How many hours is a person allowed to spend with mountain gorillas?
How many hours is a person allowed to spend with mountain gorillas in Uganda? So many travelers that want to visit Africa for mountain gorilla trekking have been asking themselves about this question. They imagine how much time can be given to trekkers to be around mountain gorillas. The answer is one of four, but this depends on the country you are trekking with mountain gorillas from. In DR Congo and Rwanda, it only takes 1 hour since they have gorilla trekking activities only. In the case of Uganda, it is either 1 hour for gorilla trekking or 4 hours for gorilla habituation.
Gorillas in Africa live in three different countries and some of these have been habituated and open for gorilla tourism. The first is Uganda, which has more than half of the mountain gorilla population in just Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, and Mgahinga Gorilla Park has about 80 individuals. Other countries where people can trek these endangered mountain gorillas include Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
Gorilla activities are done throughout the year and the parks can be accessed by both air and road transport. Gorilla activities in all countries are done by children aged 15 years and above and start with a briefing at the park headquarters on how you will behave around the mountain gorillas. Once you meet them, the hours start counting, but during this time, the trekkers can learn about their habits, watch them play, and take photos.
The number of hours a person spends with mountain gorillas
If you are looking for how many hours a person is allowed to spend with mountain gorillas, all the countries harboring mountain gorillas have the same time that trekkers spend with the endangered mountain gorillas. These countries are Uganda, Rwanda, and DR Congo. Uganda has the highest number of habituated mountain gorillas, totaling 20, followed by Rwanda with 10, and lastly, the Democratic Republic of Congo with only 8. These mountain gorillas are seen by only 8 people every day, accompanied by the rangers, and in the case of the gorilla habituation experience, it’s only 4 people.
The total time given to trekkers to be with mountain gorillas is 1 hour for the case of gorilla trekking and 4 hours for gorilla habituation experience. During this time, the trekkers must obey the rules and regulations that were given to them at the briefing center, such as keeping a distance of 7 meters, lowering voices, and capturing photos using flash-less cameras.
What are the requirements for a person to spend one hour with mountain gorillas?
The one and only password necessary for one to spend time with mountain gorillas is a valid gorilla trekking permit. These gorilla permits are sold by different bodies in charge of gorilla tourism in different countries. The Uganda Wildlife Authority is responsible for Uganda, the Rwanda Development Board is responsible for Rwanda, and those seeking permits for the Democratic Republic of the Congo can do so through the Virunga National Park website.
Gorilla permits can also be booked using Africa Adventure Vacations Limited, and we can help you secure permits for any of these national parks. We normally advise travelers to book with us in advance of 3-4 months because the permits sell out quickly, especially if you are planning to trek in the dry season. The gorilla permit allows trekkers to be with mountain gorillas for one hour, capturing photos and videos, watching them do daily activities like hunting, patrol, play, and learning about their habits.
What does one need to spend four hours with mountain gorillas?
To spend up to 4 hours with endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, travelers need to have a gorilla habituation permit. The gorilla habituation permit is bought from Uganda Wildlife Authority or can be booked through a trusted local tour operator such as Africa Adventure vacations.
Gorilla habituation permits are only 8 in Uganda and these are for the 2 gorilla habituation groups only found in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. The gorilla habituation experience is done in Bushaho and Bikingi, all of which find their homes in the southern sector of the park. Habituation allows a trekker to be around mountain gorillas for 4 hours while making them get used to human presence, watch them do daily activities like hunting and capturing pictures or videos.
What is the number of people allowed to trek the mountain gorillas?
There are two ways of spending time with mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. The first one is gorilla trekking and the second one is gorilla habituation. Different numbers of people are allowed to be around mountain gorillas. For gorilla trekking, there are only 8 people that are allowed to trek a single gorilla family for 1 hour, and for gorilla habituation, there are 4 people that are joined by rangers and researchers to be around mountain gorillas for 4 hours.
How to book a gorilla permit in Africa
Travelers intending to visit Africa for gorilla safaris can book their permits with Africa adventure vacations. We are one of the best tour companies you can rely on to organize gorilla safaris in any African country. is licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board and is allowed to operate in all gorilla countries, which are Rwanda, Uganda, and DR Congo.
When you book a gorilla safari to Africa using Africa Adventure Vacations, all we need from you are the travel dates and the destination you would want to visit. Once we have received the travel dates and the destination, we shall go further to check for availability of the permits with the Uganda Wildlife Authority for the case of Uganda, Rwanda development board in Rwanda, and Virunga national park website for DR Congo. When the permits are available, we shall request you to send us money and once we have received it, we shall go further and book for you one when you have sent us the money for booking. We normally send scanned copies of the permits for confirmation.
What is the best time to spend time with mountain gorillas in Africa?
All-mountain gorilla countries have got good climatic conditions with 2 seasons. There is the dry season and the wet season in all these national parks. The countries can be visited at any time of year for mountain gorilla trekking, but the best time is in the dry season. The dry season normally happens between June and September and between December and February. During these months, the rainfall is less, the vegetation is thin, giving clear views of the gorillas and other park animals, the photography is good, the trekking trails are less muddy and not slippery, and the roads leading to the parks are dry.
Travelers can also visit Africa for mountain gorilla trekking or habituation in the rainy season and this favors budget travelers. Budget travelers can get discounts on accommodation facilities during this time. The rainy season happens from March to May and October to November and is characterized by heavy rainfall which makes the trekking trails slippery and muddy, the vegetation thick, giving unclear views of animals, and the roads to the park slippery.
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 in Nyungwe, birding, golden monkey trekking, game drives, hiking, nature walks, and community tours, among others. Feel free to ask us on a number of hours a person is allowed to spend with mountain gorillas.