Availability of phone calls Travelers interested in gorilla trekking used to have to check for gorilla trekking permits to make sure there was room for them to participate in this experience, but now the Uganda Wildlife Authority allows Uganda tour operators to check for gorilla trekking permits.

However, the lengthy line of calls from people all over the world, including those requesting park services, made this procedure extremely drawn out and occasionally frustrating. Even the local tour companies found this congestion to be intolerable at times. To have faster access to gorilla permits for the day’s counter inquiries, some Ugandan tour companies would spend the entire day walking and sitting in the reservation office. For those whose offices are situated on the outskirts of the city, this was particularly expensive.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority decided that it was worthwhile to let the rest of the world access to Uganda gorilla permits for this reason, but local tour companies objected. If you need to use an on-ground company, this is applicable to registered Ugandan tour operators.

What was the resolution about the availability of gorilla permits? from the Wildlife Authority of Uganda
By making itself available to Ugandan tour operators, the Uganda Wildlife Authority emulated the Rwanda Development Board. Every morning, all registered tour operators in Rwanda receive a spread sheet from the Rwanda Development Board listing all gorilla permits that are available for a specific time period. This aids tour companies in making gorilla permits available to their foreign agents and individual travelers.

Through their umbrella organization, the Association of Uganda Tour Operators, the Uganda Wildlife Authority distributed the first gorilla permit spread sheet to registered tour operators on August 5, 2014. This was followed by another one on August 10th, indicating that UWA is prepared to collaborate with the newly appointed AUTO board to facilitate gorilla permit availability.

To determine the availability of gorilla and chimp permits, all tour operators would first need to contact the Uganda Wildlife Authority reservations office. This process would take some time because the department is understaffed, and staff members would take a long time to answer, which might cause delays and even loss of business. We can now offer availability in the quickest amount of time thanks to this recent breakthrough.

The new AUTO board came to this conclusion after consulting with UWA about how to enhance their relationship and service. It should be mentioned that the partnership soured when UWA suggested posting gorilla permits online for everyone to see and reserve. Since a gorilla permit is a bribe to market other Ugandan attractions, AUTO denounced this since it was going to force Ugandan tour operators out of business.

After a select committee’s proposal, it was ultimately determined that gorilla permits should be made available online, but that only authorized Ugandan tour companies should be able to view and reserve them. Since the Uganda Wildlife Authority intends to post gorilla permits online, they have, in the interim, followed Rwanda’s lead and provided a spread sheet to all tour companies that shows the number of permits available for a specific time frame.

Why Reserve a Gorilla Trekking Safari in Uganda

Maximum Number of Families of Gorillas
The largest number of mountain gorilla families that are accessible to tourists is found in Uganda. In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, there are roughly 19 gorilla trekking families in the nation. These reside in areas designated for gorilla trekking, where permits are obtained. There are several families of Ugandan gorillas, including the Habiyanja, Oruzogo, Nkuringo, Bweza, Nshonji, Chrismas, Nyakagezi, and Mubale groups.

A Secure Gorilla Trekking Adventure
Despite being in a volcanic region, gorilla trekking in Uganda has not yet shown any signs of an active volcano. An exploding volcano like Nyirangogo in Virunga National Park will ensure that you trek the mountain gorillas until the very last minute and that you do not bounce off the ground.

To make sure hikers are as safe as possible, park rangers and wardens conduct a joint security assessment with other Ugandan security organs. Every party of gorilla trekkers is escorted by two one-armed ranger escorts. While one with a riffle watches for potential threats, such as dangerous wild animals that might attack, the other with a machete trims the obstructive undergrowth along the pathways.

In contrast to its equivalents, gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is not as taxing. Therefore, if you’re not particularly fit, don’t anticipate to trek up very steep slopes, which can leave you exhausted.

First and foremost, personal safety is advised to avoid trekking with missing gorillas. Eating from unapproved locations puts you at risk of contracting food sickness, which could ruin your gorilla journey. Wear the appropriate gorilla trekking clothing, as specified on our page on what to wear when gorilla trekking. The purpose of this is to shield you from the harsh woodland environment. To avoid becoming lost in the bush when gorilla trekking, keep near the other members of the group.

Possibility of Scheduling Additional Uganda Safari Activities Following Gorilla Trekking
Following gorilla trekking, there are many more options and it’s simpler to connect to do other safari activities in Africa.

Chimpanzee trekking, animal safaris, launch trips, fishing, birdwatching, visiting the Nile River’s source, bungee jumping, white water rafting, and much more are available while on a Uganda safari.

All you need is a carefully planned itinerary to meet your needs during an Africa safari without going back.There are several ways to get to the gorilla trekking parks in Uganda, including Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. You can reserve a fly-in gorilla trekking package if you are unable to spend a lot of time on the road.

The 530-kilometer travel from Entebbe Airport or Kampala takes roughly 8 to 9 hours on the sandy, uneven roads. The daily domestic flight from Entebbe or Kajjansi to Kihihi Airstrip may take approximately one and a half hours, after which there will be a two-hour transfer to the lodge. Depending on your financial situation, you can choose how to get there.

The price of a gorilla trekking permit in Uganda

Rwanda’s gorilla trekking permit is more expensive than Uganda’s. The cost of the permit is 300,000 shs for East African citizens, $700 for foreign residents, and $800 for foreign non-residents per journey. A foreign non-resident’s gorilla permit in Rwanda costs $1500 per person. The remaining funds can be used to pay for other safari expenses, such as lodging and meals, if the lodge offers bed and breakfast, to name a few.

How to Reserve Permits for Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

If you want to go gorilla trekking, you must have a tentative date and year verified. This is a result of the permits being booked daily over the years. Our safari specialist checks the gorilla permit status and gets back to you.

Finding availability does not ensure that the gorilla permit’s status will stay the same. Gorilla permits are reserved by people from all around the world, therefore you need to buy yours as soon as you can. Without payment, no one is permitted to keep a permit for another person.

Due to the first-come, first-served policy, even tour companies are unable to access the button for reserving permits. You must reserve a gorilla trekking permit in order to indicate your interest in the gorilla safari.

Later on, you will need to fill out the passport with your full name, date of birth, nationality, passport expiration date, and a host of other personal information.

Which Region in Uganda Is Ideal for Gorilla Trekking?

Gorilla permits are only reserved based on area in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This is a result of its enormous size, which makes it difficult to get from one place to another quickly.

There are four gorilla trekking locations in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Rushaga, Buhoma, Nkuringo, and Ruhijah. After being briefed, trekkers are assigned to the gorilla families in each region. This was made possible so that all gorilla families may have frequent visits, allowing them to revert to their untamed state when left alone. The gorilla habituation procedure is costly and time-consuming.

What you hope to see and accomplish on your safari will determine the ideal location for gorilla trekking. Similar to humans, every gorilla family contains members with varying moods. For example, families with young children behave differently from those with numerous members, and those with playful juveniles all exhibit distinct behaviors.

The experience of seeing mountain gorillas up close is unparalleled and unforgettable, regardless of where you trek them.

How old can you be to go gorilla trekking in Uganda?

The minimum age to go gorilla trekking in Uganda is 15 years old. Since it is unknown when the mountain gorillas will be found, it is quite challenging for a child under this age to endure.

To reach the mountain gorillas, one must ascend ridges and other heights because the geography of this region is dominated by volcanic activity. A child younger than this might not be able to handle all of these circumstances. It is difficult to go back if they become exhausted before reaching the mountain gorillas.

A child younger than this finds it difficult to suppress their fear of mountain gorillas after their initial encounter. When someone yells, the mountain gorillas could become so frightened that they hide, making it impossible for the other hikers to appreciate them.

The gorillas occasionally approach and touch your hair to tease their guests. For a child under this age, it is difficult to control this provocative behavior, which could lead to a forest rampage.

How to Reserve a Ugandan Gorilla Trekking Safari Via Rwanda
You may travel to Rwanda and trek mountain gorillas in Uganda because the two countries share the Virunga region. It could take roughly six to seven hours to drive from Kigali Airport to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Since no gorilla permits are sold on the spot, reserve yours in advance from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Due to the tremendous demand internationally, there are extremely few permits available and they are always sold out quickly. In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, waiting for a gorilla permit is extremely dangerous because you never know when someone might not show up.

To expedite your travel through both countries and avoid standing in line at the border to apply for a visa, you must apply for an East African visa. The Katuna and Cyanika borders are the two points of entry from Rwanda into Uganda and vice versa.

If you are a first-time traveler and wish to drive yourself, we strongly advise against it. This is a result of the local roads’ characteristics, and even Google Maps isn’t yet updated to provide the precise paths to take.

Other Activities for Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

In Uganda, chimpanzee trekking is less crowded than gorilla trekking. You could choose to visit Kyambura Gorge, Kaniyo Pabidi, Kibale National Park, Africa’s primate sanctuary, and other places. Because of their comparable DNA, chimpanzees and humans are more closely related in the animal kingdom.

Gorilla trekking can be used to organize game drive safaris in Uganda. Numerous wildlife parks with a diverse array of wild species are available in Uganda. Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, and Kidepo Valley National Park are a few of the game parks. Lions, leopards, zebras, hyenas, herds of elephants, buffaloes, water bucks, bush bucks, Uganda Kobs, cheetahs, jackals, and other creatures may be seen here.

White water rafting on the Nile is an exciting and wonderful pastime. Experience is not necessary to appreciate this. Before you board the tube boat, instructors will lead you through a brief training.

Uganda, a nation endowed with an abundance of rivers, lakes, and other freshwater bodies, offers a fishing safari. You must bring your own fishing gear and make reservations in advance. Among the fish you can capture are lung fish, cut fish, tilapia, and nile perch.

Primate trekking in Uganda may allow you to witness a variety of monkeys, including olive baboons, L’Hoests, black and white colobus, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabeys.

Because Uganda offers a wide range of environments for birds to live in, it has some of the best birding in Africa. Enthusiastic birders can plan their birding ahead of time, and even while gorilla trekking, they can be assigned to a location that offers the best birding experiences in Uganda, such as the Ruhijaf area.

As long as you reserve an all-inclusive travel package with Monumental Expeditions and Safaris, we are able to get gorilla and chimpanzee permits for our customers at no cost. Please let us know about all of your travel arrangements so we can assist you with appropriate guidance.