a lifetime, and that is not the kind of thing you put a price tag on or buy at your favourite shop.
Where to go for an excellent gorilla trekking experience in Uganda?
The best place to go for an excellent gorilla trekking experience in Uganda is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Southwestern Uganda, just north of the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda.
Bwindi Forest protects more than half of the world’s mountain gorillas and has 22 gorilla groups habituated for tourism, making gorilla trekking worth all the money travellers spend on permits and accommodation.
The park as four gorilla trekking sectors/ trailheads spread over the eastern, northern, and southern entrances with stupendous accommodation options at all trailheads. The four gorilla trekking sectors in Bwindi are Buhoma, Rushaga, Nkuringo and Ruhija Sectors, you can trek from any of these sectors as each has its habituated gorilla families.
Is Gorilla Trekking Safe?
Getting close to close to such as a huge wild beast is totally terrifying. Contrary to common belief, you are pretty much very safe to trek the Uganda jungles, get within 30 ft, and have your dose of gorilla trekking experience. The $800 fee you pay for a gorilla trekking permit pay for the three or more years of habituating a gorilla family (a process through which they get used to human presence), their health, and armed game rangers 24/7 for your protection.
What Should I Pack for the Gorilla Trekking Trip?
Your packing list for gorilla trekking trip in Uganda should include the following
- A decent waterproof jacket
- Long pants, a long-sleeved short and long socks
- A pair of outdoor gloves
- Trekking boots are a must have
- Pack a tin of Insect repellent
- Snacks
- Biodegradable tissue or toilet paper
- Waterproof backpack and extra batteries
- Trekking poles or hiking staff
When is the best time for a gorilla trekking trip in Uganda?
Although gorilla trekking experience is regarded as a year-round activity, the best time to go for a gorilla trip is from June to August and December to February. At these times, the forest trails are drier and therefore less slippery. Also, your chance of a dry gorilla viewing experience is higher during these months. This might also result in a better experience, and photography will be easier.
I recommend avoiding gorilla trekking in Uganda entirely during the heavy rains of April and May. The roads may be impassable and your experience may result into an ugly one.
Can I Combine Gorilla Trekking with Kenya’s Masai Mara
Yes, you can. Most tourists visiting to see gorillas are connecting overland from Kenya, Tanzania, or South Africa. Your tour operator can make this possible because there are flights connecting to Entebbe from Masai Mara or other destinations. Alternative, Uganda offer some comparable savannah wildlife experience in Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls National Park. You can save the overland fees by making your whole safari trip in Uganda.
How do I get to Uganda’s gorilla parks?
Firstly, you have to think about getting to Uganda, found in the Eastern Africa region next to Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. Several flights from around the world land at Entebbe International Airport, including Turkish Airlines (TK), KLM (KL), Qatar Airways (QR), Emirates Emirates (EK, )Ethiopian Airlines (ET), Royal Air Maroc (AT), Brussels Airlines (SN), Fly Dubai (FZ), EgyptAir (MS) and Kenya Airways (KQ). It is up to you to choose.
Also, fly into Bwindi from Masai Mara or Serengeti, the most popular Africa safari destinations in Africa. You can get a dose of wildlife safari next door and add gorilla trekking to your bucket list.
Our recommended Kenya and Tanzania safaris combined with Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are as follows
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10 Days Uganda Gorilla and Masai Mara
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11 Days Bwindi Gorilla, Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar Holiday
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11 Days Gorillas, Masai Mara Safari & Zanzibar Beach Holiday
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8 Days Masai Mara Safari and Uganda Gorilla Trekking
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10 Days Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar Safari Holiday
From Entebbe, fly into Kihihi (local airstrip one hour outside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park) with AeroLink, which costs a standard $236 each way. From Kihihi, your tour operator will arrange pick up in a 4×4 safari truck. Our gorilla trekking group landed at Kihihi at 08:00, drive to Kisoro (the nearest town to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park) in a standard 4×4 vehicle, and hiked through the local towns and villages up to your lodging facility.
If you want to experience the whole African atmosphere, meet the local people, taste the food, and learn a few words. You might to want to take a walk, and it’s exhilarating.
Your tour operator could drive you from Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, 8-9 hours all the way. Or rent a car and drive yourself. They say the western Uganda drive is like driving through Switzerland. The rolling hills and picturesque emerald green are something to savor for 9 hours. You will surely enjoy the vistas from the sky.
The cheapest way to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is to take a Bus, there many companies offering trips to Bwindi including Post Bus, depending on a north or south entry, take a car, local minibus (called a taxi), or Boda Boda, from there. They should all cost less than 100k shilling. Bring cash to pay, as ATMs are far away, and many more affordable lodges only accept cash.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is neighbored by savannah wildlife parks like Lake Mburo National Park, Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park. They may not match the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania or Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, or Kruger National Park in South Africa. Still, after such as a gorilla jungle experience, they are great alternative. Besides, you don’t have to spend on flights across borders, and they have the Big Five game animals to match them.