Booking flying safaris to see mountain gorillas in Uganda.

What is the process of booking flying safaris to see mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park Uganda? Uganda is one of those countries where people all over the world can come and spend some time with mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas in Uganda are found in only 2 lucky national parks, and these are Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest all-in south-western Uganda. These national parks harbor more than half of the mountain gorilla population in the world, with Mgahinga having 1 habituated mountain gorilla family and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest having 19 habituated mountain gorilla families and 2 semi-habituated mountain gorilla families.

Travelers intending to fly to these national parks for mountain gorilla trekking can always do it at any time of the year. The flying safaris to all these national parks are conducted by AeroLink Uganda and Fly Uganda with the starting points at Kajjansi airstrip and Entebbe international airstrip. Tourists going to the northern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park will fly to Kihihi airstrip inside the park, and those going to the Rushaga sector of Bwindi, Nkuringo sector of Bwindi, and Mgahinga national park will fly to Kisoro airstrip.

Ways of booking flying safaris to see mountain gorillas in Uganda.

There are 2 ways how travelers who want to see mountain gorillas can book flying safaris to Uganda. The first and challenging way is by booking the flight to Mgahinga or Bwindi impenetrable forest national park by yourself. By this, you will have to contact the flying safaris to the destination and check for the availability of the flights thereafter book the flight. We assume that you would have already booked the gorilla trekking permit.

You can book our flying safari to Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Parks using a local tour operator. The tour operator must be licensed by the Uganda tourism board or should be a member of any tourism association. Africa Adventure Vacations is one of those countries you need to trust in booking your flying safari to see mountain gorillas in Uganda. We ask if you have booked the gorilla trekking permits already, and if you haven’t, we first make sure we book them for you after checking the availability of the permits with the Uganda wildlife authority.

After securing a gorilla trekking permit, we go further to book your flight to any of the destinations you want to trek mountain gorillas because we have Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga national park. We normally have AeroLink Uganda and Fly Uganda companies conducting flights to Southwestern Uganda, so we ask for the availability of the seats and, once they have space, we go further to secure you one. This is all done after receiving your money for booking. Once we are done with this, we send you scanned documents for your records.

Spending time with mountain gorillas on a flying safari

Gorillas are the reason why most tourists all over the world do fly into the country to explore it. The mountain gorillas have led to an activity called trekking and gorilla habituation in the country. These activities are the same what differs is the time you spend with the primates. The gorilla trekking activity allows trekkers to be with mountain gorillas for one hour, while the gorilla habituation allows the trekkers to be with the mountain gorillas for 4 hours, and they are given an extra chance of making them get used to human presence.

Gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation start with a briefing at the park headquarters where the trekkers are taught about the dos and don’ts of the activity. After the briefing, based on some reasons such as physical fitness, age, and size, the rangers group the trekkers into 8 if they are going for trekking, and 4 if they are going for habituation. From here ranger guides lead the trekkers into the jungle to look for the mountain gorillas through different park trails, and on meeting them, they are given 1 hour and 4 hours for gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation, respectively.

Gorilla permit prices for Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga national park

All people intending to trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga national park need to first secure themselves a gorilla permit. The gorilla permit is the most necessary thing for one to spend time with the mountain gorillas. Both national parks have the same price for a gorilla trekking as it goes for $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and Shs250,000 for East African citizens. The gorilla habituation permits which permit a traveler to be with mountain gorillas for 4 hours are sold at a fee of $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 foreign residents, and Shs750,000 citizens of East Africa.

Where to stay after booking flying safaris to see mountain gorillas in Uganda?

Travelers to fly to Uganda for mountain gorilla trekking don’t need to worry about where they will stay because the national parks have so many accommodation facilities that are built-in and around the parks. These accommodation facilities offer the best services, with some that are being ranked among the best in Africa.

The accommodation in and around Mgahinga national park includes Lake Mulehe Lodge, Lake Chahafi Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Muhabura Climbers Rest Camp, Travellers Rest Hotel, Gahinga Lodge, Lake Chahafi Resort, Air Land Hotel, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Sabyinyo Guest House, Muhabura Motel, Mondi Lodge Kisoro, Kisoro Tourist Hotel, Gorilla Hills Eco-Lodge, and Virunga Campsite and Backpackers among others.

Accommodation in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park includes Gorilla Safari Lodge, Bwindi Backpackers Lodge, Bakiga Lodge, Gorilla Mist Camp, Silverback Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla havens lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Safari Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Trekkers Tavern, Engagi lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Safari Lodge, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Agadi Eco Lodge, and Volcanoes Safaris Bwindi Lodge among others.

What is the best time for booking flying safaris to see mountain gorillas in Uganda

Tourists can fly into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga national park to trek mountain gorillas at any time of the year. The country has 2 different seasons which are a dry season of June to September and December to February and the rainy season of March to May and October to November. The dry season, however, is the best time to fly to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga national park, given the fact that the weather conditions are good, the rainfall is little or not there at all, you will find the trekking trails dry and slippery, and the vegetation thin hence giving you clear views of the park’s animals.

Tourists can also fly into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga national park for mountain gorilla trekking in the rainy season so as to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation options. The rainy season is, however, characterized by too much rainfall that makes the trekking trails slippery and the vegetation is always thick, giving unclear views of the park animals. Travelers intending to fly to Uganda for mountain gorilla trekking activities are advised to book their gorilla trekking permits in advance of 3-4 months to avoid inconveniences since the permits are served on a first-come, first-serve basis.

What to do with Africa Adventure Vacations?

Africa Adventure Vacations is a tour company based in Uganda licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board and a member of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators. Booking with Africa adventure vacations provides you safety and confidence during your safari courtesy of well-trained safari driver guides who are well conversant with all routes and tourism destinations in Africa. You can book with us any of the activities you want to do in Africa such as mountain gorilla trekking in Volcanoes national park, mountain gorilla habituation, Chimpanzee trekking and habituation, birding, golden monkey trekking, game drives, hiking, nature walks, and community tours among others. Booking flying safaris to see mountain gorillas in Uganda. can be done at any time of the year.