Uganda Gorilla Safaris are Africa wildlife safaris that focuses on Mountain Gorilla Trekking and Gorilla Habituation Experience for the conservation of these endangered primates species, the Mountain Gorillas.
Uganda Gorilla Safaris are of value as they are for the conservation of the Mountain Gorillas and helping the communities around. This is one of the most Eco-friendly Uganda safari holiday you will ever experience as for the Gorilla Trekking is done on foot and following specific rules.
Our Gorilla Safari package to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is all about Gorilla Trekking and later on Batwa community visit. This trip start & ends in Kampala with the 1st and last day about traveling and having stopovers at Igongo cultural center and the Equator among other places. The 3-day gorilla trekking safari can be organized for both solo travelers, couples or a group on a Luxury, standard or budget plan. Our 3 days Gorilla Trekking safari cost includes; a Gorilla Permit of $700, all ground transportation in a 4X4 private vehicle, a guide/driver, food and accommodation for 3 nights, Batwa cultural encounter, drinking water and a free on-car WiFi. The Prices costed below is based on 2 people sharing on a standard plan.
Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Number of Days: 3 Days/3 Nights
Start/End Point: Kampala or Entebbe
Group Size: 8 Max.
Minimum Age: 15 Years
This Uganda safaris is for the best of the best as you encounter the rare and the unique. The 5 Days Gorilla Trek and Wildlife Tour leads you to the 2 most popular Uganda safari parks; Queen Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You will involve in game drives, boat cruises on Kazinga channel, tree-climbing lions trekking before going for mountain gorilla trekking and community encounters in Bwindi. To make it more fun, this tour can begin or end in Kigali city of Rwanda with a snap Kigali city tour although the main package starts/ends in Kampala or Entebbe airport. Just name your class, these 2 parks have got all kinds of accommodation facilities and our package includes those that only serves your interests.
Destination: Bwindi & Queen Elizabeth Parks
Number of Days: 5 Days/3 Nights
Start/End Point: Kampala or Entebbe
Group Size: 28 Max.
Minimum Age: 12 Years
This is one of the most complete Uganda safari holiday as it combines wildlife viewing & bird watching through game drives and boat rides in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park. This will be after a Kibale forest visit for Chimpanzee trekking and other primates watching plus a Bigodi walk for birding. The Trip ends with a gorilla trekking experience and Batwa cultural tour in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This full-week holiday also has an option of visiting Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Murchison falls National Park in case we don't go to Queen for wildlife game drive and boat cruise. This custom option is done at an increment of just $50 on top of the costed price above. Mwanzo Tours offer a 5% DISCOUNT on instant booking.
Parks: Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth & Kibale Forest
Number of Days: 7 Days/7 Nights
Start/End Point: Kampala or Entebbe
Group Size: 8 Max.
Minimum Age: 12 Years
This trip leads to South western Uganda to view 2 of the world's endangered and rare species, the Mountain Gorillas and the Golden Monkeys in their natural habitat. This 4 Days Gorilla & Golden Monkeys safari to Mgahinga Gorilla national park is one of our Eco-friendly and conservation focused safaris that offer more than adventure but also life changing to you, the primates and the communities around. We reserve Day 1 for transferring to Mgahinga with stopover at the Equator for photography and Igongo cultural center for lunch, we then track the mountain gorillas on the 2nd day, Golden Monkey trekking and Batwa Cultural Experience on the 3rd day and then transfer back to Kampala city or Entebbe Airport on the 4th Day. The End!!
Destination: Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Number of Days: 4 Days/3 Nights
Start/End Point: Kampala or Entebbe
Group Size: 7 Max.
Minimum Age: 15 Years
This is our special Uganda Gorilla safari package for people who would like to spend more time with Mountain Gorillas. For conservationists and researchers, this is your trip. Gorilla habituation refers to the act of familiarizing gorillas with human encounters. You will transfer from Kampala to Bwindi on your first day, then on the second day spend almost a whole day with gorillas trying to familiarize them. On the 3rd day, you will transfer to lake Bunyonyi for relaxation and you will also enjoy cultural experience where you will learn a lot about the once forest people, the Batwa who used to share habitat with the mountain gorillas. Exit Lake Bunyonyi early in the morning on the 4th day back to Entebbe/Kampala. 6 Months early Booking is recommended for this tour.
Destination: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Number of Days: 4 Days/4 Nights
Start/End Point: Kampala or Entebbe
Group Size: 4 Max.
Minimum Age: 15 Years
What is Gorilla Trekking?
Gorilla trekking is basically a term used to refer to a hike or trek through the dense African rain-forests to see the endangered mountain gorillas in the wild. An encounter with these massive apes in their natural environment is by far such an exhilarating experience of a lifetime that any eco-tourism or nature enthusiasts shouldn’t miss on Uganda safaris.
Why See Mountain Gorillas
Mountain gorillas can’t survive in captivity and the only option available to see them is during gorilla trekking. These unique apes exist only in 3 locations worldwide; Uganda, Rwanda and D.R. Congo. They are endangered species and considering their status and fact that they can’t live in captivity, trekking through Africa’s native forests to see these apes is the only option for enthusiastic Eco-tourism travelers or nature lovers to have their dreams come true.
Where to See Mountain Gorillas?
Mountain gorillas dwell mostly within the verdant forest of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in South-western Uganda and across the Virunga Mountain ranges – Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda), the Virunga National Park in Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. Not more than 1063 mountain gorillas still live in the 3 countries (worldwide) and share up to 98% of their DNA with humans.
Best Time to go Gorilla Trekking
The dry season – the short and long dry season are with no doubt the best time or season of the year to see mountain gorillas. For nature lovers or Eco-tourists interested in encountering these apes, the short dry season is experienced from December to February then the long dry season takes place from June to September.
Gorilla Trekking Rules
The gorilla trekking rules include: maximum of 8 visitors are allocated to one habituated gorilla group, only one hour is allowed for photography & magical encounter, you should be 15 years and above, no flashlight cameras should be used for photography, no trekking gorillas when you are ill, maintain 10m distance from gorilla family, etc.
Gorilla Trekking Packing List
Gorilla trekking packing list should include waterproof day-pack, long-sleeved shirts, gardening gloves, trousers, sun hat, insect repellent, gorilla permits, sunscreen, pair of binoculars, waterproof walking/hiking boots or shoes, toiletries, first aid kit but simple one, walking stick (get it at the park), snacks, bottled water and more.
Our Uganda Gorilla Safaris Packages
We arrange exceptionally outstanding gorilla safari packages within visitor budget range. We organize budget, standard and luxury gorilla safaris and whether you want to combine with wildlife or other experiences, we can still craft them for you. You can be part of our 3 days gorilla safari in Uganda or Rwanda or 15 days/more with a chance to combine other destinations.
Other Gorilla Safari Packages:- 3 days
3 Days Gorilla Trekking Rwanda – day 1: travel to Volcanoes National Park, day 2- gorilla trekking & cultural tour, day 3- leave Kinigi for Kigali. 3 days gorilla habituation includes day one of transferring to Bwindi, day 2- full day gorilla habituation experience, day 3 depart for Kampala or Kigali.
3 Days Gorilla Trekking Uganda and Kigali City Tour – day 1: travel to Bwindi or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, day 2- will be for gorilla trekking, day 3 drive back to Kigali via Katuna or Chanika border and arrive early for Kigali city tour.
Best Uganda Gorilla Safaris & Rwanda Packages:- 4 days
This includes first day travel from Kampala to Bwindi, 2nd day engage in the first gorilla trekking and 3rd day go for the second gorilla trekking & cultural visit to the Batwa pygmies. Day 4, return to Kampala.
4 Days Gorilla Trekking and Lake Mburo National Park – day 1 travel to Lake Mburo- engage in a boat cruise, day 2 morning game drive & drive to Bwindi then day 3- gorilla trekking and day 4 depart for Kampala.
4 Days Rwanda Gorilla and Golden Monkey Tour – day 1 travel to Volcanoes National Park, day 2 go gorilla trekking and day 3 golden monkey tracking & Iby’Iwacu village visit. 4 days Gorilla trekking and Lake Bunyonyi – day 1, drive to Bwindi, day 2 enjoy gorilla trekking, day 3 Bwindi to Lake Bunyonyi -boat ride and day 4 return to Kampala/Entebbe.
Other Gorilla Safari Packages- 5 days
5 Days Volcanoes and Akagera National Park – includes day 1 for visiting AKagera, day 2 a game drive and boat cruise on Lake Ihema, day 3- Akagera to Volcanoes National Park, day 4- go track mountain gorillas and visit Iby’Iwacu cultural village, day 5 departure.
5 Days Bwindi, Lake Mburo and Lake Bunyonyi – where day 1 involves traveling to Lake Mburo (game drive), day 2 game drive and boat cruise, day 3- travel to Bwindi, day 4 gorilla trekking & drive to Lake Bunyonyi, day 5- enjoy a day boat ride & depart.
5 Days Gorilla and Chimpanzee Tracking – day one will be for you to connect to Kibale National Park, day 2- chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi wetland walk, day 3- drive to Bwindi via Ishasha Queen Elizabeth National Park, Day 4 gorilla trekking and day 5 depart from Bwindi.
Gorilla Trekking Uganda Vs Rwanda – Which country is best for Gorilla Safaris
In Uganda, tracking gorillas is possible in anyone of the country’s 21 habituated gorilla families unlike 12 groups in Rwanda. Two areas (Bwindi and Mgahinga) can be visited for gorilla trekking in Uganda compared to only one in Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park.
Gorilla trekking permits in Uganda are open for booking at USD700 unlike USD1500 for Rwanda. In terms of accessibility, Rwanda’s Volcanoes NP is just 2-3 hours’ drive unlike 8-9 hours’ drive to reach Bwindi or Mgahinga National Park.
Short Gorilla Safaris
Enjoy the best of our short Uganda Gorilla Safaris or Rwanda. Our short gorilla safaris range from 1 day to 4 days and it is possible to visit one destination. But you may add more activities for instance on 4 days gorilla trekking, you can have a double gorilla trek or add other activities such as birding, nature walk, cultural walk, etc.
Long Gorilla Trekking Safaris
We arrange outstanding long gorilla trekking safaris leading to Bwindi impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga or Volcanoes National Park to see mountain gorillas in the wild. Our long gorilla trekking safaris cover from 5 days to 15 days or more and they are flexible in that you can incorporate several other experiences from other destinations.
Luxury Gorilla Safaris
Our luxury gorilla safaris are suitable for all high-end travelers on Uganda gorilla tour or Rwanda safari. Our luxury gorilla safaris offer something of high quality from the type of car for a road trip, service to accommodation, you just have a different experience from the usual while on budget.
Budget Gorilla Safaris
Our gorilla safaris aren’t limited to only luxury travelers, even budget travelers are covered. We arrange the best budget gorilla safaris all introducing you the jungles of Bwindi, Mgahinga or Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park to track gorillas. This includes traveling in a budget safari vehicle, overnight is a budget/basic accommodation and more.
Elderly or persons with disability aren’t excluded when it comes to magical mountain gorilla encounters. Even persons of 60 years + have made it to the jungles and successfully tracked mountain gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda.
Usually, such visitors are allocated to nearby gorilla families or you can hire porters at a relatively affordable rates (USD20) to assist you with luggage or hire sedan chairs- these are ideal for disabled persons – price ranges from USD300 to USD500.