Is A Gorilla Trek in Uganda Or Rwanda Guaranteed?

Is a gorilla trek in Uganda or Rwanda guaranteed? How do you know that your gorilla trek safari is guaranteed? Does your gorilla trek guarantee you seeing mountain gorillas in the wild? Trekking and finally you encounter a family of mountain gorillas is something what many describe unpredictable. With over 14 years in the tourism sector, we can proudly say, our gorilla safaris guarantee 99% chance of seeing mountain gorillas.

Visitor chances to see mountain gorillas in the wild are often determined by a number of factors. These must be put into consideration when planning a gorilla tour whether it is in Uganda or Rwanda.

Is A Gorilla Trek in Uganda Or Rwanda Guaranteed? Discover factors that guarantee you seeing mountain gorillas in the wild;

Habituation process of gorilla families

Habituated gorilla families can easily be spotted unlike the semi-habituated ones. On gorilla trekking tour in Uganda/Rwanda, the park officials assign visitors already habituated gorilla groups. With fully habituated gorilla groups, tourists can have an interaction for a good which isn’t a case with unhabituated ones that easily get scared off and run away.

A fully habituated gorilla group in Uganda or Rwanda/Congo takes from 2 years or less/more depending how quick its members can get familiar to human presence in the wild. The gorilla groups to visit on Uganda safari are about 24 and they survive in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, while in Rwanda, there are 12 fully habituated gorilla families.

Cost of gorilla trekking permit & safari in Rwanda/Uganda

A gorilla trekking tour in Uganda or Rwanda comes at a cost. The whole process of visiting mountain gorillas in the wild starts with obtaining a valid gorilla permit and each permit costs USD 800 per person for foreign nonresidents, USD 700 for the foreign residents & shs. 300,000 for Ugandan & the rest of the East African Community member states.

The gorilla safari and permits must be booked in advance preferably 2-6 months before the actual date of immersing yourself into the jungles of Bwindi or Mgahinga to see mountain gorillas. Uganda is a typical budget gorilla tour destination, while Rwanda is more of upmarket destination, given the cost of gorilla permits each issued to visitors at USD 1500 per person.

Obtaining a gorilla permits means you get a chance to track a gorilla family. One gorilla group is visited by a maximum of 8 tourists each day and with 24 groups in Uganda, it translates to about 192 gorilla permits.

Nature of the habitat

Mountain gorillas live in the high altitude areas and getting them in the wild involves hiking. Navigating through their habitat comes with challenges, especially parks with steep slopes and dense vegetation. Gorilla parks such as Bwindi comprise of a dense tropical forest while Mgahinga & Volcanoes National Park are dominated by Virunga Volcanoes.

Bwindi Impenetrable Park features a scenic rainforest at an altitude of 1160m, afro-montane vegetation cover at 2600m. This has survived for years and even the last ice age period. Bwindi National Park is a UNESCO designated protected area status it was given since 1994.

Visitor speed of walking

Gorilla trekking involves you walking through the rainforest before you come across mountain gorillas. How fast you can walk determines if you will locate these apes early enough. This is why your fitness level plays a great part when it comes to trekking mountain gorillas. However, even the elderly or persons with disabilities can visit Uganda or Rwanda and get a chance to go track mountain gorillas.

When to go gorilla trekking/weather & climatic conditions

Timing is key if you have plans to visit Uganda/Rwanda to see mountain gorillas. The dry season guarantees favorable weather conditions for tourists visiting Uganda and Rwanda for gorilla trekking. There are two phases to take note of when planning a gorilla tour during dry season: that is long & short dry months. The long drier months’ worth marking on your travel calendar run from June, July, August to September; while the short dry months begin in December, January up to February.

Note, the weather patterns in gorilla parks are often unpredictable and even during the dry season, it can rain. But heavy rains are normally recorded during actual wet/rainy season- March to May/October-November.

The entire vacation requires you pack wisely regardless of the season. The items to pack for gorilla holiday include long sleeved shirts, trousers, daypack, a sweater, camera, gardening gloves, rain jacket and many other items.

Is A Gorilla Trek in Uganda Or Rwanda Guaranteed? Age limit

According to the standard set for tourists to be allowed to track mountain gorillas, eligible person should be above 15 years. Persons within this age bracket can purchase a gorilla permit and visit Bwindi/Volcanoes NP to track gorillas.

Health conditions

It is standard rule that if you are not feeling well, you won’t be allowed to go track gorillas. These large apes share a lot with humans, about 95% of their DNA is same as that of man. This makes them the closest human relatives and also very susceptible to infectious human diseases.