This tour take you to the misty mountains of Bwindi impenetrable national park where you will be able to face our closet cousins the mountain gorillas, go on a hunt for the African Big4 in Queen Elizabeth National park and we close the trip with the chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu forest.
Uganda Gorilla Safaris
Gorilla safaris in Uganda encompass typical of an outdoor adventure with focus for you to see the rare mountain gorillas in the wild. Embarking on a gorilla safari tour in Uganda involves active participation in gorilla trekking adventure through the rich natural rainforest dominated parks.
Why visit Uganda for gorilla safaris?
Situated in East Africa, Uganda is undoubtedly a preferred African destination when it comes to gorilla safaris and other experiences. While gorilla safaris/gorilla trekking tours are done in some parts of Africa, there are major reasons why Uganda features as the top destination.
This tour take you to the misty mountains of Bwindi impenetrable national park where you will be able to face our closet cousins the mountain gorillas, go on a hunt for the African Big4 in Queen Elizabeth National park and we close the trip with the chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu forest.
The 20 days Uganda and Tanzania Adventure explores the best of nature's primates and big game wildlife of the two East African Countries.
The highlight of this 3 days Ultimate Gorilla trekking Tour is a Uganda safari to the most sought after bucket list of experiencing the trekking of Uganda’s mountain Gorillas in the wild and one of the most unforgettable wildlife encounters in the world!
This 3 days Murchison falls safari package will enable you to tour Uganda’s most spectacular, largest and oldest National park with diversity of wildlife. You will have a feel of the African big five Mammals and the man’s closest relative (Chimpanzees) spiced with birds around you with amazing landscapes and varied vegetation cover.
This 15 Days Uganda safari with gorillas tour will take you through Uganda’s exclusive wildlife, found in her conservation areas which among others include Murchison falls, the oldest and the largest plus Kidepo Valley National Park which is voted as the true African Wilderness by CNN and NAT GEO Wild! You will have a chance to encounter among others the endangered giant Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable forest, the playful chimpanzees in Kibale forest, the tree climbing Lions in Ishasha , the Zebras, Elephants and Impala herds in Lake Mburo National park. In all the national parks you will visit, birds will be around you!
During this 12 day gorilla tour in Uganda, you will explore Uganda’s most popular National parks and be assured of the great wildlife encounters. These will include Gorilas of Bwindi, Chimpanzees of Kibale, Impala and zebra herds of Lake Mburo, tree climbing Lions of Queen Elizabeth and Giraffes and Elephants of Murchison falls National park.
This 10 days Gorilla Trekking Uganda safari takes you to the misty mountains of Bwindi impenetrable national park where you will be able to face our closet cousins the mountain gorillas, go on a hunt for the African Big 5 in Queen Elizabeth National park, Murchison falls national park, the primate capital Kibale forest National Park for chimps trelkking.
This 9 day gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari takes you to uganda’s most amazing national parks. let’s you trek gorillas, chimps, see animals of the savanna on game-drive and boat-cruise in queen elizabeth national park and trek mountain gorillas in bwindi impenetrable national park hike during this unforgettable adventure. see the white rhinos at ziwa sanctuary, then the world’s most powerful murchison falls plus much more wild big game in both murchison falls and queen elizabeth national parks.
This 8 days safari to Kidepo Valley National Park and Murchison falls Conservation areas will enable you to tour Uganda’s most popular and spectacular parks with diversity of wildlife. In both of these 2 parks, you will have a feel of the African big five Mammals spiced with birds around you. Cultural encounters will spice up your tour when you meet the local people with their traditional dressing styles, architecture etc.
This 7 days Uganda Gorilla Tour will let you do Gorilla trekking in Bwindi, which is among Africa’s most sought after mammal. You will also do Chimpanzee trekking and meet man’s closet animals. The tour will be spiced by other big game viewing in the famous Queen Elizabeth National park
This tour take you to the misty mountains of Bwindi impenetrable national park where you will be able to face our closet cousins the mountain gorillas, go on a hunt for the African Big4 in Queen Elizabeth National park and we close the trip with the chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu forest.
Reasons why Uganda is a popular gorilla safari destination.
Over half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas live in Uganda.
With a total of not more than 1063 mountain gorillas left on earth, about half of these unique apes survive in the jungles of Uganda –the Pearl of Africa. This is the highest mountain gorilla population which presents visitors a higher chance to locate a family of these rare species in the wild.
No destination does offer multiple opportunities for tourists to engage in a gorilla trek like Uganda. There are 2 places for primate enthusiasts to begin their journey in search for mountain gorillas. The two important gorilla trekking locations in Uganda include Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. In each of these gorilla safari parks, there are already fully habituated gorilla families to be trekked by a maximum of 8 guests per day.
More than 21 fully habituated gorilla groups exist in the various sectors of Bwindi and Mgahinga. This offers huge opportunity to a good number of visitors to engage in a trek to see mountain gorillas. The 21 gorilla families translate to 168 gorilla permits –all these are available for booking.
Uganda is one destination where you can visit to enjoy a safe and successful gorilla trekking tour. Unlike the Eastern D.R. Congo (Virunga NP and its surrounding), Uganda’s gorilla destinations and country as a whole is generally stable and secure for tourists to conduct their trips.
A gorilla permit is mandatory for anyone intending to visit Uganda gorillas and you can be considered eligible if you are above 15 years. As of 2024, Uganda gorilla permit cost stands at USD 800 per person and you can have your booked plus the entire trip booked through a reliable tour operator on ground.
Up to 200 gorilla permits representing 25 gorilla families in Uganda are all open for booking and visitors are advised to secure their permits at least 2-4 months before the actual date of visiting gorillas.
Visiting Uganda for gorilla trekking guarantees you more than magical encounters with endangered mountain gorillas. Uganda is an endowed primate destination, home to multiple primates which you can spot on a trek to see gorillas or in other destinations like Kibale National Park, Budongo Forest, Kalinzu and Toro Semuliki, etc.
Other primates to encounter in Uganda include the grey cheeked mangabeys, l’hoest monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, De Brazza’s monkeys, golden monkeys, galagos, red colobus monkeys, and more.
Diversity of savanna wildlife can also be spotted across different wildlife safari parks like Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Queen Elizabeth NP, and Kidepo Valley NP. These premier savanna game viewing destination offer the best wildlife tours and visitors stand a chance to encounter multiple large and small mammals.
The notable wildlife species to expect to see on wildlife tour in Uganda include cheetahs, lions (inclusive of the rare tree climbing lions), rhinos, leopards, elephants, cape buffaloes, antelopes including Uganda Kobs, Jackson’s hartebeest, oribis, elands, topis, sable, klipspringers, sitatungas, waterbucks, bushbucks, gazelles, greater Kudus, and more.
The premier gorilla trekking parks in Uganda include Bwindi Impenetrable NP and Mgahinga National Park. These two gorilla parks are all found along the Southwestern part of Uganda and protect half of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population (1063).
Bwindi national park
Lying within the district boundaries of Rubanda, Kanungu, Kisoro and Kabale, Southwestern Uganda, Bwindi is a 331sq.km rainforest park. This lush tropical forest park borders the D.R. Congo and was founded as a park in 1991, then officially became a UNESCO Site in 1994.
Bwindi National Park prides itself of biodiversity, protecting a total of 120 mammal species, 310 butterflies, 350 bird species, 1000 flowering plants, 27 frog species and more. This park features 4 key gorilla trekking sectors; Ruhija, Nkuringo, Rushaga and Buhoma –the main areas where 20 habituated gorilla families are present.
The gorilla families present in Bwindi National Park include Katwe, Habinyanja, Rushegura, Bweza, Mubare, Oruzogo, Bitukura, Rwigi, Mukiza, Mishaya, Kahungye, Nshongi, Kutu, Mucunguzi, Nkuringo, Christmas, Kyaguriro and others.
Besides gorillas, Bwindi is also a valuable habitat to other diverse fauna including l’hoest monkeys, eastern/common chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, African elephants, vervet monkeys and other mammals.
Numerous bird species accounting for a population of 350 live within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and include mountain oriole, black bee-eaters, crowned hornbills, African green pigeon, cinnamon chested bee-eaters, Rwenzori turacos, handsome francolins, white-tailed blue flycatchers, African harrier hawks, giant kingfishers, grauer’s broadbill, black-faced rufous warblers, shelley’s crimson wing, Neumann’s warblers, Western green tinker bird, Yellow-streaked greenbul, and more.
Mgahinga gorilla national park
Located in Kisoro district, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is another valuable gorilla trekking destination in Africa. Like Bwindi, Mgahinga was officially declared as a national park in 1991 and extends up to 33.7sq.km. Within Mgahinga, there is only one habituated gorilla group –Nyakagezi which is visited by a maximum of 8 visitors per trek.
Mgahinga also protects Africa’s 3 inactive Virunga Massifs/Volcanoes –Sabyinyo, Gahinga and Muhabura. The park is set at an elevation range of 2227-4127m, and its biodiversity is characterized by Albertine rift montane forest, bamboo forest, Alpine zones, Rwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands with tree heath.
Uganda is most popular for its budget-friendly gorilla safaris. A single gorilla permit costs USD 800 (for foreign non-residents) whether you intend to visit Bwindi or Mgahinga to see gorillas. The foreign residents can obtain permits at USD 700 per person and shs. 300,000 when you visit as East African citizen.
The cost of gorilla trekking safari in Uganda like in Rwanda does vary depending on a number of factors including cost of accommodation, transport, gorilla permits and others. A budget gorilla trip may go for USD 1500-2000 per person and midrange gorilla tour may cost about USD 3000-4000 per person.
Gorilla trekking is an all-year-round adventure although the dry season is with no doubt the most preferred time. Uganda gorilla parks experience 2 phases of dry seasons each year that is short and long. The dry season (long) starts from June, July, August till September and short dry months are marked around December, January and February.
The dry months are characterized by little or no rains thus offering favorable ground for tourists to enjoy a smooth gorilla trek. This may not be the case with the wet or low season (March to May/October to November) when heavy rains are experienced across the gorilla parks. If you intend to visit Uganda or Rwanda to see gorillas, better you deal with the tour operator on ground for proper guidance.
Essentials to have on your Uganda gorilla trekking packing list include long-sleeved shirts, long trousers, valid passport, gardening gloves, waterproof and lightweight hiking boots, waterproof daypack, valid visas, energy giving snacks, medical/first aid kit, cameras, a sweater, insect repellent, rain jacket, safari hat and others.
Golden monkey tracking
Golden monkey tracking in Uganda is only enjoyable in Mgahinga NP. This is a 2-4 hours’ trek primate adventure and starts at Ntebeko area after briefing. Golden monkey trek involves navigating through the bamboo forest with an experienced guide in search for the strikingly beautiful golden monkeys in the wild.
Birding
Both Mgahinga and Bwindi offer excellent bird sightings, especially the Albertine rift endemic species. Birds to keep eyes on here include crowned hornbills, African green pigeon, cinnamon chested bee-eaters, giant kingfishers, red-faced woodland warblers, black bee-eater, regal sunbird, African wood owl, yellow eyed black flycatchers and others.
Game drives/viewing
The best places to start your game viewing expedition en-route to Bwindi or Mgahinga include Queen Elizabeth National Park. At Queen Elizabeth NP, myriad of savanna species can be spotted including huge herds of elephants, cape buffaloes, the tree climbing lions, leopards, antelopes and varied bird species. Lake Mburo National Park, the popular habitat to several zebras, impalas, kobs, giraffes, buffaloes, leopards and birds.
Chimpanzee tracking
Uganda holds the huge concentration of chimpanzees and plenty of opportunities are available for tourists to explore these unique species. Uganda’s best chimpanzee trekking destinations include Kibale National Park, Kyambura Gorge and Budongo Forest.
Mountaineering
There are many mountaineering opportunities in Uganda. They include the Rwenzori Mountain ranges, Virunga Volcanoes –Gahinga (3474m), Muhabura (4127m), Sabyinyo (3669m); and Mount Elgon in Eastern Uganda.
Cultural experiences
Cultural experiences in Uganda allow you to explore the country’s vibrant cultures and traditions. The must-enjoy cultural experiences in Uganda include Batwa trail experience, Imbalu cultural experience in Bugisu, Entanda traditional hunting and cultural experience, etc.
