How much does it cost to spend 1 hour with mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park?

How much does it cost to spend 1 hour with mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park? Mgahinga is located in the southwestern part of Uganda and one of the 4 national parks in the world that harbor mountain gorillas other than Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, volcanoes national park, and Virunga national park. Mountain gorillas are endangered species of primates sharing over 98% human DNA so it’s every person’s dream come true when they spend some time with mountain gorillas. Mgahinga national park is comprised of bamboo type of vegetation where these apes have found their home.

To trek mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park requires one to have a gorilla permit and the permit rules allow each trekker to be around mountain gorillas for a maximum of only 1 hour. During the 1 hour, the trekkers are given chances of watching mountain gorillas do their daily activities like playing, hunting, breastfeeding, you are allowed to ask the ranger guides any question you want and also take photos.

Mgahinga national park is open for mountain gorilla trekking every day and to access the park you need to use road transport or air transport. Mountain gorilla trekking is not the only activity done in Mgahinga national park but also hiking which is done on the 3 Virunga volcanoes namely Sabinyo, Gahinga, and Muhabura, golden monkey trekking, Batwa cultural experience, and birding to mention but a few.

Cost of the gorilla trekking permit for Nyakagezi gorilla family.

To trek Nyakagezi gorilla family in Mgahinga national park, you need to have be having 15 years and above and you must be having a valid gorilla trekking permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. The gorilla permit for the Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family in Mgahinga national park costs $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and shs250,000 for East African citizens.

The gorilla trekking permits allow trekkers to be around Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family for a maximum of 1 hour and during this hour, they are allowed to take photos, learn about the mountain gorilla habits by asking rangers questions, and watch the mountain gorillas do daily activities like playing, hunting, breastfeeding, nesting and much more.

There are only 8 gorilla trekking permits in Mgahinga national park every day since the park has only 1 habituated mountain gorilla family. The gorilla trekking permits are sold by the Uganda Wildlife Authority on a first come first serve basis. We therefore advise our clients to book their gorilla trekking permits in advance of 3-4 months in order to avoid inconveniences since the permits are issued out on a first come first serve basis.

How to book a gorilla permit for Mgahinga national park?

Africa adventure vacations limited helps clients on booking gorilla trekking permits for Mgahinga national park. All we request from you, in the beginning, are the dates that they would want to spend time with the mountain gorillas and we use these dates to check for the availability of the gorilla trekking permits with the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Once the dates you want to travel have gorilla permits for Mgahinga available, we hall send you an email containing details of how you can send money to us and then we book for you the permits. After securing you the permits, we shall send you scanned copies for your records. Normally we request travelers intending to trek mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park most especially those planning to do so in the dry season to book their permits in advance of 3-4 months to avoid being left out since the permits are sold on a first come first serve basis.

What to pack for mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park?

It’s good to know what to put together in order to have the best gorilla trekking experience in Mgahinga national park. what to pack is very easy and shouldn’t make you get worried and panic. The packing list includes simple things like waterproof hiking shoes, hiking gloves, a pair of gaiters, sunscreen, a hat, light backpack, camera and extra batteries, long-sleeved clothes, a rain jacket, enough drinking water, insect repellents, energy-giving snacks, face masks and sanitizer.

What is the best time to visit Nyakagezi gorilla family?

After knowing how much it will cost you to spend 1 hour with mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park, you need to know the best time to visit Uganda. Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family is open for trekking every day of the year. The national park experiences two seasons which are dry and the other rainy. Travelers are advised to visit Mgahinga national park in the dry season of December to January and June to September because during these seasons, there is little or no rainfall which means that the trekking trails in the park are less muddy and dry, the vegetation is thin with clear views of the mountain gorillas, and the roads leading to the park are passable.

Travelers can as well visit Mgahinga national park for Nyakagezi family trekking in the rainy season and during this time they benefit from huge discounts on accommodation. Trekking mountain gorillas in the rainy season might take a smaller time since mountain gorillas don’t go so further to look for food since it’s plenty but the trekking trails are slippery and wet due to too much rainfall therefore you need to come along with the waterproof hiking boots. The rainy season happens in March to May and October to November.

Accommodation on a gorilla trekking safari in Mgahinga national park

Mgahinga national park has several accommodation options built within and around the park to offer tourists a comfortable stay while on a visit to the park. Some of the accommodation facilities in and around Mgahinga national park include includes Lake Mulehe Lodge, Gorilla Hills Eco-Lodge, Muhabura Climbers Rest Camp, Lake Chahafi Lodge, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Travellers Rest Hotel, Gahinga Lodge, Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge, Sabyinyo Guest House, Muhabura Motel, Lake Chahafi Resort, Air Land Hotel, Mondi Lodge Kisoro, Kisoro Tourist Hotel, and Virunga Campsite and Backpackers among others

How to access Mgahinga national park for Nyakagezi family trekking?

Mgahinga national park can be accessed by air transport from Kajjansi airstrip and Entebbe international airport to Kisoro airstrip using AeroLink Uganda and Fly Uganda. The flights take about 2 hours and on arriving at the airstrip, the driver guide will be readily waiting for you to transport you to the park or to the lodge.

Travelers can also access Mgahinga national park by road transport from Kampala/Entebbe using Masaka – Mbarara – Kabale and Kisoro road to the park and this journey takes 8-9 hours of beautiful view of the countryside. Travelers from Kigali can reach Mgahinga national park in just 4-5 hours using katuna border in Kabale or cyanika birder in Kisoro.

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 fee to contact us on cost you can spend for 1 hour tour with mountain gorillas in Mgahinga national park.