Across the world, the total number of mountain gorillas is estimated to be about 880 or so. Mountain gorilla is one of the eastern gorilla species and they are commonly seen in either the in central Africa’s Virunga volcanic mountains therefore are shared by Uganda in Mgahinga national park, Rwanda in volcanoes national park and DR. Congo in Virunga national park. Or, you can find them in Uganda’s Bwindi impenetrable national park. Much as Uganda, Rwanda and Congo have the same product, Uganda is a better choice because;
Uganda has the highest population of mountain gorillas
Uganda’s national parks have more than half of the entire world’s mountain gorilla population and this is because it has such a big number of them in Mgahinga but mostly in Bwindi forest. This means there are options to choose from and there is no traffic as there are 12 different families each with a big number of members accessible to tourists per day thus an advantage over the other 2 countries. You can go tracking in Mgahinga national park or go for any of the families in the southern and eastern part of Bwindi. Every day, a little over 100 tourists have the opportunity to go for a real trek to search for these mountain gorillas and get to see them in families of not less than 8 individuals.
Gorilla tracking is cheaper
It is true that gorilla tracking Uganda, Rwanda and Congo offers you the same satisfaction in the end. Uganda is however a better destination because we sell this experience at a cheaper price of only $600 per person compared to Rwanda that has over priced it to $1500 per person. In Uganda, we also offer discounted permits at $450 per person during the low seasons of April, May and November which are considered the low season and this is something that Rwanda does not offer thus making Uganda the ideal destination for those are on a tight budget. Congo offers the cheapest rates throughout the year but it is not that safe for tourists considering the ongoing instability in various parts of Congo. Safety is among the key factors to consider when your destinations. Please do not forget the when it comes to lodges all accommodations ranges are available and they tend to determine the final price.
Uganda is a very safe country for all travelers.
There are so many people that travel to Uganda every year for different purposes for example for business, leisure, tourism, among others and many of them arrive, stay and leave safely at the end of their trips. You can travel to Uganda any time of the year and you will always be safe in any part of the country you travel to. Ugandan are among the friendliest people in the whole world, they are so welcoming, the adults will offer you help whenever you need it and the kids will never miss waving as you pass by.
Uganda also offers gorilla habituation experience
Besides the gorilla tracking, you can opt for gorilla habituation Experience. This is a somehow new concept in our gorilla conservation system but it is organized in the same way as the chimpanzee habituation done in Kibale national park and golden monkey habituation done in Mgahinga national park. All these experiences are only offered in Uganda thus making Uganda a pretty unique destination compared to others like Rwanda and Congo. In this case, you get to spend the whole with gorillas, moving around with them from the time they wake up until late in the evening when they go back to their nests. The whole purpose of this is to help the gorillas get used to human presence and also you can see how they care and protect each others in their families. Gorilla habituation is however done during the low seasons that come in April and November.
Sometimes gorillas come to you
While it is very fun to go out in the jungle for the trek, it is also an amazing experience to get to see them come to you. There are some gorilla families that are often seen wondering around and feeding from the bushes surrounding the different accommodation facilities in Bwindi especially in the Eastern side of Bwindi. This is an opportunity you have to get close to the mountain gorillas while they are out of their comfort zones, the jungle.
Forget not about the long distance from Entebbe airport to Bwindi forest which takes about 10 hours because you can fly in from Rwanda and then drive from Kigali airport, cross the border into Uganda to Bwindi located in the south western part of Uganda and enjoy the experience. This takes only 3-4 hours to get to the southern sector of Bwindi and you can also return to Kigali and fly out after the adventure.
Book a Uganda gorilla tracking safari and pay less for the best and life time experience.
