What is the Cost of Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi?
What is the cost of gorilla trekking in Bwindi? It is one of the remarkable wildlife adventure activities that allows visitors to get face-to-face with mountain gorillas in their natural environment. However, this once-in-a-lifetime experience comes at a cost, as discussed below. The activity draws visitors from different parts of the world to come and witness the once-endangered mountain gorillas, which share 98% DNA with humans.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in southwestern Uganda along the Congo-Uganda border. This park is known to have the highest number of mountain gorilla populations in Africa, accounting for over 459 gorilla species distributed in the four sectors of the park, including Rushaga, Nkuringo, Buhoma, and Rushaga.
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 UGX300,000 for citizens of East Africa.
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
What is the cost of 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 travellers 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 points where visitors converge for a briefing concerning the exercise from the park wardens. These park wardens always check for these gorilla trekking permits and sensitise 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 behaviours 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
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.
What is the cost of gorilla trekking in Bwindi? 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?
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, with short and thin vegetation, and 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 the roads connecting to the park 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.
