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Gorilla discovery is a safari tour and travel company based in Uganda, fully licensed to conduct safaris within Uganda and Rwanda. We offer several tours and safaris in Uganda including Gorilla Tours, wildlife adventures, mountaineering trips

Uganda gorilla trekking from the United States of America

Uganda gorilla trekking from the United States of America

Uganda gorilla trekking from the United States of America

Looking for Uganda gorilla trekking safaris from the United States of America? People from the United States of America can trek mountain gorillas in Uganda by doing an online booking with a trusted tour operator or booking themselves a ticket from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Choosing a tour operator means that they will do the booking of the permit for you, organize the transportation and also pay for the accommodation facilities. Uganda is one of the three countries where mountain gorillas are found and, in the country, you are lucky to meet them in two national parks that’s Mgahinga Gorilla Park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in southwestern Uganda.

Choosing the best tour operator in Uganda to arrange gorilla trekking safaris from the United States of America

Staying far from Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga Gorilla Park, you need a trusted tour operator to help you out on your gorilla safari when it comes to booking the permits, transport, and accommodation. There are different ways of choosing a tour operator and these include contacting all tour operators through emails by yourself, the service providers let’s say hotel owners, and transport companies, you can as well contact tour operators in the United States of America that offer gorilla safaris to Uganda.

So many tour operators are in Uganda offer gorilla safaris but choosing the best requires you to search if the company is licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board a body in charge of tourism in Uganda and also check if it’s a member of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators. Choosing a tour company based on the above two methods means you will put your money and a safari with the best company

You can also see the best companies on trip advisor and safari bookings Africa this is done by checking on reviews done by the previous clients who use the company. After looking at all this you can send emails to different tour companies and wait for what they will have to say. The best and responsible tour operators will reply faster than you can choose who is offering the best prices and offering the best activities. At the end of all this, you would have chosen the best tour operator for you.

Where to see mountain gorillas in Uganda

Looking for places to see gorillas on your Uganda gorilla trekking safari from the United States of America? Well, there are only 2 places in Uganda where one can meet mountain gorillas and these are Bwindi impenetrable forest national park with 19 habituated gorilla families and Mgahinga national park with 1 habituated gorilla family. People from the United States of America can fly into Uganda a home to more than half of the mountain gorilla population in the world and move to these places to meet eye to eye with these gentle creatures. Trekking mountain gorillas gives you an opportunity to spend a maximum of 1 hour with these endangered primates as you get to learn about their behaviors and take photos.

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

Bwindi impenetrable forest is home to more than half of the mountain gorilla population and is located in the southwestern part of Uganda. The Park is a home to over 19 habituated gorilla families and 2 gorilla families in Rushaga and Nkuringo sector going under habituation. The Park was gazette in 1991 to protect the remaining population of mountain gorillas which were getting to extinction by then. The Park as of now covers a total area of 331 sq. km

The gorilla habituated families in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park are scattered into different sectors of the park namely Nkuringo, Buhoma, Rushaga, and Ruhija. Every sector in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has its own gorilla families and accommodation facilities so before choosing the accommodation facilities you want to sleep in first know the park sector you are going to meet mountain gorillas.

Mgahinga national park

Covering a total area of 33.7 sq. km, Mgahinga Gorilla Park is home to more than 80 mountain gorillas and 1 habituated gorilla family called Nyakagezi. The Park is located in southwestern Uganda in the Kisoro district. Mgahinga is part of the Virunga conservation area together with volcanoes national park Rwanda as well as Virunga national park. Mgahinga Gorilla Park hosts some of the Virunga Mountains such as Mount Muhabura, Mount Gahinga, and Mount Sabyinyo. There are only 8 permits in Mgahinga gorilla park available for trekkers each day but other activities in the park include golden monkey trekking, cultural encounters, and birding.

How to book a gorilla permit in Uganda from the United States of America

Booking a gorilla permit in Uganda can be done directly through Uganda Wildlife Authority or by using a trusted tour operator. If you use a trusted tour operator, they will first check for availability of the permits on your travel date, month, and year, if the permits are available, the tour operator will get back to you and ask for the payment. Once the tour operator has received the money, they will secure a permit on your behalf and send you a scanned copy of the permit.

How much is a gorilla permit for foreign non-residents?

People from the United States of America are categorized as foreign non-residents meaning they pay $700. For Americans already living in Uganda, you pay $600 and these must possess a working permit valid for a year.

What is included in the cost of a gorilla permit in Uganda?

A gorilla permit in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga gorilla park includes guide fee, park entrance fees, community development contribution, and permits you to stay around mountain gorillas for a maximum of 1 hour if it’s a gorilla trekking permit and 4 hours if it’s a gorilla habituation permit. Don’t be misled that a gorilla permit includes accommodation fees, meals, and transport.

Reasons for trekking mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has the highest number of mountain gorillas in the world. Being home to over 19 habituated gorilla families, the park becomes the best place to trek mountain gorillas in the world with over 95% chances of seeing mountain gorillas. The Bwindi impenetrable forest is the only place where one can do mountain gorilla habituation in the world and this occurs in Nkuringo and Rushaga sectors. The gorilla habituation experience costs 1500 and allows you to stay around mountain gorillas for a maximum of 4 hours.

Number of gorilla trekking sectors in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has only 4 gorilla sectors and each sector has its own habituated gorilla family. These sectors are Ruhija in the east, Buhoma in the north, Nkuringo in the south, and Rushaga in the south. After securing a gorilla permit for Bwindi impenetrable forest national park you need to know the sector that you will be trekking in and then choose the accommodation because each sector has its own accommodation.

Reasons for trekking mountain gorillas in Mgahinga gorilla park

Mgahinga is one of the smallest national parks in Uganda covering 33.7 sq. km. The main reason why you need to trek mountain gorillas in Mgahinga gorilla park is that there is only 1 habituated gorilla family Nyakagezi implying less congestion in the park since only 8 people are allowed to trek a single gorilla family.

Accessing Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga gorilla park by road transport.

Both Mgahinga gorilla park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park are located in the southwestern part of eth country in the same areas. They can be accessed by road transport from Kigali through Katuna and Cyanika border taking you only 4-5 hours. The same parks can also be accessed from Kampala/Entebbe via Masaka – Mbarara- Kabale – Kisoro taking you about 9-10 hours.

Accessing Mgahinga Gorilla Park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park by air transport.

These gorilla parks can be both accessed by air transport from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airstrips using chattered flights like Aero link Uganda and Fly Uganda to Kihihi airstrip inside Bwindi impenetrable forest national park or Kisoro airstrip and then use ground transport means to the national parks for a few hours.

What to see in Uganda other than mountain gorillas?

There are so many things to see and do in Uganda apart from mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga national park. These include mammals and birds in different national parks of eth country such as Queen Elizabeth national park, Murchison falls national park, Kidepo valley national park, Semuliki national park, Lake Mburo national park and so many other game reserves. There is Kibale forest national park, Budongo forest, Kalinzu forest, Kyambura gorge, and Ngamba island sanctuary where you meet chimpanzees. There are boat cruises on different water bodies in Uganda and lastly different mountains to hike such as mountain Rwenzori, mountain Elgon, and mountain Moroto among others.