UGANDA GORILLAS AND SAFARIS
GORILLA TRACKING TRIPS Rwanda or Uganda?
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General considerations
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gorilla fly-in packages
4-day Gorilla fly-in package, including return domestic flights, transfers, 1 night in Entebbe, 2 nights in Bwindi, 1 gorilla trek permit, Batwa pygmy village visit, Waterfall walk, Bwindi community visit, and garden tour from $2040
5-day Gorilla fly-in package, including return domestic flights, transfers, 1 night in Entebbe, 3 nights in Bwindi, 2 gorilla trek permits, Batwa pygmy village visit, Waterfall walk, Bwindi community visit, and garden tour from $2880
5-day Gorilla fly-in package, including return domestic flights, transfers, 1 night in Entebbe, 3 nights in Bwindi, 2 gorilla trek permits, Batwa pygmy village visit, Waterfall walk, Bwindi community visit, and garden tour from $2880
Getting to the gorillas
The difference between Uganda and Rwanda is that in Uganda, for those on a tight schedule, it is best to fly by light aircraft to the gorilla tracking area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park as it is otherwise a two-day day drive. If you do choose to be driven to save money, the return journey is normally broken up with a short safari and a night or two at Lake Mburo National Park. Also, due to flight schedules, you need to come in the night before because flights to Bwindi take off early due to the potential for strong winds there. That said, most people will overnight in Kigali before starting a Rwanda trip too.
In Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park is two to three hours from Kigali by road. Despite being at a higher altitude than the gorilla tracking in Uganda, the ground is more open, making walking and tracking easier. One gorilla tracking permit is now an eye-popping $1500 in Rwanda, however. In Uganda they are still "only" $600. This gives you the opportunity to participate in one day's tracking. Once you get to the gorillas, you get one hour with them. Permits are limited in numbers, so early booking is much advised.
Cost wise, Rwanada accommodation is more expensive, so the most time/cost-effective trips are fly-ins to Bwindi in Uganda.
The gorillas
Bwindi is home to over half of the world's 700 remaining mountain gorillas and is also thought to be one of the most biodiverse forests in Africa.There are eleven habituated gorilla groups in Uganda and some tend to be found near to the park entrance. The groups range in size from 10 to 23 individuals, each with one or two silverbacks.
The terrain in Bwindi means that you sometimes start your trek at the top of the hills, descend on foot into the valley to see the gorillas, and then climb up the slopes at the end of the day, which can be more arduous, but the rangers take the level of fitness (or not) of clients into consideration when deciding who goes to which family. Access ranges from finding them five minutes from the briefing area to half a day trekking through steep, dense forest without any paths, which is a great trip in itself. The guides are excellent at sending the right people to look for the right gorilla families, including people with severly reduced mobility.
The difference between Uganda and Rwanda is that in Uganda, for those on a tight schedule, it is best to fly by light aircraft to the gorilla tracking area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park as it is otherwise a two-day day drive. If you do choose to be driven to save money, the return journey is normally broken up with a short safari and a night or two at Lake Mburo National Park. Also, due to flight schedules, you need to come in the night before because flights to Bwindi take off early due to the potential for strong winds there. That said, most people will overnight in Kigali before starting a Rwanda trip too.
In Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park is two to three hours from Kigali by road. Despite being at a higher altitude than the gorilla tracking in Uganda, the ground is more open, making walking and tracking easier. One gorilla tracking permit is now an eye-popping $1500 in Rwanda, however. In Uganda they are still "only" $600. This gives you the opportunity to participate in one day's tracking. Once you get to the gorillas, you get one hour with them. Permits are limited in numbers, so early booking is much advised.
Cost wise, Rwanada accommodation is more expensive, so the most time/cost-effective trips are fly-ins to Bwindi in Uganda.
The gorillas
Bwindi is home to over half of the world's 700 remaining mountain gorillas and is also thought to be one of the most biodiverse forests in Africa.There are eleven habituated gorilla groups in Uganda and some tend to be found near to the park entrance. The groups range in size from 10 to 23 individuals, each with one or two silverbacks.
The terrain in Bwindi means that you sometimes start your trek at the top of the hills, descend on foot into the valley to see the gorillas, and then climb up the slopes at the end of the day, which can be more arduous, but the rangers take the level of fitness (or not) of clients into consideration when deciding who goes to which family. Access ranges from finding them five minutes from the briefing area to half a day trekking through steep, dense forest without any paths, which is a great trip in itself. The guides are excellent at sending the right people to look for the right gorilla families, including people with severly reduced mobility.