Gorilla trekking in Africa.

This experience draws human beings closer to nature imagine, going through the verdant forest undergrowth and start to feel the whispers of nature with the rustling of the leaves on the towering trees  while you starts to take in the warm scent from the wild flowers .

The climax of this venture is when travelers come up close with the gigantic mountain gorillas and on sight of them, one starts to get varied emotions of compassion because the gorillas have human like behaviors like the way they interact, feed and the way the mothers have a strong bond with their young ones and also because of the way they are built one also gets the feelings of anxiety. The gorilla safaris ventures in Africa are a combo of nature hiking, gorilla trekking and the gorilla habituation which takes a maximum of 60 minutes.

Where to go for Gorilla trekking safaris in Africa.

They are three specific countries in Africa that are popular for this venture, one being Uganda, where the gorilla trekking adventures, take place in Bwindi impenetrable park the southwestern region of the country. The other country is Rwanda where the gorilla trekking takes place in the Northwest part of the country in the Volcanoes national park and lastly, the gorilla safaris are also hosted at Kahuzi-Biega national park and the Virunga national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo around the Virunga Mountains that are shared within the three countries above.

however, their some countries that  are hardly talked about yet they also  offer gorilla trekking ventures such as Dzanga- Sangha forest reserve in the Central African Republic also has  a  great population of the  low land gorillas and also  in Nigeria, the gorillas are found in the Cross River national park in the largest tropical rainforest of the Country. Despite this, we are to look at the gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda, Kenya and the Democratic republic of Congo.

Note; gorilla trekking is only allows in the above places if only one attains a gorilla trekking permit.

The ideal time for the gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The gorillas can be tracked down and encountered at any time of the year although gorilla trekking in any of the countries above would be best during the dry period of the months   of June, July, August, September and October. Since gorilla trekking involves hiking and also going to any of the parks for the gorilla safaris will involve use of the road transport, the hiking trails and the road pathways are easier to navigate during this time because of less boggy areas.

The mountain gorillas are also easier to track down during this period because they also tend to shelter themselves in the dense bushes thus they can hardly be tracked down during the rainy seasons. The gorilla trekking costs are usually high during this long dry season and the reserves and parks are usually over packed hence the tourists could opt for other months that are also dry and ideal such as December, January and February for reduced gorilla costs and better gorilla observation experiences with less people.

Gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda.

The Bwindi impenetrable park has the highest population of the mountain gorillas in Africa with over 459 of these wild species in the Bwindi rainforests. The forest is also a home to other species such as the colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, L’Hoests’s monkeys, butterflies and it’s also a bird watching arena for bird species such as Shelley’s crimson wing, regal sunbird and the Rwenzori turaco. Some of the trail pathways used during the gorilla trekking in Bwindi are the Ivy River trail, the habinyanja trail and the Kashasha trail.

The Batwa community is also part of this park and they help in the conservation of these forests as they have established a spiritual connection to it and because their fascinating way of living like the hunting and gathering contributes to the tourism enhancement in the Bwindi impenetrable park because people come from all over the world to explore their unique lifestyle.

Costs incurred while gorilla trekking in Bwindi.

For the activities.

Gorilla tracking.

• Nonresidents; US$800
• East African citizens: UGX300000.
• Rest of African residents; US$ 500.

Gorilla habituation (60 mins)

• Nonresidents; 1500$
• East African residents; UGX 75000
• Rest of African citizens 1000$

Nature walk.

• Nonresidents; 30$
• east African citizens : UGX10,000
• the rest of the African residents;10$

Batwa forest ventures

• nonresidents: US$40
• East African residents: UGX 40,000.
• the rest of African residents; 40$

Payments made.

• Park entrance fees.
• nonresidents;40$
• east African citizens; UGX 20,000
• Children; UGX 5000.
• Pupils: UGX 3000.

The gorilla trekking permits.

• nonresidents:
• East African citizens
• The rest of Africa citizens;

Where to stay while on a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda.

 

v  Lodge/safari  camp per night	·       price
v  Rushaga gorilla  lodge	·       30$
v  Bwindi neck view lodge	·       72$
v  Kamara gorilla mountain  lodge	·       300$
v  Karungi camp	·       25$
v  At the River  lodge	·       70$
v  The crested  crane	·       105$
v  Chameleon hill forest lodge	·       297$

 

Rwanda.

Volcanoes national park.

this park has over 10 mountain gorilla family groups  headed by the giant silver back of the mountain gorillas such the Amahoro group, the Susa family, Kwitonda family group and many more.  The park is not only known for mountain gorilla trekking but also for the tracking the golden monkeys and having an astonishing perspective of the towering misty volcanoes. Some of the hiking trails used in the park are;

• Mount Bisoke trail (3,711m)
• Mount Karisimbi trail (4507m)
• Mount Gahinga hike (3474 m) and many more.

The park also has other attractions such as the Iby’iwacu cultural village, the Dian Fossey grave, the Musanze caving v and Mount Karisimbi. The park also has other wild animals such as the chimpanzee, the duiker, African elephants and many more.

Different kind of permit fees paid at the park.

Permit for Mountain gorillas: all visitors pay 1500$.

Permit for golden monkeys.

• Foreigners; US$100.
• Foreigners that reside in Rwanda: US$65.
• Rwandan (East African residents): US$65
• Foreigners that reside in any East African country: US$80.

Buhanga Eco park fees.

• Foreigners; 40$
• Foreign residents: 30$
• East African residents: 35$
• Rwanda residents: 25$

Where to stay while at volcanoes national park.

 

·       Safari lodge/camp per person for a  night	v  price
·       Kinigi cottage	v  140$
·       Under volcanoes  view  guest house	v  100$
·       Terracotta Kinigi	v  101$
·       Virunga homestays	v  36$
·       Amarembo by touchdown	v  1,838$
·       Virunga hotel	v  32$
·       Karisimbi cave resort	v  75$

 

Democratic republic of Congo.

Virunga National park.

This park is also one of the largest mountain gorilla conservatory areas in Africa with population of about 350 of these species in the dense forests of the volcanic mountains. Just as the other parks, there also different family groups of the gorillas in the park such as the Mapuwa family, the Lulengo family, the Munyanga family and many more.

Permits.

• Foreign residents and foreign non-citizens; 400$
• East African citizens; 200$

Where to stay while at Virunga national park.

Safari camps/lodge per night

v  Mikeno lodge

v  Bukimi tented camp

v  Ngila lodge

v  Kibumba camp

v  Lulimbi tented camp.

 

NOTE; Some of the prices will keep changing according to whether it’s the low or peak season for the gorilla trekking safaris.