Gorilla trekking safaris are incredible throughout the year. However, the experience can be both wonderful and challenging depending on the season of your visit. The best time for gorilla trekking safaris is the dry season between June and September as well as December and February. This is the case for all the gorilla trekking destinations of Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo.
Bwindi national park, which is located on the edge of the Albertine rift valley, is one of the best destinations in Uganda for seeing the gorillas in Uganda. The mountain gorillas in Uganda can also be seen in Mgahinga national park.
The months of June, July, August, September, and October, as well as December, January, and February, are part of the dry season which is considered the best time to visit gorillas in Uganda.
During the dry season in Uganda, the conditions of seeing the mountain gorillas are favorable and it is also a time of the year when a large number of visitors interested in gorilla trekking visit Bwindi national park and Mgahinga national park.
The dry season is also a good time of the year to engage in other activities in and around Bwindi national park such as guided nature walks and hiking as well as golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga national park which can be done from June to October.
Apart from being the dry season, this time of the year is also considered a peak season of travel characterized by high pricing for lodging, many tourists and generally good conditions for traveling around destinations in Uganda.
Gorilla trekking in the rainy season
In Uganda, the beginning of the year is also an excellent time for taking part in tours and gorilla trekking can as well be done during other months of the year including March, April and May which are in the rainy season.
The trails are slick during these months, and gorilla trekking in Uganda during the rainy season can be challenging because of the nature of the terrain in Bwindi and Mgahinga national park.
Alot of rainfall is received during the months of March, April, and May each year as well as in November which influences some tourists typically avoid these months, however individuals who like to travel when there are less visitors can visit Uganda gorilla trekking destinations at this time of year.
There are fewer visitors to Bwindi and Mgahinga National Park during the rainy season, which is also known as the low or off season. Although it may be rainy and muddy, tourists can still enjoy gorilla trekking and other activities such as bird watching.
Gorilla trekking experience in Uganda
Gorilla trekking in Uganda gives tourists the chance to see and get up close and personal with critically endangered mountain gorillas in their native habitat.
One of the best places to go gorilla trekking is Uganda, which is home to more than half of the surviving mountain gorillas in the world. Hiking through thick forests and mountainous terrain is required for gorilla trekking in order to find and interact with habituated gorilla families.
Gorilla trekking provides a rare chance to see the gorillas up close and helps with their conservation efforts.
Tourists who want to view gorillas in Uganda are advised to reserve gorilla permits in advance. Due to the holiday season, Bwindi national park and Mgahinga national park get a large number of visitors, and the weather in Uganda is also ideal for seeing the gorillas.
The gorilla permits in Uganda are issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority and costs 700 USD for foreign nonresidents, 600 USD for foreign residents and 250,000 Uganda shillings for East Africans.
When visiting Bwindi national park for gorilla trekking, there are four sectors where the gorillas can be seen and they include the Buhoma sector, Nkuringo sector, Ruhija sector and Rushaga sector.
Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park starts with a briefing at the Ntebeko park headquarters where visitors are briefed before going to search for the Nyakagezi gorilla group which is the only gorilla family at the destination.
Tourists spend one hour with gorillas while gorilla trekking in Bwindi and Mgahinga national park, but they spend four hours with gorillas during gorilla habituation which is done in Rushaga sector of Bwindi national park.
A briefing at the park headquarters is carried out before the gorilla trekking experience in Uganda. Following the briefing, visitors enter the Bwindi impenetrable forest or Mgahinga national park in groups of eight with the ranger guides by their sides.
In Uganda, it is prohibited for children under 15 to do gorilla trekking or habituation during tours to Bwindi national park or Mgahinga national park. There are many other rules which visitors are expected to follow during the visit to gorillas in Uganda.
Other rules to follow when visiting gorillas in Uganda include keeping a distance of about 7 meters from the gorillas, avoiding noise, not littering while in the park, not using flash photography.
Apart from gorilla trekking, other activities which visitors can take part in include golden monkey trekking, bird watching, nature walks, hiking, cultural tours and also gorilla habituation.
How to get to destinations for gorilla trekking in Uganda
To reach the destinations for gorilla trekking in Uganda, there are several options available and they include the following;
Flights
To get to Bwindi national park or Mgahinga national park, flights can be booked from Entebbe international airport. These flights can be scheduled flights or charter flights and are offered daily.
The airstrips used for flights from Entebbe airport to Bwindi national park include Kihihi airstrip and Kisoro airstrip. To get to Mgahinga national park, flights can be booked from Entebbe airport to Kisoro airstrip.
Another way to access the gorilla trekking destinations in Uganda is by road. The drive from Entebbe or Kampala to Bwindi national park takes about 8 to 9 hours while getting to Mgahinga national park from Entebbe or Kampala takes about 9 to 10 hours.
The route used to get to Bwindi national park is the Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara-Kabale route while the drive to Mgahinga national park is via the Kampala-Mbarara-Kisoro route.
Visit Uganda today and enjoy seeing gorillas during anytime of the year during tours to Bwindi national park and Mgahinga national park.