How Much Does it Cost to do Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi?
How Much Does It Cost to Do Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi? Trekking mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the premier activities that attracts travellers worldwide due to its unique mountain gorillas. This incredibly famous adventure activity comes at a cost that any traveller with a passion for trekking mountain gorillas would love to know for proper planning during their gorilla safaris.
This stunning activity allows visitors to have a close encounter with the rare mountain gorillas in their natural environment. Bwindi is home to over 459 mountain gorillas, contributing over 50% of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. Research reveals that these mountain gorillas share over 98% DNA with humans, making gorillas man’s second cousins besides chimpanzees.
Because of this, many travellers and nature lovers have embraced this adventure activity to be part of their bucket list when planning for their wildlife safari in Africa. Travellers who visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda are charged based on their origin and resident status.
To track the majestic gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a gorilla trekking permit is a must, and without it, the park wardens won’t allow you to take part in this fascinating activity. These gorilla trekking permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority early in advance at a fee of $800 for non-foreign residents, $700 for foreign residents, $500 for the rest of Africa, and UGX 300,000 for citizens of East Africa.
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
How much does it cost to do gorilla trekking in Bwindi? Gorilla trekking is the top activity in all the trekking sectors of the park, where different gorilla families have been habituated and are open for trekking activities. The park has over 23 mountain gorilla families that are set for trekking activities to allow travelers to get close to mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. This encounter takes place for a maximum of an hour, and the tracking sector to visit is determined by the gorilla permit purchased.
The gorilla trekking exercise in all the sectors of the park begins early in the morning at various information centers where visitors converge for a briefing concerning the exercise from the park wardens. These park wardens always check for these gorilla trekking permits and sensitize visitors about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After, visitors are grouped into 8, followed by trekkers and armed ranger guides to lead the trekkers in the jungle.
The armed ranger guides lead visitors through the easiest and fastest routes to the assigned gorilla family after coordinating with the trackers to locate where the gorilla family is. This search mainly takes about 2-7 hours, and the duration depends on the pace of the trekkers and the location of the gorilla family based on the previous nesting point. Once these apes are spotted, you are allocated 1 hour to study and interact with mountain gorillas about their behaviors, and take photos and videos as you enjoy watching them do their daily activities. However, visitors who may prefer to stay with mountain gorillas for longer hours may opt for gorilla habituation, where trekkers spend more time than standard gorilla trekking.
Gorilla Habituation
Considering how much it costs to do gorilla trekking in Bwindi? This is one of the unique activities only done in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, not only in Uganda but in Africa at large. It takes place in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the Rushaga sector, which is adjacent to the Nkuringo sector along the Uganda-Congo border. This gorilla habituation family is a semi-habituated group that is open for habituation in the Bikingi gorilla family.
The activity is done by 4 trekkers, all led by armed ranger guides who are accompanied by a team of conservationists, researchers, and primatologists. Once the gorilla family is spotted, 4 hours start counting, and trekkers take their time to study, learn, and take photos of these gentle giants in their natural settings. This activity allows trekkers to be part of the activities that make mountain gorillas get familiar with human presence around them.
For one to participate in gorilla trekking, you need an official gorilla habituation permit issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Only 4 gorilla habituation permits in the dense jungle of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest are allocated to the park for visitors or trekkers who intend to do gorilla habituation. Each permit costs $1500 for non-foreign residents, $1000 for foreign residents, and UGX 750,000 for East African residents. However, those planning to do gorilla habituation in Bwindi should book their permits in advance, about 3-4 months, to avoid late disappointments and selling out.
What is the Best Time to Visit Bwindi for Gorilla Trekking?
How much does it cost to do gorilla trekking in Bwindi? Bwindi Forest Park can be visited all year round, although some months are more convenient than others. The dry months that run from June to September and December to February are the best to visit the park for a gorilla trekking safari because these months experience intermittent rainfall, making the trekking trails dry, short, and thin with vivid views of wildlife, especially mountain gorillas, and the roads connecting to the park are easily accessible.
The park can also be visited during the rainy season, especially by budget travellers in March to May and from September to November. These months are subject to heavy rainfall, leading to poor roads connecting to the park, such as being slick and slippery, hence making them impassable, and the thick vegetation obscures the visibility of wildlife species. Since this wet season receives much rainfall, the park receives fewer crowds, which allows budget travellers to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities.
