Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable national park Gorilla trekking

Gorilla trekking in bwindi impenetrable national park

Explore the amazing bwindi gorillas

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable national park Gorilla trekking : is a once in a lifetime experience offering visitors a chance to have a face-to-face encounter with the rare and endangered mountain gorillas in their natural environment setting for one hour, this thrilling activity is offered in a few destinations in the world with Bwindi Impenetrable National Park as one of these amazing destinations and the best gorilla trekking destination in the world.

On gorilla trekking adventure, only habituated mountain gorillas are visited. These gorillas undergo gorilla habituation experience through which they get used to human presence and less hostile to humans.

In Africa, mountain gorilla trekking only done in 4 gorilla parks that is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in DR. Congo.

Still, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is arguably the best place in the world to see mountain gorillas in their natural setting in the world. One of the reasons to why Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the best place to see mountain gorillas is because it is home to the biggest population of mountain gorillas in the world, that is half of the remaining of gorilla population.

About Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in the Southwestern Region of Uganda protecting a verdant ancient rainforest that stretches along the steep ridges of the Albertine Rift Valley, the park covers an area of 327 square kilometers of tangled vegetation draped over a hilly landscape.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was first gazetted as a protected area in 1942 as The Impenetrable Forest Reserve and in 1992, it was upgraded to a national park and recognized as a World Heritage Site and also given the name “Bwindi” meaning “impenetrable’ in Rukiga word.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park’s verdant forest is home to half of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population with about 600 mountain gorillas, the park is divided into 4 gorilla trekking sectors with each sector protecting its habituated gorilla groups which are open for gorilla trekking.

These sectors are Buhoma Sector, Rushaga Sector, Nkuringo Sector and Ruhija Sector.

Bwindi sectors and gorilla families

Buhoma Sector

Mubare Gorilla Family
Habinyanja Gorilla Family
Rushegura Gorilla Family
Katwe Gorilla Family
Muyambi Gorilla Family

Ruhija Sector

Bitukura Gorilla Family
Oruzogo Gorilla Family
Kyaguriro Gorilla Family
Mukiza Gorilla Family

Nkuringo sector

Nkuringo Gorilla Family
Bushasho Gorilla Family

Rushaga Sector

Nshongi Gorilla Family
Bikingi Gorilla Family
Mishaya Gorilla Family
Kahungye Gorilla Family
Bweza Gorilla Family
Busingye Gorilla Family
Kutu Gorilla Family
Mucunguzi Gorilla Family
Rwigi Gorilla Family

When going for gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park, visitors are advised to be kind about the gorilla sector they are going to visit as it has to match with their booked accommodations.

Gorilla trekking expereince in Bwindi

Gorilla trekking is a once in a lifetime experience offering visitors a chance to have a face-to-face encounter with the rare and endangered mountain gorillas in their natural environment setting for one hour, this thrilling activity is offered in a few destinations in the world with Bwindi Impenetrable National Park as one of these amazing destinations and the best gorilla trekking destination in the world.

What is a cost for gorilla trekking permits in Bwindi?

Each and every traveler has to have a gorilla trekking permit to be allowed to take part in gorilla trekking adventure in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, gorilla permits are issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority and their cost is as follows

Category	Cost
Non-Foreign Residents (NFR)	US$ 700
Foreign Residents (FR)	US$ 600
East African Citizens (EAC)	UGx 250,000

Gorilla trekking questions

What are chance of seeing mountain gorillas in Bwindi national park?

In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, chances of seeing mountain gorillas are 99.9%. The park is home to over 14 habituated gorilla families which are distributed in 4 gorilla trekking sectors that is Buhoma, Nkuringo, Rushaga and Ruhija.

Rules and regulation for gorilla trekking, Bwindi national park

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is such a memorable experience, however to enjoy it. You need to a bid by a set of rules and regulations which are put in place to protect the trekkers and the mountain gorillas as well as govern the whole experience.

The rules and regulations are passed on to the trekkers at the start of the trek during the briefing session, some of these are

Always keep your voices low while in the presence of mountain gorillas
Do not litter rubbish in the forest
Visitors with any sort of illness are not allowed to participate in trekking
Stay at a distance of 7 -8 meters while the presence of mountain gorillas
Do not eat, drink or smoke in the presence of mountain gorillas
Do not mimic the gestures of the gorillas as you do not know what they mean and you might be inviting danger to yourself.
When taking pictures make sure your flashlight is off as it scares the gorillas

Always follow the advice from your guide

Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Road and air are the main transport means used to get to Bwindi Impenetrable national park for a gorilla trekking safari, the park is situated approximately 540 kilometers from Kampala – Uganda’s capital where most safaris start from.

By road – to get to Bwindi, it is a journey of approximately 8 to 10 hours through Kabale and Kisoro.

By Air – there are domestic and chartered flights from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip to either Kisoro or Kihihi Airstrip and connect to the park by a vehicle.