Uganda Gorilla Trekking: We’re Uganda’s Official Gorilla Safaris Guide
The Uganda Gorilla Trekking Company: We’re Uganda’s Official Gorilla Safaris Guide
Once in A Lifetime Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safaris & Tours An Unforgettable Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safaris For Every Travelers, Recommendations, Cost, Permits, Packages, Best Time, Videos, Reviews. Enjoy a world-class and once-in-a-lifetime Uganda gorilla safaris experience. Giving you a bespoke and personal Uganda Gorilla trekking experience. Experienced local guides. Best gorilla trekking tours. Uganda Gorilla Safaris a Once in a Lifetime Experience. Uganda gorilla safaris and Best Uganda gorilla trekking tours are in Bwindi and Mgahinga National Park. The Gorilla Trekking Permit in Uganda Costs $800 USD, Gorilla trekking in Uganda is a hike into Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Why do you need to see Africa’s Mountain Gorillas in Uganda?
Uganda Gorilla Safaris. Uganda hosts more than half of the remaining Mountain Gorillas. There are many frequently asked questions about Mountain Gorillas tours, Trekking, habituation, cost, recommended itineraries, best time, and many more. Marvel Gorilla Adventure, offers the latest information on all the relevant and must-know facts about Uganda gorilla safaris. Whether you would love to keep it in the know or want to plan your next trip, here is the most important information on Uganda Gorilla Safaris.
Our Top Pick: Uganda Gorilla Safaris
Gorilla trekking in Uganda is one of the most moving & exclusive experiences in the world. With our expert advice, we can tailor-make a dream gorilla trekking experience for you.
3 Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Via Rwanda
From Kigali, Rwanda, and traversing through the breathtaking landscapes to reach the awe-inspiring Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda.
5 Days Gorilla & Chimp Trekking Tour.
Tour to Kibale National Park – Chimp Empire and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Home to 50% of world’s remaining mountain gorillas
13 Days Uganda Classic Adventure Holiday
A safari to Uganda’s best destinations, awesome landscape, startling in its diversity will offer the best of Africa’s adventure experience
8 Days Uganda Classic safari
Uganda classic safari tour covering Uganda’s most visited destination every traveler has on the list planning to come the pearl of Africa.
21 Days Around Uganda
From the misty jungles of Bwindi to the roaring Murchison Falls, the untamed wilderness of Kidepo to the primate capital of Kibale
17 Days Best of Uganda
From abundant wildlife roaming the savannahs to mountain gorillas in the misty Bwindi forest, unique culture and people.
Which Gorilla Specie is in Uganda?
Gorillas are predominantly herbivorous apes that are ground-dwelling inhabiting the forests of central sub-Saharan Africa. The world has one genus of Gorilla which is divided into two species. These are the eastern and western gorillas.
The Eastern and Western Gorillas are further divided into the Mountain and Lowland Gorillas. The Mountain Gorillas live in the Albertine Rift montane forests of the Virunga Volcanoes and Bwindi Forest. Uganda hosts the Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) a sub-specie of the Eastern gorillas. These are the largest living primates sharing about 95-99% DNA with humans coming the third closest to humans after Bonobos and Chimpanzees.
Up to date, Gorillas live in their natural habitats with several unsuccessful attempts of keeping them in zoos.
How do Mountain Gorillas look like?
Mountain Gorillas are more darkly colored (the darkest of all) than the western gorilla. With the dark color, the mountain gorilla also has the thickest hair with a longer face and broader chest.
Looking closely into the eye of a mountain gorilla, their eyes are dark brown in color with the iris framed by a black ring.
Gorillas move by what is known as Knuckle walking and rarely move bipedally (upright) for short distances, especially during defensive situations. Some mountain gorillas are also known to use knuckle-walking as well as use other parts of their hands especially the back. Male wild adult gorillas can weigh about 136 – 195 kg whereas adult female gorillas weigh about half of the adults with about 68 – 113 kg. With height, adult males are about 1.4 -1.8 m tall and females a little shorter at 1.25 – 1.5m tall.
Where can I go for Gorilla trekking in Uganda?
Mountain Gorillas in Uganda live in their natural habitats of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Both parks are good Gorilla trekking safari in Uganda destinations situated in southwestern Uganda close to the border with Rwanda.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has the highest Gorilla families of all the four gorilla parks in the world. 19 Gorilla families are fully habituated as well as a Gorilla family available for gorilla habituation. The park has 4 different Gorilla trekking sectors from which tourists can trek Gorillas depending on the available Gorilla permits. Habituated gorilla families in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include;
| Buhoma Sector | Ruhija Sector | Nkuringo Sector | Rushaga Sector |
| Rushegura gorilla family
Habinyaja gorilla family Mubare gorilla family Katwe gorilla family | Bitukura gorilla family
Kyaguriro gorilla family Mukizo gorilla family Oruzogo gorilla family | Bishasho gorilla family
Nkuringo gorilla family Christmas gorilla family | Nsonji gorilla family
Mishaya gorilla family Bweza gorilla family Kahunjye gorilla family Businjye gorilla family Rwiji gorilla family Muchunguzi gorilla family Bikyinji gorilla family |
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has only 1 habituated gorilla family known as the Nyakagezi gorilla family. The Nyakagezi gorilla family of Mgahinga has three silverbacks, two adult females, 2 black backs, and 2 infants making a total of 9 family members.
This is one of the easiest Gorilla families to trek while on a Gorilla trekking safari in Uganda since they prefer to have a narrow home range for feeding and nesting.
The group is also playful and attractive to see while tracking.
What is Gorilla tracking and how is it done in Uganda?
Gorilla trekking is the process where tourists go to the natural habitats about 2,607 m above sea level in search of the gorillas. Mountain gorilla trekking is referred to as so because it requires hiking and searching for these rare animals in an unpredictable time frame.
They are locomotives and therefore as you trek they could also be on the move making trekking itself an experience. Gorilla trekking is only for the trek of already habituated gorillas with a total of 8 trekkers only tracking a single gorilla family.
Gorilla trekking is done each morning starting with an etiquette briefing program at 8:00 am. During the briefing, each family is allocated a gorilla family to trek depending on their hiking ability. Each group goes for the trek alongside an armed park ranger.
On meeting the gorillas, a maximum of 1 hour is spent in their presence for photography and a moment of their social life. They will always amaze me with their lifestyle and a lot of unexpected acts. At the end of the 1 hour, your gorilla safari Uganda experience comes to an end and you return to the park headquarters. Here you receive an Uganda gorilla trekking safari permit then be driven b your safari guide to your next destination.
Gorilla Trekking in Uganda Vs Rwanda Vs Congo
Uganda is definitely the best destination in the world to trek Mountain gorillas. The reason why Uganda is best for gorilla trekking is that the country is safe and stable from any kind of political unrest.
The other reason is that Uganda gorilla trekking permits are cheaper than those or Rwanda. An Uganda gorilla trekking permit is almost half the price of a Rwanda gorilla tracking permit.
A Ugandan permit costs 800 USD for foreign nonresidents, as well as that of Rwanda, costs 1500 USD. Congo sells out their gorilla permits at a less cost than Uganda about 500 USD however, the country is politically unstable, and therefore you can not predict what happens before your trek day. Uganda is host to almost half of the remaining Mountain gorillas which makes it an amazing and sure sighting destination.
19 Gorilla families have been habituated for both Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park trekking. Mountain Gorilla habituation is only possible in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park unlike all of the other parks that have habituated all of their gorillas. The habituation experience offers a chance to spend more time with the gorillas, learning their behavior and understanding how they actually behaved in the wild before getting used to human presence.
Why is Gorilla trekking expensive?
To many travelers, Gorilla trekking is expensive, however, this price is worth the activity. What makes gorilla trekking a little more expensive than other activities is the fact that Gorilla conservation is expensive.
Rangers spend every single day in the forest protecting the gorillas and ensuring they are safe from poachers. Gorilla doctors too spend a lot of time ensuring that gorillas are doing fine.
Mountain gorillas are so vulnerable to disease and can easily lose their lives if exposed to cold from humans.
Unlike other safari parks in Uganda, the gorilla safari parks do charge park entrance fees as part of the trekking fees.
Therefore the cost is generally for the whole experience without any extra charges. To support conservation this price is just worth it.
8. Is it safe to go Gorilla Trekking in Uganda?
Ever since 1993, Gorilla trekking has been done in Uganda and millions of tourists have trekked and appreciated the activity. Uganda as a country is safe to visit and so is gorilla trekking.
Yes, it is safe to trek Gorillas in Uganda with a few cases of unsafe incidences maybe when tourists come along insects in the jungle.
Gorillas are gentle animals and very peaceful. Their social life is so accommodating and can interact with humans as long as you keep a distance and treat them as wild animals.
Before each trek, tourists are advised on how to keep safe while trekking gorillas in Uganda, you just have to follow what your guide tells you.
To ensure Uganda Gorilla safaris are safe, each gorilla trekking group is accompanied by an armed park ranger to ensure the safety of each trekker.
Always follow the rules and be cautious while in the forest, the gorillas will always mind their business and you will share this amazing habitat for a while.