Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari Adventures

Mountain Gorilla Discovery Journeys!

Uganda gorilla trekking safari adventures are a Must while on Uganda Discovery Journeys. The country is among the three on the entire planet with the last remaining population of mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are primate species that live in the forested mountains in East and Central Africa.

They live in families of up to 10 individuals or more. Each family comprises males, females, juveniles, and sometimes infant gorillas. This is headed by a dominant male called Silverback. The title Silverback is derived from the color of adult male gorillas that develop a silver lining as they grow.

Uganda is currently the most reliable gorilla trekking safari destination because of the numbers the country has. The last Mountain gorilla census established the gorilla population at about 1100 individuals in the wild. Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park alone has over 450 of these. The rest are shared between Mgahinga Gorilla Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and DRC’s Virunga National Park.

Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Safari Adventures

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in southwestern Uganda. It covers a land area of 321 square kilometers and has four gorilla trekking sectors. These include Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the East, Rushaga, and Nkuringo in the south. Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari Adventures in any of these sectors is truly remarkable as you hike the forested mountains to meet the rare apes.

Each of the sectors has habituated gorilla families with Rushaga having the highest. Important to note is that only 8 tourists are allowed to track each gorilla family. You are also only permitted to stay in the presence of the gorillas for an hour keeping a 7 to 10 meters distance. This limitation is to ensure mountain gorillas’ protection from human diseases and behaviors since we share over 95% DNA with them.

Buhoma is the busiest sector of all. It is home to the first Mountain gorilla family to be opened for tourism in 1993. The Mubare Gorilla Family’s habituation process started in 1991 and 2 years later was opened up for tourist visits. Being the pioneer Uganda Gorilla Trekking Sector, Buhoma has over the years attracted several accommodation facilities. These include the most luxurious safari lodges in Uganda like Bwindi Lodge.

Mgahinga Gorilla Safari Adventure

Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari Adventures to Mgahinga Gorilla Park are exclusive compared to Bwindi. Mgahinga Gorilla Park has only one habituated Gorilla Family called Nyakagezi. The park is part of the Virunga Massif along with the Volcanoes and Virunga National Parks in Rwanda and DRC respectively.

The Nyakegezi gorilla family was unstable for some time moving across the border to Rwanda but it now stabilized. Being the only gorilla family in the park makes it the most ideal to be tracked exclusively. The rule of 8 also applies here. It can therefore work well when having a group tour of 8 people traveling together.

Mgahinga Gorilla Park’s relief and vegetation cover is similar to Volcanoes National Park. The gorilla trekking experience of the two destinations is therefore similar. This is different from Bwindi which has a thick tropical rainforest. Since the price for a gorilla permit is expensive in Rwanda, Mgahinga would be the cheaper gorilla trekking destination to opt for when looking for the Virunga massif gorilla experience.

When To Go Gorilla Trekking

Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari Adventures are doable throughout the year. For the best photography moments, experiences, and gorilla encounters, it is recommended to visit during the dry season. The dry season in Uganda starts in June and ends in mid-September. October is relatively dry because of climate change and it’s therefore also a great time to visit.

December, January, and February are also dry months that are ideal for your Uganda gorilla tour. These dry months have minimal rainfall disturbances which makes the whole trekking process easy. This does not that it is not possible to trek to the gorillas in the wet season. Even though rainfall is most likely to occur you can still manage the gorilla trek. Rainfall in case it happens can simply add to your real jungle experience.

The overall climate of Bwindi and Mgahinga is cool and given the vegetation and hilly nature of the area, rainfall can still occur any time of the year. It is from this background that everyone is advised to have rain gear whether in the dry or wet season.

Discovery Journeys Uganda Gorilla Safaris

At Discovery Journeys we tailor-make all our safari adventures including the Uganda gorilla tours and safaris. You can opt for a fly-in 3-day Uganda gorilla tour since the Uganda gorilla trekking destinations are located far from the city. A flying safari enables you to reduce the drive distance (9 to 10 hours). With this, you get to the park early enough and opt for a simple excursion ahead of your adventure the following day.

The 4-day Gorillas and Wildlife Tour features a gorilla trek in Bwindi and a Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park. In Queen Elizabeth National Park you enjoy a Kazinga Channel boat cruise where you see various wildlife species including hippos, Nile Crocodiles, and Elephants among others.

Our 8-day Rwanda Uganda Safari starts in Rwanda but has the gorilla tour in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You can book any of these safaris or even customize them more to add another gorilla trek or the habituation experience. Destination Uganda just like Tanzania also has provision for group tours. With the gorilla trekking regulations you simply have to book in advance.