Gorilla permit price in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park vs volcanoes national park

What is the price for gorilla permit in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park vs Volcanoes national park? So many questions have been asked when it comes to trekking permits for mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and volcanoes national park Rwanda. Most of the questions are based on the fact that gorilla permits for volcanoes national parks are more expensive than those of Uganda. Gorilla trekking permits in Rwanda are more expensive than those of Uganda reason being Rwanda promotes her gorilla tourism as a luxury destination while Uganda wants her gorilla tourism to be affordable to everyone.  Gorilla permits in Bwindi permit you to spend 1 hour with mountain gorillas the same applies to volcanoes national park. The only difference between gorilla tourism in Rwanda and Uganda is that Bwindi has an option of gorilla habituation which allows you to spend 4 hours around mountain gorillas.

The gorilla permit price in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park costs $700 foreign non-residents, $600 foreign residents, and UGX250,000 East African citizens. The gorilla permit is issued out by the Uganda wildlife authority and gives you an opportunity to spend a maximum of one hour with mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park allows only 8 visitors per group to see the gorillas for only one on the other hand  Gorilla habituation in Bwindi costs $1500 allowing you to stay 4 hours with mountain gorillas. Gorilla habituation is done under the guidance of researchers and trackers. Uganda gorilla permits are got from the Uganda wildlife authority or through any trusted tour operator.

Gorilla trekking permits in volcanoes national park costs $1500 per person per trek and this permit gives you an opportunity to spend one hour around these gentle apes. there are 20 habituated gorilla families in volcanoes national park of which 10 are open for research and 10 for trekking. Since only 8 people are allowed to trek mountain gorillas it means 80 permits are available for trekking in Rwanda. Gorilla permits for volcanoes national parks can be got direct from Rwanda Development Board or through any trusted tour operator.

Mountain gorillas can be both in both Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and volcanoes national park and there is no difference in trekking mountain gorillas in these two national parks. The difference is mountain gorillas of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park live in the tropical and sub-tropical forests while those of volcanoes national park live in the bamboo type of vegetation. There are 100% chances of seeing mountain gorillas in both volcanoes national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. Accessing volcanoes national park from Kigali city takes only 2-3 hours and for the case of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, it’s 9-10 hours from Kampala city.

What is the best national park between volcanoes of Rwanda and Bwindi of Uganda? Volcanoes national park is considered to be the best national park for gorilla trekking. The reason behind this is the 2-3 hours taken to access the park from Kigali city and the other reason is that trekkers take little hours to locate mountain gorillas, unlike Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. Tourists to Uganda must take 9-10 hours to reach Bwindi impenetrable forest national park from Kampala or Entebbe. Trekking mountain gorillas in Bwindi have been eased because one can move from Kigali to Rwanda taking only 4-5 hours to reach the park. Trekking mountain gorillas in Bwindi from Kigali requires one to have an East Africa tourist visa which allows a traveler to move to different countries of East Africa. The only advantage of trekking mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is that the trekking permits are cheap.

Comparing lodges in volcanoes national park with those in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

The accommodation facilities in both volcanoes national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park range from camps, to budget to mid-range to luxury options. These accommodation facilities are found within or around national parks. If you are interested in sleeping in luxurious accommodation facilities then we do recommend you volcanoes national park inside of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.  Some of the luxury lodges in Volcanoes national park include Bisate Lodge, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, Virunga lodge, Gorilla View lodge, and Singa Kwitonda lodge.

Comparing gorilla families in volcanoes national park with those in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

After comparing the price of gorilla permit in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and volcanoes national park, we need to look at the gorilla families for both destinations. There are more gorilla families in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park than those in volcanoes national park. Volcanoes national park has only 10 habituated gorilla families that are open for trekking while Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has 19 that are open for trekking while 2 are open for gorillas’ habituation.  When it comes to gorilla permits Uganda has 152 gorilla trekking and 8 gorilla habituation permits every day while volcanoes national park has 80 gorilla trekking permits every day.

What is the best time to trek mountain gorillas in East Africa?

East Africa can be visited at any time of the year but the best time to visit the gorilla parks volcanoes Rwanda and Bwindi of Uganda are the drier months of June to September and December to January. During the drier months, there is little or no rainfall meaning the trekking trails in the parks are less muddy or slippery, the vegetation in the parks is thin giving clear views of animals and photography, and lastly, the roads leading to the parks are passable. Traveling in the rainy months gives you an opportunity to get cheap accommodation facilities but there is heavy rainfall.