Gorilla Trekking is a wonderful memorable rewarding experience that most tourists like to take part in. A gorilla trekking in Volcano National Park is an activity which involves searching gorillas in their habitat. In such process of trekking mountain gorillas, it allows you to get up close to these gentle giants of the jungle in their natural home. One needs to acquire a gorilla permit to meet this rare gentle giant known as Mountain Gorillas. A gorilla permit is a National document that allows you to trek mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda.
Gorilla trekking in Rwanda at Volcano National Park beings with a briefing at the Kinigi Park headquarters, the ranger guide will take you through the rules and regulations governing Gorilla tracking within the Park before you head off to the jungle in search for these gentle giants. The distance you’ll have to walk before reaching the gorillas depends on where they are. A searching team is always sent out earlier in the morning to locate the gorilla family and they are in constant contact with your ranger guide to lead him to the point and help find the best way in the jungle. The gorilla trek can last from one hour to 4 hours depending on the gorilla’s movements and this takes you through beautiful jungle scenery and is an experience in itself. When you are close to where the gorillas are, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them, you may take pictures asking a question and so on as you respect the instructions you get from the guide and enjoy the amazing moment of being close to these gentle giants and later return from your trek. A gorilla trekking permit cost $ 1500.00 per person per trek. The minimum age for trekking gorillas is 15 years. You advise booking your gorilla permit in advance in order to avoid disappointment because only 8 people can trek a gorilla family per day
Best time to do Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda
Rwanda can be visited all year around /anytime of the year. However, June to Mid-September and December to February is the best time to visit Rwanda for Gorilla trekking. For those who want to trek and do canopy walks this is the best time because the trails are dry and passable. However, March to May and October to November are the rainy months in Rwanda. This, therefore, means that the activities you plan may still be achievable.
How to get to Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park located in northwestern extending for over 160km² in a small village called Musanze previously well-known as Ruhengeri, which is very accessible by public transport from Gisenyi or Kigali or from the airport. The drive to Volcanoes National Park is 2 hours and hence one can do gorilla tracking on the same day and drive back to Kigali after the trek. The Park shelter 12 gorilla families which habituated for trekking every day and day.
Gorilla Trekking in Uganda
Gorilla trekking experience is a wonderful experience, allowing you the opportunity to have close contact with these gentle giants of the jungle in their natural habitat. This experience takes place all year round and it takes you half day stay in the jungle and it is always one hour allowed to stay with the gorillas taking unforgettable memorable photos and videos. It is only eight participants can visit a group of the mountain gorilla in a day. In Uganda, Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi National Park is the only National Parks where Gorilla trekking is taking place in Uganda.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is located in the southwest of Uganda in Kabale district approximately 8 hours drive from Kampala the capital of Uganda. Bwindi National Park has over 20 gorilla families where gorilla trekking takes which are spat in 4 sectors and these include the Buhoma, Nkuringo, Ruhija and the Rushaga sectors. A gorilla family is visited 8 people per day and you’re allowed to spend 1 hour with mountain gorillas face to face while trekking them takes about 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on where particular gorilla family is located. Each sector has a variety of lodge categories offering accommodation to all level of travelers visiting Bwindi Forest. After gorilla trekking, you can as well enjoy other excursions like the Batwa cultural visit and experience very many activities done by these people, community and nature walk. For those at the Nkuringo and Rushaga sector can take the canoeing experience, walks along the shores of Lake Mutanda.
Gorilla tracking in Mgahinga National Park which located in southwestern Uganda in Kisoro District approximately 10 hours drives from Kampala the capital of Uganda. Gorilla trekking is an unforgettable experience which has to encounter while on his safari in Uganda. Gorilla tracking is an intensive experience that can take the whole day and this is the most thrilling tourist activity in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The habituated gorilla group in this park is called the Nyakagezi, which consists of 9 members, 2 silverbacks, 3 adult females, 2 juveniles and 2 infants. While here, the guides lead you through the gorilla’s world, explaining aspects of their ecology and behavior along the way, doing such activity needs when you are physically okay since its quite challenging such as moving in the forest, valleys and the steep slopes.
Uganda Gorilla Permit.
A gorilla permit in Uganda costs USD 700.00 per person per trek which allows you to get up close to these gentle giants of the jungle in their natural habitat of about one hour in the jungle of natural habitat in either Bwindi National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
A gorilla permit for habituation costs USD 1500.00 per person per trek which also which allows you to get up close to these gentle giants of the jungle in their natural habitat of about four hours in the jungle of natural habitat and this take place in Bwindi National Park in Rushaga sector.
Best time to trek Mountain Gorillas.
Uganda can be visited all year round and gorilla trekking can be done throughout. However, the most time to do gorilla trekking in Uganda is dry season and we advise you that during this month of June, July, August, September, December, January, and February is the best time to do these activities. On the other hand, birding is well done in the rainy season when migratory birds fly from different parts of the world to breed in Uganda.