Booking Uganda mountain gorilla safari from Europe

Booking mountain gorilla safari in Uganda from Europe- Uganda is one of the countries in the world where mountain gorilla trekking is done. Tourists from Europe that are intending to visit Uganda will have to visit only 2 national parks because it’s where the mountain gorillas do live. The 2 national parks in Uganda where mountain gorillas do live are Mgahinga national park which has 1 habituated mountain gorilla family and then Bwindi impenetrable forest national park a home to 19 habituated mountain gorilla families and 2 semi habituated gorilla families.

Travelers from Europe will have to first get a gorilla trekking permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority which can also be got through a trusted tour operator before flying to Entebbe international airport or Kigali international airport. The national parks can be accessed by both air and road transport from Kampala/Entebbe or Kigali city and this can be at any time of the year. Trekking mountain gorillas in Uganda is one of the dreams come true for most of the travelers reason being the country is home to more than half of the mountain gorilla population that is left in the wild.

Where to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda from Europe?

We would like to inform tourists from Europe that mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda is done in 2 national parks and these are all found in the southwestern part of the country. Mountain gorillas in Uganda do live in Mgahinga national park where we find a small population of those surviving in the world and the other population is found in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and it’s in this park that we find more than a half of the mountain gorilla population.

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park alone has 19 habituated mountain gorillas available for mountain gorilla trekking of which 7 are found in Rushaga sector, 5 are found in Buhoma sector, 4 in Ruhija sector, and 3 are in Nkuringo sector. Mgahinga national park, on the other hand, has only 1 fully habituated mountain gorilla family and this is called Nyakagezi with 9 members of which 5 are silverbacks.

Mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda from Europe

If you are in Europe and you are intending to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda you should go through all the steps of the gorilla trekking activity. All people must have a gorilla permit in order to trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park or Mgahinga gorilla park. on the day of the briefing, people from all parts of the world il have to gather at the briefing point early in the morning to hear what the trekkers have to say.

At the briefing points, the trekkers will be taught about the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking, the sick will be isolated and grouping will be don not exceeding 8. After all this is done, the trekkers will be led by different ranger guides through the different park or sector trails as they look for the mountain gorillas. While searching, they will have chances of meeting different park animals and these include elephants, buffaloes, giant forest hogs, duikers, birds, and different vegetation covers.

When the trekkers meet the mountain gorilla family that they have been looking for, they will be given a maximum of 1 hour to be around these giant apes, and during the hour give the trekkers can watch the mountain gorillas do daily activities like hunting, silverbacks patrolling, nesting, get to learn about the mountain gorilla habits by asking ranger guides as many questions as they want about these apes and taking the photos. After gorilla trekking, the trekkers can have lunch in the bush or trek back to the starting point and get their gorilla trekking certificates.

How much is gorilla trekking in Uganda from Europe?

Travelers from Europe that want to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda are referred to as foreign non-residents so they will have to pay $700 to spend 1 hour with mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. If you are a foreign resident of Uganda but from Europe you will have to pay 600 and if you are an East African citizen but in Europe may be on a holiday you will have to pay shs250,000 only to trek mountain gorillas and spend 1 hour around them.

The mountain gorilla trekking permits in Uganda are sold by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and on a first come first serve basis which means that if you are planning to visit the country you should at least book 3-4 months in advance in order to avoid inconveniences. The country has about 160 mountain gorilla trekking permits every day and during the dry season, these trekking permits tend out to sell out quickly because this is the most appropriate time for travelers to come to the dry due to the good nature of the weather.

Ways of booking mountain gorilla trekking safari permits in Uganda from Europe

Africa adventure vacations limited does help tourists in Europe intending to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda on booking the gorilla permits. If you are in Europe and you want to trek mountain gorillas but you haven’t gotten a permit, you can contact Africa Adventure Vacations limited by sending them an email containing the dates that you would want to trek the mountain gorillas. We shall use these dates to check for the availability of the trekking permits with the Uganda Wildlife Authority and once the permits are available, we shall request you to send us money and once we have received the money, we shall go-ahead to book the permits and send you a scanned copy.

Tourists in Europe can also book the gorilla trekking permits themselves using the Uganda Wildlife Authority website and this is simply done by sending them an email containing the dates that you would want to travel and once they have read your email and found out that the permits are available. They will send you an email containing details of how you can send them the money and once they have received the money, they will go further to book for you a gorilla permit. We advise travelers in Europe to book their trekking permits in advance of 3-4 months to avoid inconveniences since the permits sell out quickly.

What is the best time for Booking Uganda mountain gorilla safari from Europe?

Tourists in Europe that are planning to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda can do so at any time of the year however some months are better than the rest. The drier months are the best for mountain gorilla trekking safari in Uganda if you are from Europe and this is because during the drier months of June to September and December to February. During the dry season, there is little or no rainfall in the park, the trekking trails are less muddy and not slippery, the vegetation is thin and the roads to the park are passable

Accessing Uganda’s national parks for mountain gorilla trekking

Travelers from Europe have to take flights to Entebbe international airport or Kigali international airport to access Uganda’s national park. Those from Kigali will use road transport and go through Cyanika border in Kisoro and Katuna border in Kabale to any of the parks taking hours.

Those from Europe that will land at Entebbe international airport can use road transport from Kampala/Entebbe to Masaka – Mbarara – Kabale or Kisoro and then to the park. The journey from Kampala/Entebbe takes 8-9 hours and during these hours, you will have a stopover at the equator, pass through Lake Mburo national park, and have a beautiful view of the countryside.

Another way the tourists from Europe can access Bwindi impenetrable forest national park or Mgahinga is by taking chattered flights from Kajjansi or Entebbe international airport to Kihihi airstrip for those going to Buhoma and Ruhija airstrip then Kisoro airstrip for those going to Mgahinga national park and Nkuringo or Rushaga sectors of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.

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, mountain gorilla habituation, Chimpanzee trekking and habituation, birding, golden monkey trekking, game drives, hiking, nature walks, and community tours among others. Booking Uganda mountain gorilla safari from Europe can be done at any time of the year.