ABOUT GORILLA TREKKING IN UGANDA & RWANDA

A female tourist up-close and personal with the Mountain |Gorilla In Bwindi Forest National Park - Uganda.

About Gorilla Trekking in Uganda & Rwanda ...

Gorilla tracking is one of the most sought after experience apparently on almost 7 out of 10 travelers whose destination is East Africa particularly Uganda or Rwanda and may be Dr. Congo - for the travelers not so afraid of the political unrest. For this blog however, i will stick to the safe and secure Uganda and Rwanda.

What to expect during gorilla trekking in Uganda & Rwanda ...

Gorilla trekking or tracking - what ever you like to call it...:) basically involves hiking of between 3-7hours up-to altitudes of 1,160m - 2,607m through thick tangled vegetation cover -reason why the gorilla park is cal Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park. During the hikes both in Uganda & Rwanda you will be accompanied by tourism security detail armed with AK47 as a security measure against any an fore seen circumstances like attacks against forest elephants etc. as part of the entourage, local trekkers will carry machetes for hacking though the tangling vegetation trying to make way for you to place your foot on ground.

Preparing for a Gorilla Trek in Uganda & Rwanda ...

Preparing yourself for this hike that involves attitudinal changes is a vital part in planning your gorilla tour. Hikes can be strenuous and physically demanding through this ragged terrain.

Deciding on when to go gorilla trekking in Uganda & Rwanda is yet another important aspect to planning your next gorilla safari.

Best time to trek gorillas in Uganda ...

For Uganda although the rains there come in March, April and May. Of course these rains (not always heavy though) make it rather harder to trek the steep terrains Uganda’s Impenetrable Bwindi Forest. Even then, the rain only last like 1-2 hours every 2-3 days and the sunshine comes out.

I have noticed that even in the so-called drier months, the rain will still come in by virtual of the climatic conditions in Bwindi….remember its’ a tropical rain-forest.

This seasonality of gorilla trekkers can also be attributed to the weather seasons in the visitors’ home country and the nature of their jobs. When it’s summer for example in Europe, numbers of gorilla trek visitors increase and the gorilla trekkers numbers dip when it’s winter.
However, there are other gorilla trekkers who often take advantage of the seasonal discounts on mountain gorilla trekking permits. Recently for example, the Uganda Wildlife Authority discounted the gorilla permits by 30% for non-resident foreigners. A gorilla permit in Uganda will costs US$450 for the months of April ,May  & November 2016/17. 

The rest of time it is at US$600 . Several accommodation and lodging facilities in mountain gorilla trekking areas will also offer discounts on their rates during these same months of April, May & November 2016/17.

A small family owned pocket friendly local agent Realm Africa Safaris - has very good discounted gorilla tracking offers for budget travelers and their prices are all inclusive of the gorilla tracking permit. 

Best time to trek gorillas in Rwanda ...

In Rwanda, the first rains start coming in late February through March, April and May and so many tourists try to avoid these months for fear of getting muddy and all wet while trekking the gorillas.

However, during these months, because of the rains there’s plenty of gorilla food down slope and it’s much colder on the upper slopes. So the mountain gorillas keep on the lower slopes where they find it warmer and get food easily. So if you trek the gorillas during these months, most likely your trek won’t be a long one – many trekkers find the gorillas after 02 hours hike and by 02:oopm are back.