How much does it cost to see mountain gorillas in Bwindi?

How much does it cost to see mountain gorillas in Bwindi Uganda? Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is the first name that comes to your mind when it comes to gorilla trekking in the world. This is so because the park harbors more than half of the mountain gorilla population that is left in the world. It’s located in the southwestern part of the country neighboring Mgahinga national park which also harbors mountain gorillas.

The first thing you need to spend 1 or 4 hours with mountain gorillas is either a gorilla trekking permit or a gorilla habituation permit. These permits are issued out by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to all persons above the age of 15 years. The national park is open for trekking and habituation activities at any time of the year.

What is the cost of a gorilla permit in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park?

Still looking for information on how much it will cost you to see mountain gorillas in Bwindi; To trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, you need to have a valid mountain gorilla trekking permit or gorilla habituation permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority. Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has 2 gorilla permits with the first one being the gorilla habituation permit sold at a fee of $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 foreign residents, and Shs750,000 East African citizens.

The gorilla trekking permit that allows tourists to be around mountain gorillas for 1 hour is sold at a fee of $700 foreign non-residents, $600 foreign residents, and Shs250,000 citizens of East Africa. The permits are sold to persons above the age of 15 years and they are sold by the Uganda Wildlife Authority a body in charge of tourism in Uganda.

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is home to over 19 habituated mountain gorilla families and only 2 semi habituated families which means that the park has over 152 gorilla trekking permits and 8 gorilla habituation permits. These gorilla trekking permits are few compared to the number of people who trek on daily a basis so we normally advise our clients to book their gorilla trekking permits in advance of 3-4 months.

How to book gorilla permits for Bwindi impenetrable forest national park?

After knowing how much it will cost to see mountain gorillas in Bwindi, you need to book gorilla permits in Uganda. At Africa Adventure Vacations limited, we do help tourists who would want to visit Uganda for mountain gorilla trekking and get them gorilla trekking permits. What we normally ask are the travel dates when the client wants to trek mountain gorillas, and when we get these dates we go further to check for the availability of the trekking or habituation permits with the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

When the trekking permits are available on the given dates, we do send you an email containing ways you can send us money for booking and once we have received the money, we go further and book for you the permits. After booking the permits, we send you scanned copies for confirmation. Travelers who are intending to visit Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in the dry season are advised to book their gorilla trekking or habituation permits in advance of 3-4 months in order to avoid inconveniences since permits are sold on a first come first serve basis.

Gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

Mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is done in 4 sectors of the park while mountain gorilla habituation is done in only 2 sectors which are Rushaga and Nkuringo mountain gorilla families. Gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation start with a briefing at the sector offices and for this matter, the trekkers are expected to be at the starting point early in the morning.

During the briefing session, the trekkers are taught about the dos and don’ts of gorilla trekking or habituation and from here they are grouped not exceeding 8 for the case of gorilla trekking and 4 for the case of gorilla habituation. After the briefing, the trekkers are led into the jungle by the rangers who take them through different park trails searching for the mountain gorillas. During the search, there are opportunities of meeting different park animals, birds, and different vegetation types.

One meeting the mountain gorillas, the trekkers are allowed to be around mountain gorillas for one hour that for the case of gorilla trekking and during this 1 hour, they get opportunities of taking photos, watching mountain gorillas do daily activities and learning more about their habits. Trekkers on a gorilla habituation experience on meeting the mountain gorillas, they are given 4 hours to be around mountain gorillas, and during this time they are able to make mountain gorillas get used to human presence, watch them do daily activities, and take photos.

What is the best time to visit Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and spend time with mountain gorillas?

All sectors of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park are open for mountain gorilla trekking and habituation at any time of the year. The park has got the rainy season happening in March to May and October to November and the dry season happening in December to February and June to September. The dry season has been considered as the best for mountain gorilla trekking and habituation the fact that the rainfall during this season is little or sometimes not there at all.

During the dry season, the trekking trails in the park are dry and less muddy, the vegetation in the park is thin which leads to a clear view of the park animals, and the roads leading to the different sectors of the park are passable. Travelers intending to visit any of the four sectors of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in the dry season are advised to book their gorilla trekking or habituation permits in advance of 3-4 months in order to avoid inconveniences.

Tourists can as well visit any of the four sectors of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in the rainy season and during this season, they get huge discounts on accommodation facilities but in the same season, there is heavy rainfall that makes the trekking trails slippery and muddy, the vegetation is always thick with unclear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park are passable.

Accommodation in the different sectors of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

If you are planning to visit Bwindi impenetrable forest national park you need to know that you have to sleep in accommodation facility of the sector that you are going to trek or habituate the mountain gorillas. Each sector has got accommodation options ranging from budget to midrange to luxury options.

Buhoma sector – Buhoma Lodge, Trekkers Tavern, Engagi lodge, Jungle View Lodge, Silverback Lodge, Gorilla Conservation Camp, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Bwindi View Lodge, Lake Kitandara Bwindi Camp, Mahogany Springs, Gorilla resort, Jungle View Lodge, Buhoma Community Rest Camp, and Volcanoes Safaris Bwindi Lodge among others.

Rushaga sector- Bwindi Backpackers Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla havens lodge, Gorilla Safari Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Four Gorilla Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Nshongi Camp, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, and Rushaga Gorilla Camp among others.

Ruhija sector – Gorilla Mist Camp, Ruhija campsite, Ruhija Safari Lodge, Gift of nature lodge, Broadbill Forest Camp, Bakiga Lodge, Ruhija Community Rest Camp, Cuckooland Tented Camp, Agadi Eco Lodge, and Trekkers Tavern cottages among others.

Nkuringo sector – Bwindi Back Packer’s Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Safari Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Safari Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, and Crested Crane Bwindi lodge among others.

How to get to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park can be accessed by air transport from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport to Kisoro airstrip for those going to the southern sector and Kihihi airstrip for those going in Buhoma or Ruhija sector of the park in just 2 hours. The flights are conducted by AeroLink Uganda and Fly Uganda and upon arrival at the airport, the guide is always ready to drive you to the park or lodge.

By road transport, the tourists can move to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park using Kampala/Entebbe – Masaka – Mbarara – Kabale or Kisoro road, and this journey takes 8-9 hours. tourists in Kigali city can access any of the sectors of Bwindi in 4-5 hours using Cyanika border in Kisoro and Katuna birder in Kabale.

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. Feel free to contact us on how much it will cost you to see mountain gorillas in Bwindi Uganda? can be done at any time of the year.