Trekking gorillas and chimpanzees from Mbarara

Is it possible to book trekking gorillas and chimpanzees from Mbarara western Uganda? Mbarara city is one fastest growing city in the country located in the southwest. There are so many people living in Mbarara and for this matter, we are glad to inform people that would want to discover Uganda that they can trek primates in any part of the country. Mbarara people can trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga national park, they can also trek chimpanzees in so many places around the country such as Kibale forest national park, Budongo forest national park, Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park, and much more.

Africa Adventure Vacations Limited helps tourists on organizing mountain gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safaris from Mbarara and all they first do is book the trekking permits and this is better done 3-4 months in advance. When booking the permits, we do ask for the dates of travel and use these dates to check for the availability with Uganda Wildlife Authority. Once the gorilla permits are available, we ask for payment and secure a permit for you after which can go ahead and book accommodation facilities in the different parks on a safari, and for the case of transport, we do have so many safari vehicles.

Mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda from Mbarara

In every national park, mountain gorilla trekking starts with a briefing which means tourists from Mbarara will have to wake up early in the morning and gather at the briefing points of the park or sectors where they will find the rangers ready to teach them about the rules and regulations of the mountain gorilla trekking activity.

After the briefing, the trekkers including those from Mbarara will be grouped not exceeding 8 and different ranger guides will lead them through different park trails looking for mountain gorillas. During the search, the trekkers are likely to see some of the park animals such as giant forest hogs, elephants, bush pigs, duikers, buffaloes, birds, and different plant species. on meeting the mountain gorilla family, the trekkers will be given 1 hour to be around the mountain gorilla families and during this time, they will learn about their habits, watch them do daily activities, and get to take photos.

Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda from Mbarara

On the day of chimpanzee trekking in all chimpanzee places, trekkers from Mbarara are expected to be at the briefing points where they will have to join other trekkers for a briefing from the ranger guides. At the briefing points, the ranger guides teach the trekkers about the dos and don’ts of chimpanzee trekking activity and from here grouping is done and the armed ranger guides lead the trekkers through different park trails.

While going through different park trails looking for the chimpanzees, the trekkers are likely to see some of the animals, primates, birds, and different plant species. After meeting the chimpanzee families, the trekkers are given 1 hour to around these primates and during this hour they can learn about their habits, watch them do daily activities like breastfeeding, hunting, nesting, and taking photos.

Places to have gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safaris from Mbarara

Below are the best places to book trekking gorillas and chimpanzees from Mbarara;

Mountain gorillas

With mountain gorilla trekking, people from Mbarara have to know that there are only places in the country where mountain gorilla trekking can be done. The 2 places where mountain gorilla trekking can be done are Mgahinga national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. All of these national parks are located in the southwestern part of the country in Kisoro, Kabale, and Kanungu districts.

There are over 20 mountain gorilla trekking families that are open for tourism for people from Mbarara and even those from different parts of the world. 19 f these mountain gorilla families are in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and spread in the 4 sectors of the park – Nkuringo, Rushaga, Ruhija, and Buhoma, while the other 1 gorilla family left is found in Mgahinga national park.

Mountain gorilla trekking is the most done activity in these national parks and trekking them will require people from Mbarara to have valid gorilla trekking permits. The gorilla trekking permits are issued out by the Uganda Wildlife Authority at a fee of $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 foreign residents, and shs250,000 East African citizens. Are you in Mbarara and would want to trek mountain gorillas in the dry season, we advise you to book your gorilla permit in advance of 3-4 months to avoid last-minute disappointments?

Chimpanzees

Uganda is blessed with so many places where chimpanzees have found their homes. Tourists in Mbarara have a lot of options from where they can trek endangered chimpanzees from. Some of the places where tourists in Mbarara can trek the chimpanzees from include Kibale forest national park, Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park, Budongo forest national park next to Murchison falls national park, Kalinzu forest in Bushenyi, and Toro Semuliki reserve among others.

Among the above places, we would recommend Kibale forest national park for chimpanzee trekking because the park has the highest number of chimpanzees in the world as well as the highest number of fully habituated chimpanzee families. Travelers from Mbarara will have to first secure a permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority to be able to trek any of the habituated chimpanzee families in Kibale forest national park and these permits for at a fee of $200 foreign non-residents, $150 foreign residents, and shs150,000 citizens of East Africa.

When is the best time to book a gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari from Mbarara?

Booking of gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari in Uganda from Mbarara can be done at any time of the year. But travelers who are intending to visit the parks most especially in the dry season of June to September and December to February need to book 3-4 months in advance if they want to avoid last-minute disappointments. Booking in advance helps you to get the permits early and this will rest assure you of meeting these primates in their natural habitats.

What is the best time for trekking gorillas and chimpanzees from Mbarara?

Tourists in Mbarara can have gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safaris around Uganda at any time of the year but there are some months that are better than the rest. The drier months are the best for mountain gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Uganda from Mbarara and these happen in June to September and December to February. The dry months are characterized by little or no rainfall, the trekking trails in the park are dry, the vegetation in the parks is thin giving clear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the parks are passable.

Tourists in Mbarara can as well book trekking mountain gorillas and chimpanzees in Uganda in the rainy seasons to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities. The rainy season in Uganda happens in March to May and October to November and during these months, there is plenty of rainfall, the trekking trails are muddy and slippery, the vegetation in the park is thick giving unclear views of primates and the roads to the park are impassable.