Uganda is home to the largest and most closely monitored community of mountain gorillas, split across two national parks: Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park.
Self-driving to Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga National Park is a thrilling way to get to one of the most spectacular gorilla trekking destinations but most self-drivers don’t know how to go about it.
There is nothing more enthralling in this world than visiting the various national parks of Uganda on a Self-Drive vacation. This adventure is very exciting, exhilarating, and explorative as you encounter the different unique species of wildlife, and what a better way to do it on your own.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a prime safari destination, is located in southwestern Uganda, with thick vegetation like its name suggests. Every day when tourists go out for the famous gorilla trekking adventure the ranger guides have to cut vegetation for trackers to access way to where gorillas nested the previous night. It is the true African jungle with droplets of the sun coming through the think forest cover giving you a feeling of being in paradise with zero pollution from several emissions common to our daily environment. The
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994 because of its rich diversity in hosting different flora and fauna and being home to half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. The park covers an area of 321 km2 all of which is forested with some areas being covered by bamboo and shrubs. The forest lies on steep slippery valleys with ridges and hilltops.
The weather in Bwindi is chilly because of the immerse canopy, you are advised to carry some warm clothing for evenings and long sleeved shirts/trousers for trekking. For the ultimate experience to anyone who chooses to trek the mountain gorillas or search for birds, butterflies or shrubs, you need to be in good physical condition to go up and down the terrain. It lies at an altitude between 1160m-2607m above sea level.
Where to Trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest has twenty gorilla groups making it the best place or park where you can see the gorillas in the wild. Bwindi an ancient forest has 90 mammal species, 11 primates including the black and white colobus monkey.
Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Groups
- Ruhija Trek : with gorilla families, Mukiza, Oruzogo, Bitukura and Kyaguliro
- Buhoma Trek: Habinyanja, Katwe, Mubare, Rushegura
- Nkuringo Trek: Christmas, Nkuringo, Bushaho
- Rushaga Trek: Kutu, Bikingi, Mishaya, Bushigye, Kahungye, Rwigi, Bweza, Nshongi, Mucunguzi
HOW TO REACH BWINDI
By Road
Bwindi forest can be accessed from Queen Elizabeth National Park to the northern just 2 to 3 hours drive, from Kampala through Mbarara about 6 to 8 hours drive or from Kabale town to the southern just 1 to 2 hours.
By Air
Travelers can choose to fly from Entebbe or from Kampala at Kajansi airfield to the up to date tarmac airstrip found at Kisoro. Additionally Planes may as well be chartered to the Savannah or the grass Kayonza airstrips.
Bwindi is actually well served by 3 airfields at Kihiihi plus Kayonza for the northern area in addition to Nyakabande found in Kisoro for people going to track mountain gorillas within the southern area (Mishaya, Nshongi plus Nkuringo).
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the smallest park in Uganda covering an area of 33.7km2. It is located in the southwestern tip of Uganda in Kisoro district. The park adjoins Rwanda’s Volcano national park and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga national parks and is part of the Virunga conservation area. The park takes its name from “Gahinga” – the local word for piles of volcanic stones cleared from farmlands.
Gorilla Trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla national park
Gorilla tracking like all activities in Mgahinga gorilla national park is done on foot because the park is mainly mountainous. Early morning you will get to the starting point – Ntebeko gate at 8am where you receive a briefing about the expectations while you are tracking gorillas in Uganda. Your ranger guide will go ahead of you sharing stories of the gorilla highlands in Uganda. You will learn about the different members of the Nyakagezi family and general gorilla behaviors.
The ranger will be in touch with the earlier trackers who will share information on where the gorillas nested the previous night. Once they are located – you have an opportunity to spend upto one hour in the presence of gorillas. Remember that should you have a communicable disease, you will not be allowed to track gorillas to avoid likelihood of passing on the disease to the gorillas. Carry long sleeved shirts, trousers, garden cloves, sun hat, rain pocho, and insect repellant and sturdy boots.
Access to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
You can reach the park by road from Kampala via Kabale to Kisoro. You can also take scheduled or chartered flight from Entebbe to Kisoro.
Gorilla Habituation in Bwindi
Uganda is home to approximately half of the world’s endangered mountain gorilla population, and gorilla trekking in Uganda is one of the most incredible wildlife experiences on the continent.
- Standard gorilla treks give you the chance to spend up to one hour in the company of the gorillas in their natural habitat. This has been made possible by gently introducing the gorillas to human presence, a process that takes between 2 and 5 years. This is essential for the continued research, care and conservation of the gorillas.
- For those wishing to take a more active role in the protection and understanding of these gentle giants, you can join the rangers and conservationists in the habituation process of two more gorilla families in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga national park.
- During a habituation trek, you can spend up to 4 magical hours with these highly intelligent and emotional animals.
- It is an incredibly humbling experience, and the habituation process is fundamental to the continued protection of the gorillas.
How to Get Gorilla Permits
Within Uganda, gorilla trekking is conducted in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or in Mgahinga National Park. But because of the inconsistency of gorillas in Mgahinga, majority of the sold permits are for Bwindi NP. Gorilla trekking permit is at 700 USD and Gorilla habituation is at 1500 USD in Uganda.
On a single day, nearly 72 people travel into Bwindi to see gorillas and only 8 people are allowed to see a gorilla family. We strongly encourage you to book your gorilla permit with a safari agent or UWA, the most prominent mistake is to book a gorilla family which is far away from your choice of accommodation. The routes to Bwindi and its various regions are often tricky; this is a remote area. If you would like to do the gorilla trek on your own so as to save costs, you might end up incurring more. Safari guides have been trained to help you with this.
Best Times to Visit Uganda Gorillas
The best time to visit Uganda is during its two dry seasons: between December and February, and between June and August, when conditions are particularly good for trekking to see mountain gorillas.
Conclusion, Uganda has these two national parks for Gorillas in Bwindi and Mgahinga that give travelers a whole new experience while on a self-drive safari.