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Bwindi national park is a renowned national park located in southwestern Uganda, widely known for its exceptional bio diversity and is classified as a UNESCO world heritage site. The Park covers an area of about 31 square kilometers and is situated within the Albertine rift valley.
One of the main highlights of Bwindi is its population of endangered mountain gorillas, which makes it a popular destination for wildlife enthusiast and nature lovers. The park is home to almost half of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population, making it an important conservation area for these incredible creatures.
It also boasts a rich variety of other wildlife like primate species of chimps, black and white colobus monkeys and olive baboons. Additionally, the park is teeming with diverse bird species making it a paradise for bird watchers.
In addition to gorilla trekking, Bwindi offers other activities like guided nature walks, bird watching and cultural encounters with the local Batwa community. Exploring the park’s magnificent landscapes, encountering remarkable wildlife and learning about the local culture make Bwindi national park a truly unique and captivating destination.
Gorilla Trekking in Uganda
Gorilla trekking in Uganda is an unforgettable wildlife experience that involves hiking into dense forests of Bwindi impenetrable national park or Mgahinga national park to observe endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
The trek starts with a briefing by park experienced guides to prepare visitors for the strenuous activity ahead, including rules and regulations for gorilla trekking. A qualified guide accompanies visitors on foot through the rugged terrain to locate gorillas.
The trek through the forest can take anywhere from 2 to several hours depending on the location and movement of the gorilla families. Once a gorilla family is located, visitors spend an hour in their presence, observing and taking snaps from a safe distance.
This activity provides a blend of adventure, excitement and conservation education. Visitors can enjoy the thrill of being so close to these magnificent creatures while learning about their behaviors, habits, conservation efforts and challenges they face in the world.
How to book gorilla permits?
To book for a gorilla permit, you need to follow the following steps,
- Identify the tour operator you would like to work with by doing preliminary research and reading reviews from other tourists.
- Contact the tour operators to inform them about your interests in trekking gorillas and let them know about your picked dates.
- Tour operators will check availability of gorilla permits in the preferred park on the dates you plan of travel. If permits are available. They will reserve them for you.
- You will then be required to provide your personal details, including your full names, passport number and nationality. These details are needed to process the official permits.
- Payment for the gorilla trekking permit usually goes through the Uganda wildlife authority and can be made directly or through your tour operator.
- Upon confirmation of payment, your travel agency will secure your gorilla permit and you with receive an email with confirmation from UWA.
Rules and regulations of gorilla trekking.
- Do not take pictures with flash light on
- Do not chew in the presence of gorillas
- Do not eat or drink in the presence of gorillas
- Do not try to feed gorillas
- Always maintain a distance of 8 meters away from gorillas
- Do not litter the environment of gorillas
- Do not ease yourself near the gorilla premises.
- Do not cough or sneeze in the presence of gorillas
- Persons above the 15 years are allowed to trek gorillas
- Do not try to touch gorillas.
- Do not make noise while trekking
- Do not smoke in the presence of gorillas.
- Only eight visitors are allowed to trek a certain gorilla family per day
- You are required to follow rules and guidelines given by guides and stay in your group.
Packing List for Gorilla Trekking.
- Long sleeved shirts and trousers
- Insect repellent
- Packed food and drinking water
- Hiking boots
- Hiking stick
- Hat and sun screen
- Waterproof back pack
- Water proof jacket
- Gorilla permits and other documents
- Exchanged money for tips
Cost of Gorilla Permit
- USD 700 for nonresidents per person
- USD 600 for residents per person
- UGX250, 000 for East African citizens per person.
Other Services
- Gorilla & Chimpanzee Permit Guaranteed
- Gorilla Tracking in Uganda and Rwanda
- Chimp Tracking and Habituation Safaris
- Source of the Nile and Bujagali Tour
- White water Rafting on the Nile
- Birding Safaris
- Picnic and Honeymoon
- Cultural and Community Tours
- Total Uganda, Rwanda, Congo and Burundi safaris
- Sport Fishing Tours
- Car Hire
- Kigali, Kampala and Jinja City Tours
- Tailor made safaris.
- Airport Transfers and Clearances
- Mountaineering and Hiking
- Hotel-Bookings and Reservations
- Sunset and Sunrise Cruise
- Nature Walks and Adventures
- Eastern Uganda Tours
- Southwestern Uganda Tours
- Wildlife and Study Tours
- Island Tours
- Waterfront Expeditions
- Boat Cruise Tours and Travel
Our Partners
Uganda Tourism Board
.
Uganda Wildlife Authority
.
The Buhoma Gorilla Camp
.
The Bwindi Kids Charity
.
What our customers Say ?
Headspun2023-07-16Unforgettable Rwanda Emerald tailored our 5 day trip to Rwanda to all our many and frequently changing requests without any fuss. Chris, our driver/guide for the duration, could not have been more helpful and professional
Nic2022-10-25Amazing holidays! Great holidays! Even my special wishes were included into the planning although time was short. Our guide and driver City Tyson Magezi was caring and responsible. We traveled for four weeks and stayed in different accommodations from hut to tent to amazing hotels.
Susanne2022-08-19Just amazing It felt so safe and comfortable and exciting to travel with emerald. Our guide was so caring, so experienced and always friendly and an a great mood. He showed us so many animals included lions and leopards. That was just amazing . We saw wonderful landscapes like waterfalls and had contact to people . No Uganda or Eastern Africa without emerald . I m deep in love with Uganda and will come back as soon as possible.
Jose Murta2022-05-13Memorable Family Trip in Uganda Fantastic Trip that exceeded our expectations! Travelled to Uganda with wife and 2 children (9 and 10y old) for 7 days. Since the start (at planning stage) got a great support from Bob (company owner) and Edmund (our guide) via WhatsApp. They tailored a program to our needs including the unforgettable mountain gorillas hike, general hikes to waterfalls, safari including boat trip to see hipos!! Edmund, our guide, always super polite and the kids enjoyed him a lot! All our hotels, meals included in the package so no hassle on this….we just paid for drinks! The only regret I have is not staying one extra day in the Mburo National Park to explore a bit more ;) Memorable trip with so much nature and a super-humble people that made the experience even more enjoyable!! Super recommend!! The whole family just feeling we need to get back to explore more ;)Dwayne B2022-05-13Great Experience With Emerald!! It was an amazing experience! My guides Lucky and Hillary made me feel as if I was family and took care of everything I needed. They were very knowledgeable as we trekked to gorillas in Bwindi and a ride a wildlife safari through Queen Elizabeth. I learned so much from them about the animals, the terrain and the surrounding people. They we also incredibly helpful in helping me find activities around Buhoma, where I stayed, all of which were great. By the time I left I knew I had made friends who I will continue to stay in touch with. Can’t wait to come back with my family!
Dávid B2022-05-12Feeding python - 9 lions on a tree - leopard vs. lion We saw all animals and extremely special situations in a short period of time, good organization and friendly guide Paul with lots of knowledge.
Rachmurta2022-05-10Unforgettable trip! We spent one week in Uganda travelling by the guidance of Gorilla Experience safari. The whole experience were definitely above our expectations. Edmand was a friendly, polite and kind guide the whole time!
Vit Siv2022-04-22Ultimately Unique Experience of Uganda! It was unbelievable unique experience, one in a life time. Everything right from arrival to minor ditals was taken care of, too service! Itinerary was compiled/tailor to our wishes and needs as well as to include as much activities as possible. Tyson was our guide. He is an amazing guide, but even better person. He did an incredible job to put this all together, and make it all happen. We managed to do everything we wanted and even more. Definitely a trip to remember!!
Emmanuel OKalany2022-01-08A rewarding experience for a family visit to queen Elizabeth National Park My family and I had an excellent guided tour to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The itinerary planning provided was good and the costing of items was realistic. The care and hospitality of the team was excellent. They were also flexible to make time adjustments brought about because of traveling with children
Gordon Y2021-06-23Trip to Kaiso Tonya Game Reserve The guide/driver was too keen to find out my interests. That way, we always had something to talk abouts. Thank you
