How to book an African Mountain Gorilla Safari from Office? – Booking Gorilla trekking permits for your next gorilla trek in Uganda Africa
How to book an African mountain gorilla safari from office? – This post is to guide and help anyone plan a Mountain Gorilla safari to Uganda in putting together a memorable Gorilla trekking adventure to go and view the magnificent Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat the rainforest of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.
Viewing the Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat is a top African safari wilderness safari experience that will make you feel good about contributing to wildlife conservation in Uganda. Uganda protects more than half of these endangered creatures within two locations Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks in the country’s south-western corner and offers the best Gorilla trekking safari experiences. Almost all safari holidays in this tiny East African country include a day of Gorilla trekking in the prehistoric misty jungles searching for a habituated Mountain Gorilla family.
Sometimes the Gorilla trek takes longer than expected, tiring, and painful, but the little time you spend with Mountain Gorillas in their natural home is indescribable. When you are face-to-face with a Silverback, a whole bucket load of primitive emotions washes and leave you forever changed.
The Mountain Gorilla trekking safari is worth all the money, paid, and emotions you spend to get to them. You who have sat in the jungle next to these magnificent creatures will tell you the same thing the memories last for a lifetime.
Gorilla trekking is ethical and crucial to the flourishing of these primates in protected reserves because, honestly, it is the single most significant financial source for all Gorilla Conservation Efforts.
Mountain Gorilla trekking attracts thousands of travelers to Uganda who naively contribute hugely to the survival of these primates within their ancestral home and the communities surrounding the protected areas.
So let us take a look at what you need to know about how to book an African Mountain Gorilla safari. We write about everything from logistics to when – how much, and what you should expect on a typical trek.
The Gorilla Permit
The number one item on the list of booking your African Gorilla trekking safari is the Gorilla permit. The permit is your Gorilla trekking access pass.
Gorilla permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Gorilla permit allows you one to four hours with a single Gorilla family. It comes with complimentary offers like two armed rangers for your security while on the trek, a trekking ranger guide, and a team of rangers to track the Mountain Gorillas ahead of you for assurance of meeting the gentle giants.
Uganda Gorilla permit price?
Any foreign non-resident above the age of 15 years can track Uganda’s Mountain Gorillas for a permit price of USD700. Foreign residents at USD600 and East African Nationals pay 250,000 Uganda Shillings (UGX) per person per trek. However, this Gorilla permit only allows you one hour with a selected habituated Gorilla family.
To get more time with the Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat, you will have to go for the Habituation Gorilla permit that currently costs USD1500 per person per trek. The Habituation Gorilla permit offers at least four hours trekking a semi-habituated Gorilla family. The four hours start counting when you find the fresh trails of the selected semi-habituated Gorilla family.
You will require a Visa to travel to Uganda
Unless your country falls under the COMESA partnership, you will need a Tourist Visa to enter Uganda for your Mountain Gorilla trekking. However, you should check with your consulate about the latest Uganda Tourist Visa developments.
An Uganda Tourist Visa costs USD50 per person and allows you 60 days into the country. If you plan to visit Uganda’s East African neighbors, Rwanda and Kenya, we recommend an East African Tourist Visa and it costs USD100 and lasts 60 days after your Mountain Gorilla trekking adventure.
You can combine Gorilla trekking with a wildlife safari
After your Mountain Gorilla trekking adventure, there are many other activities to do in Uganda, and the most popular one is a safari in one of the savannah reserves. You can combine gorilla trekking with a wildlife safari game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Mburo National Park. Queen Elizabeth National Park is about 100 kilometers north of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and about 165 kilometers north of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
After your Mountain Gorilla trekking adventure in Bwindi impenetrable Forest or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, you can drive to the north of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Ishasha Sector. You can spend a night and do a game safari to spot the magnificent tree-climbing lions. You will later continue north for another 80 kilometers to the Kazinga Channel and take a boat safari, spend one night and do a morning game drive on the northern Kasenyi tracks in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
You can as well add on a Chimpanzee tracking experience in the famous Kibale Forest National Park depending on your time. Kibale offers the best Chimpanzee viewing experiences in Africa, and it’s a common last attraction on almost all Uganda Gorilla safari itineraries before they head to the airport and back home. Other primate itineraries just include Gorillas and Chimpanzees in Kibale Forest and then head out.
What to expect on a Gorilla Trek
On a Gorilla trek, expect to hike for extended hours, hiking your way and crouching through misty rainforest jungle on uneven terrain. You will be in the company of seven other trekkers, a pair of armed rangers, and an expert tracker guide armed with a machete till you find a gorilla family and spend an hour near them.
Whatever means you use to get to the Gorilla parks in south-western Uganda lower your Gorilla trekking expectations to the least possible level. You will be surprised at the terrific experience on your Gorilla safari in Uganda when you don’t push everything around to fit your expectations.
Most probably, you will have booked in the closest lodgings to the trailhead. Have your driver drop you at the briefing point by 08:00 with your packed lunch and be suitably dressed for the jungle trek. Carry a copy of your passport, packed luck, and your camera in a light backpack.
A lead ranger guide will brief you on the dos and don’ts for Gorilla trekking and what you should expect heading into the jungle at the trailhead.
After the briefing, two armed rangers flanking your group of eight trekkers will escort you into the wilderness with the guidance of a tracker ranger guide armed with a walkie-talkie. The armed rangers are for your security if your group meets wild animals like elephants and any unexpected insecurity in the jungle.
