Cost of Uganda gorilla trekking
Cost of Uganda gorilla trekking : Gorilla trekking is one of the most incredible wildlife encounters on the planet, this adventurous activity is a once-in- a lifetime journey to see the incredible and endangered mountain gorillas of Central Africa in the thick rainforests. Gorilla trekking as a safari activity involves hiking through the highlands of Bwindi and the Virunga with the intention of observing the endangered gorillas in their natural habitat.
The guided tours take you through rugged, steep terrain, thick jungles and tall, tangled scrubs reaching up to 14,763 feet elevations.
When compared to other safari adventures, gorilla trekking is a bit costly.
The cost of Uganda gorilla trekking safari is determined by several factors which include accommodation, transportation to and from the park that is either road or air, tips, gorilla permit among others as detailed below.
The Gorilla Permit
As you plan your Uganda gorilla trekking safari and making your cost list, the most important cost to consider is a gorilla trekking permit which is an a document offering visitors permission to take part in gorillas trekking and access the gorilla habitat.
In Uganda a gorilla permit costs USD 700 per person per trek that is staying 1 hours in the presence of mountain gorillas in their natural setting. For visitors interesting in spending more hours with mountain gorillas, you can do gorilla habituation experience. A Gorilla Habituation Permit costs USD 1500 per person.
The cost of he permit includes park entrance, service of the guides and armed rangers and gorilla trekking experience.
Transportation
On a Uganda gorilla trekking safari, you need to plan transportation to and from either Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The minimum number of days you need for a Uganda gorilla safari is 3 Days, the first day is for pickup and transfer to either Bwindi or Mgahinga, the second day is for gorilla trekking and third day for transferring back to Kampala or Entebbe.
This means that you must budget for a vehicle with its driver guide/guide per day and fuel for the entire round trip, though visitors prefer paying for the vehicle and driver/guide then fuel separately, we recommended booking for an all – inclusive tour package which saves you from spending more on fuel.
Alternatively, you can fly to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, scheduled and chartered flights from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip to the airstrips such as Kisoro Airstrip and Kihihi Airstrip are operated by AeroLink and Bar Aviation. But you will need a vehicle and a driver-guide to take you from the airport to the park/lodge.
There is an option of flying into Kigali International Airport in Kigali City and trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, from Kigali City to Bwindi or Mgahinga, it is a drive of 4-5 hours through the borders of Cyanika or Katuna.
Accommodation
The least number of nights you need for a Uganda gorilla safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is 2 nights, that is if you decide to start your gorilla safari in Entebbe or Kampala. However, if you start your safari in Kigali City. It is possible to do 2 days and 1 night Uganda gorilla safari.
Since gorilla trekking starts early in the morning, you need to spend the first night in or near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park to avoid inconveniences in the morning and the second night after the gorilla trek because it is impossible to drive back to Entebbe or Kampala.
Accommodations in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park range from budget, mid-range and up-market / luxury depending on your budget and preference. These accommodations range in prices from $ 40 – $ 80 per person sharing a double room, $ 80 – $ 150 per person sharing a double room and from $ 400 for a luxury room.
Most accommodation facilities in the gorilla parks that is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park provide bed and meals on full and half board basis.
Porters
For various reasons, we advise all visitors going for a gorilla trekking experience to take porters for a gorilla trek, the porters are important to carry your backpackers and once you approach the gorillas, they can remain with all items that you may not need plus backpackers.
Since the terrain in forest is sometimes slippery, they can give you a pull or a push hence making you bale to fulfill your dream of seeing mountain gorillas. The most important reason to why you should carry a porter is that you are contributing to the community development as some of the porters are school going boys and others are former poachers and have families to support, porters charge around $ 15 – 4 20 per porter.
Tips
Tips are a form of appreciations of good service rendered to you by your guide or driver and waitress, porters and gorilla trekking guides. However, it is not a must that you have to do this.
