How much does it cost to trek Gorillas in Uganda

Mountain Gorillas are some of the most fascinating creatures you will ever come across. These gentle giants are a pleasure to trek and observe while in their natural habitat.

Only three countries in the entire world are privileged to have habitats for these amazing creatures, Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo.
The three countries share the Virunga Mountain range which is home to the mountain Gorillas. Within the Virunga Mountain ranges, Volcanoes National Park hosts Gorilla which can be trekked in Rwanda. Mgahinga National Park has Gorillas trekked from the Ugandan side and the rest of the ranges; Gorillas can be trekked in DR Congo Forest. Although due to the insecurity in Congo, there is less trekking of Gorillas. DR Congo also has low-lying mountain Gorillas which are quite smaller than the mountain Gorillas but still beautiful to watch and observe.

In Uganda Gorillas are mainly trekked in Bwindi Forest National Park because it has the vast majority of the gorilla population. A much bigger population than in Mgahinga National Park.

Mountain Gorilla Trekking history

A few years back mountain Gorillas were becoming extinct with diminishing numbers and up to date, they are considered as endangered species. The 3 countries embarked on aggressive conservation measures in order to protect the small numbers of Gorillas that were present at the time and also employed different measures aimed at multiplying the numbers.

Prominent figures and researchers like Dian Fossey embarked on research programs that sought to study the way of life and behavior of the mountain Gorillas. They sought out ways in which the Gorillas would be habituated and well protected in order to preserve the few numbers and multiply them into more. Well, these efforts paid off and mountain Gorilla numbers have increased in all 3 countries.

You can visit the Dian Fossey center on your way to a Gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda.
Uganda has the vast majority of the mountain Gorillas among the 3 countries. Bwindi National Park is home to more than 450 mountain Gorillas. This number makes up more than half the entire population of mountain Gorillas in the entire World. So, chances of seeing mountain Gorillas in Uganda are at the highest level.

A little interesting fact about Gorillas is that these amazing giants share 98% of their DNA with humans. When in their midst, you will be surprised and awed at how similar their behavior is to that of us humans.
You will notice the young ones playing around with the mother fending off any unnecessary presumed dangers to the little ones.

The father referred to as the silverback due to the color of his fur will most likely be roaming around hunting for food for the family but looking on from a distance with a powerful protective stance. Clearly making a statement of his Alpha male presence ready for action if need be. The way the entire family interacts will have you mesmerized and humbled by the uniqueness of these creatures. Your adventure cannot get any more authentic than the Gorilla trekking experience.

How to get to the Gorillas

In Uganda, Gorillas are found in Bwindi impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, both located in Southwestern Uganda. Mgahinga National Park has only one Gorilla family which is trekked and thus has fewer visitors as compared to Bwindi. Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga is also considered as fairly difficult as this one family keeps crossing the border from Uganda to Rwanda and DR Congo, so locating it sometimes can take many hours of trekking. Majority of trekkers opt to trek Gorillas in Bwindi Forest National Park.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Bwindi National Park is located in Southwestern Uganda and can be reached via road and via domestic flight. Via road, the journey takes roughly 10 hours, while a domestic flight from Entebbe to Kisoro airstrip the nearest airstrip to Bwindi National Park takes roughly 60minute.

Gorilla Trekking Areas in Bwindi

Bwindi National Park is divided into four Gorilla trekking sectors.

• Rushaga trekking sector in the southern part of Bwindi with the most Gorilla families, 8 families.
• Buhoma Trekking sector in the Northern part of Bwindi with 5 gorilla families.
• Nkuringo Trekking sector in the Southern part of Bwindi 3 families.
• Ruhija trekking sector in Eastern part of Bwindi, 4 gorilla families.

Each sector has a number of Gorilla families that have been habituated and ready to be trekked.

Rushaga has the highest number of Gorilla families for trekking meaning this sector can accommodate large numbers of tourists per day-as compared to other sectors. Rushaga has 8 Gorilla families that have been habituated and are ready for trekking. Rushaga is also the only Gorilla trekking sector where tourist can participate in the Gorilla habituation process.

Each Gorilla family comprises between 10 to 40 gorillas, including at least one silverback (the Alpha male), several females and young ones or juveniles.

Buhoma trekking sector has the second largest number of Gorilla families with 5 Gorilla families. It also is one of the tourist favorite trekking sectors and receives the largest number of tourists. This is due to its fairly easy trekking routes and other easily accessible tourist activities like birdwatching, the Batwa culture experience, nature and community walks, butterfly watching and biking in the highland. All other communities have interesting tourist activities apart from the Gorilla trekking, but for some reason, tourists tend to enjoy Buhoma sector a little more.

Ruhija trekking sector in the Eastern part of Bwindi has 4 Gorilla families. A total of 24 Gorilla permits are issued out from trekking in this section per day. Only three of its habituated Gorilla families are trekked as the fourth is reserved specifically for research purposes. Fewer trekkers visit Ruhija and this has helped it maintain its authenticity feel. Ruhija towers at 2500 meters above sea level. It is the coldest sector in Bwindi Gorilla trekking region.

Nkuringo Trekking sector in the Southern part of Bwindi has 3 Gorilla families and has quite a number of other exciting tourist attractions like nature walks, birdwatching etc.

Each sector is unique with specific terrain, but all within Bwindi Forest National Park.

Some of our clients have opted to trek Gorillas twice in one trip in order to get a feel of different families and routes, sectors. Or in some cases they trek Gorillas in both Rwanda and Uganda. The experience has always produced satisfactory results.

How much does it cost to Trek Gorillas in Uganda?

This is a burning question for many tourists.
Trekking Gorillas comes with some glitch in your pockets. A gorilla trekking permit in Uganda costs $800. However, a Gorilla trekking safari in Uganda or Rwanda entails more than just the permit. There is accommodation to look into, ground transportation once you get into the country, tour guiding fees, park fees and so many other small fees here and there.

However, all this will be handled if you choose a responsible local tour operate to handle all ground handling for your Gorilla trekking safari. We highly recommend working with a reputable local tour operate because this will take away all the logistics handling from you and make your trip much more memorable.

What you need to know, is that Gorilla trekking in Uganda is not just a daytime trip and then fly back home on same day after. You cannot say, I will trek in the morning and get on a plane in the afternoon back home. After trekking Gorillas plenty of time is needed to relax before embarking on another journey or activity. Trust me you will be extremely tired and exhausted, and you will just want to lay back and relax and reflect on your special encounter with the magnificent Gorillas.

With accommodation, transportation and all park fees, Gorilla trekking in Uganda will roughly cost $1380 per day per person. Meaning let’s say a 4-day gorilla trekking Safari in Uganda would cost roughly $ 4890 per person for the entire trip.
However, this amount decreases with the increase in number of people trekking. Thus, a group of like four or six people safaris together will pay way less per person than that amount.

Accommodation is the price driving factor in any Gorilla trekking safari, apart from the Gorilla trekking permit which is a standard fee. The type of accommodation you choose will determine your overall tour package cost.
Accommodation in Gorilla trekking areas in Uganda ranges from budget to midrange and luxury. Each with different costs. Budget accommodation goes for less than $150 per person per night, midrange accommodation between $160 to $350 per person per night and luxury is $360 plus per person per night.
Budget accommodation will give you the bare minimum, midrange will have facilities with more comfort and better amenities than the budget ones. Luxury is as luxury as they come!

Some of the accommodation facilities in Bwindi Gorilla trekking include.