Why Gorilla Trekking Should Be The Last Activity To Do on Your Uganda or Rwanda Safari

Trekking through the tropical forest and steep slopes of Africa then you come across mountain gorillas in their families is what many term as a dream come true. There are many places to visit to see gorillas, but to have a close encounter and personal with mountain gorillas in the wild, visitors have only 3 options: Rwanda, Uganda and D.R. Congo.

Any successful gorilla safari in Africa requires adequate planning and this is better done when you deal with a tour on ground. Planning and booking a gorilla safari in Uganda/Rwanda with our experts comes with an added advantage, especially the fact that you will be provided with the latest travel information/advice, assist in booking gorilla permits, accommodation and transportation. When planning a safari to Africa, gorilla trekking is a must-do in Uganda or Rwanda.

But why should you include gorilla trekking on the last day/as the last activity for you to do on your Rwanda safari or Uganda safari. Yes, there are many ways to exploring the Pearl of Africa or land of a thousand hills on gorilla tour. You can decide to begin your holiday with a gorilla trek or end it with gorilla trekking.

Gorillas in Volcanoes National Park

Reasons why gorilla trekking should be the last activity to do on your Uganda/Rwanda safaris;

Gorilla trekking is a tiring adventure

Gorilla trekking is energy demanding as it involves navigating through the forest and steep slopes before you come across mountain gorillas. Some of the gorilla safari destinations are very rugged rising at an altitude of 2500-3500 meters. Volcanoes N/Park for instance features highlands considering its location in the Virunga Volcanoes.

Volcanoes NP and Mgahinga Gorilla NP feature some of the Virunga volcanoes. At Mgahinga National Park, the available volcanoes include Sabyinyo, Muhabura, and Gahinga –these 3 volcanoes are also shared with Rwanda’s Volcanoes N/Park. The other two (2) volcanoes in Rwanda include Bisoke and Karisimbi (4507m).

In Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park are two special parks where holidaymakers visit to encounter mountain gorillas. They shelter up to half of the remaining 1063 endangered mountain gorillas.

Exciting primate adventure

Gorilla trekking is absolutely the most exciting primate safari experience. Since you need the best on your holiday, better to have it done last. Nothing brings ultimate excitement like bumping into the gorilla family assigned to you.

Location

Only 4 parks offer protection to the endangered mountain gorillas: they include Mgahinga National Park, Bwindi, Virunga and Volcanoes National Parks. Some of these destinations are found far from the city centers. In Uganda, Mgahinga & Bwindi can be reached about 8-10 hours’ drive from Kampala/Entebbe city center. In Rwanda, the gorilla safari park –Volcanoes National Park is accessible by 2-3 hours’ drive from the heart of Kigali city.

If you need to change your travel plan –especially due to absence of gorilla permits

If it happens that your preferred date for gorilla trekking, there are no permits, you can opt to go trek mountain gorillas another day. The gorilla tour runs in such a way that gorilla permits are booked in advance to avoid last minute reservations. Your reliable tour operator on ground –Maranatha Tours and Travel can acquire for you a gorilla permit early enough while you are still back in your home country. You can reach out to our team via email: info@silverbackgorillatour.com | info@adventureugandasafaris.com.

Mountain Gorillas

Best time to travel to see mountain gorillas in Uganda/Rwanda or Congo

Visits to track mountain gorillas can be done at any time of the year with Maranatha Tours and Travel. However, to enjoy excellent gorilla treks, the dry season is what we can recommend. This occurs twice a year, from June to July, December to February –the perfect months of the year when there is low or no rains recorded in gorilla parks such as Bwindi, Mgahinga or Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

What you should pack on a gorilla trekking trip

Packing right is essential step in planning a memorable gorilla trip in Uganda/Rwanda/Congo. On your gorilla trip, only essential items are needed and not the whole wardrobe. The items to consider a must on your packing list include: a good camera free of flashlight, daypack, insect repellent, long-sleeved shirts, a sweater, and trousers, pair of gardening gloves, snacks, bottled drinking water, and others.

Rates for gorilla permits

Gorilla permits are needed on every gorilla tour in Uganda or Rwanda. In Uganda, a valid gorilla permit costs USD 700 –for foreign nonresidents, foreign residents can obtain gorilla permits at USD 600 and shs. 250,000 applies to East African citizens –Ugandans inclusive. Through your ground tour operator –Maranatha Tours & Travel, (info@silverbackgorillatour.com/info@trekrwandagorillas.com or info@rwandasafaribooking.com), you can have your gorilla permits plus even the entire tour successfully booked early enough without you experiencing any stress.