Gorilla Safari Tours, Bwindi Forest, Gorilla Trekking in Uganda and Rwanda

Visitor Guidelines For Gorilla Tracking

Since these apes share 98% of our genes, gorillas could contract the corona virus.

Gorillas are susceptible to the flu and other airborne diseases, making Covid 19 a serious threat to their survival.

• Keep a 7-meter viewing distance from the gorillas.
• The age restriction is 15 years or older.
• The allotted time to view the gorillas is only one hour.
• The wearing of masks is crucial
• Don’t sneeze;
• Sanitize
• Adhere to other SOP rules.

Expectations for a Gorilla Safari

Expect to get out of your cozy bed on the morning of your trek and arrive at the briefing location by 7:30 am.

Following a briefing, eight tourists will be assigned to each of several tracking routes. Set out for the forest in search of gorillas with the assistance of guides and rangers.

You might see different species of monkeys, butterflies, mammals, and much more in the forest. Sometimes the forest presents difficulties, so being physically fit will be necessary.

Be prepared to be sweaty and muddy at the end of the day.

It’s okay to take pictures with your camera or iPhone once you see the gorillas, but don’t use flash because the animals might charge.

You will be with these gentle giants for anywhere from forty minutes to an hour. It will be a truly transformative experience.

After the hike, return to your lodging or choose to visit a Batwa pygmy village for a cultural experience.

Habituation Experience With Gorillas?

Gorilla habituation is the process of acclimating wild gorillas to people. For three years, gorillas are trained by scientists and park rangers.

You can join the group of researchers and park rangers after completing the training. Only four guests are permitted. It is unique due to this.

Gorilla habituation costs $1500 per person daily. You actively participate in the gorilla habituation, which is the most thrilling aspect of this experience!

How to get a  Gorilla Trekking Permit In Uganda

Gorilla trekking is done in either Mgahinga National Park or Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.

However, the majority of the sold permits are for Bwindi NP due to the inconsistent gorilla population in Mgahinga.

Every gorilla permit costs US $ 700 in Uganda. It used to cost US $ 450 in April, May, and November.

Please be advised that these deals have expired. Only 8 people are permitted to see a gorilla family out of the nearly 72 visitors who enter Bwindi on a single day to see the gorillas.

The most common error is choosing a gorilla family that is far from your preferred lodging, so we strongly advise you to book your gorilla permit with a Forever Africa Safari agent!

This is a remote area, so getting to Bwindi and its various regions can be challenging.

To cut costs, you might end up spending more if you decide to go on your own on the gorilla trek. This is something that trained safari guides can assist you with.

In Rwanda (Gorilla Trekking Rwanda price), only 8 people can track a single gorilla family and 80 permits are issued per day.

The costs of a gorilla permit in Rwanda depend on the kind of activity you wish to participate in as below

• Ordinary permit the US dollars $1500 per person and issued to all guest who wishes to trek in Rwanda
• Exclusive Gorilla experience US dollars$15,000
• Behind the scenes experience with the gorilla’s US dollars $30,000 for 3 people
• Gorilla Photography and filming the US  dollars$5000 for a small crew of 4 people for 3 days and the US dollars$12,000 for a big crew of 8 people for 3 days consecutively.

How Much is A Gorilla Trekking Safari or Tour?

A gorilla trekking safari will depend mainly on how much you can spend on your trip from budget to Mid-range and luxury safari as per below;

Uganda gorilla safari costs

• 2 days gorilla tracking safari the US  dollar $1350
• 3 days gorilla trekking Uganda US dollar $1650
• 4 days gorilla trekking and culture encounters the US  dollar $2250

Rwanda gorilla safari costs

• 1-day gorilla safari the US dollars  $1950
• 2 days gorilla safari the US dollars $2500
• 3 days gorilla tracking Rwanda US dollars $2950

We encourage you to book your gorilla permit with an agent since this helps you avoid disappointments when you book accommodation outside the sector for tracking.

It seems cheap but you will end up incurring more costs in transportation since these roads leading to the parks get tricky and are all marrum and located in remote areas.

Both countries will offer you great views of the activity and when you find the mountain gorillas you will be permitted to stay with them for only one (1) hour.

The ranger will lead you back to the park quarters. Please note that gorilla permits don’t have low season rates anymore in Uganda and Rwanda.

Luxurious gorilla safari

Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is where the most opulent gorilla treks are conducted. When staying in opulent lodges in Rwanda like Bisate Lodge, Singita Kwitonda Lodge, or Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, a 9-day luxury safari costs over $ 15,000 compared to a gorilla permit’s $ 1500 per person cost. Gorilla Forest Camp, Mahogany Springs, and Clouds Lodge are the top accommodations in Uganda.

Africa’s Cheap Gorilla Tours

For $450 in Congo and $700 in Uganda, the least expensive gorilla permits are available.

Uganda gorilla tours can be booked at inexpensive lodging starting at $120 per night in Bwindi National Park.

Lodges like Bwindi Backpackers Lodge, Ruhondeza Lodge, Ride for a woman, Gorilla Valley Lodge, and Buhoma Community Rest Camp. In Rwanda, the hotel Muhabura is the most affordable.

Which country offers the best opportunity to see mountain gorillas?  When comparing Uganda and Rwanda

This is a difficult question because they are all mountain gorillas who live in forests! Almost the same setting.

It is not a good idea to compare Uganda to Rwanda because Uganda has more wildlife than Rwanda.

Aside from mountain gorillas, visitors can also see Murchison Falls other primates in Kibale Forest National Park and Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, wildlife in Queen Elizabeth  National park.

If you are concerned about the cost, please keep in mind that gorilla permits in Rwanda have recently been raised to USD $1500 per individual, while in Uganda they are USD $700 each.

The permit allows you to spend one hour with the mountain gorillas in a group of eight people.

If you are threatened by If the price concerns you, consider that you are contributing to the conservation of mountain gorillas, and as a thank you, you will be rewarded with an hour spent observing and enjoying their company.

Keep in mind that only 80 people are permitted to see the gorillas in their natural habitat each day. Because their habitat is so fragile, every time you walk through this forest, you leave a trace.

In conclusion, Uganda is the best place to see gorillas since the permit is affordable and number of accommodation facilities to choose from.

Mountain Gorillas’ Feeding Behavior

Mountain gorillas can be spotted in two locations in Uganda: Mgahinga Gorilla Park, a gorgeous park that is a part of the Virunga range of massive volcanoes that stretches into the DRC and Rwanda, and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

Mountain gorillas are most numerous in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. It is an old forest that is also referred to as “the Place of Darkness.” This woodland is incredibly dark because of the tree cover.

The elevations of the forest range from 1,160 to 2,607 meters above sea level. Both the Bwindi and Mgahinga have unique qualities as well as similarities. While the Mgahinga is a zone of extinct volcanic activity, the Bwindi is not.

The Mountain Gorillas migrate up to the higher elevations of Mgahinga Gorilla Park to feed on some of the afro-montane plants.

The critically endangered mountain gorillas typically consume enormous amounts of seasonal flowers, leaves, fruit, roots, bamboo, and shoots. The daily caloric limit for adults is 75 pounds.

A Mountain Gorilla’s day begins at 6 am and lasts until 6 pm, including a nap at noon. Light first reaches Uganda just after 6 am, and darkness sets in around 7 pm.

These migrate daily to new areas, where they build their nests from of twigs and leaves and spend the night. These have proven to be just snug enough for some folks to fall asleep in.

Do Mountain Gorillas Pose a Risk to Humans?

Do mountain gorillas pose a threat to visitors to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest? Although dominant and powerful, these gorillas are peaceful and quiet, and the mountain gorillas tourists meet in Uganda have become accustomed to people.

In other words, they become accustomed to people, which takes about two years. Dian Fossey really opposed the practice of going on mountain gorilla tours, but the money raised today ensures the survival of this critically endangered species, as evidenced by the rise in mountain gorilla populations in recent years.

Mountain gorillas strike when they feel threatened in order to defend their own.

The leader of each Mountain Gorilla troop clashes with the other when they meet and this may lead to death. Recent fighting between two silverbacks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo required ranger intervention.

Mountain gorillas can be found in groups of two to thirty or forty, but ten are the most usual number.

Since infants are born all year long, there is no set time of year when mating occurs. While females start giving birth between 10 and 12 years old, males start reproducing at 15 years old.

Females might have four to six children during their lifespan by giving birth every two to three years. Over half of the females will leave their group, whereas males typically leave at around age 11.

There are currently 25 noises that experts have identified as being used by mountain gorillas to communicate. These sounds include shouts, roars, and grunts.

How To Book A Gorilla Permit (Guide)

• Chose a date you intend to visit and trek gorillas
• You will be informed if the date is available or not, if yes then we will tentatively reserve the permit for you
• You will share your passport details to be used on your permit and transfer the money for the permit plus the bank charges
• We will acknowledge receipt of funds then after processing the permit, we shall send you a copy and retain the hard copy to be used during tracking.

Important Gorilla Trekking Tips

• Always book your gorilla trekking permit in advance through your travel agent. The ordinary permits cost $500 in DRC, $700 IN Uganda and US $1500 in Rwanda.
• A yellow fever certificate is a must for all trekkers but we advise you add on other vaccinations for your safety especially in DRC- Congo Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Meningitis and rabies injections as well as anti-malaria
• You need to obtain a visa that is East African visa for Rwanda and Uganda at $100 and Congo will require an advance application and fee is $100
• You need to prepare in advance the clothes to wear which should be comfortable since the activity becomes strenuous. You need to have trekking shoes, moisture impermeable socks, comfy mountaineering clothes, rain gear. A light backpack should be handy with drinking water and snacks. In case you can’t carry your luggage please get a porter before set off at the US $20.

Gorilla Trekking or Tracking Guidelines

The guidelines for viewing gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the same as below;

• Only 8 members are allowed to view mountain gorillas to avoid the spread of diseases
• Only people 15 years and above are allowed to trek gorillas
• Gorilla trekking takes place once every day from 8 am- 7 pm.
• You will only spend 1 hour with the gorillas once you find them
• When tracking keep a distance of 5-7 meters, these are wild animals that are 98% close to humans and catch diseases from humans
• While tracking you should lower your voice not to interfere with the gorilla interaction in the wild
• Avoid littering in the park and before trekking please wash your hands
• You shouldn’t touch a mountain gorilla at all
• Be calm during trekking because when the gorilla charges you shouldn’t look directly into its eyes until it moves away.

Gorilla Habituation Facts

Things you may not know during a gorilla Habituation Encounter in Bwindi

• Guests are allowed up to +4hrs with the Mountain Gorillas, this is for 4 times from the 1hr allocated to guests on a normal gorilla trek
• Visitors are joined by Mountain Gorilla researchers to have information-rich content on the existence and adaptation of Mountain Gorillas
• The Family visited has one of the biggest numbers of Mountain Gorillas
• It is now the most popular choice by tourists from 2 times Gorilla trek
• Gorilla Habituation Permit fees cost US$ 1,500