Would you like to arrange a gorilla trekking trip from Kigali to Bwindi? Planning a safari that includes trekking mountain gorillas in Bwindi from Kigali is highly recommended. From Kigali, the safari travels to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park before returning to Kigali.
Travelers are driven from Kigali city to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park via the Katuna border in Kabale or the Cyanika border in Kisoro. Traveling 3 to 4 hours from Kigali to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park offers breathtaking vistas from the side of the road.
The 9-10 hours journey from Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is minimized by trekking mountain gorillas from Kigali. Because gorilla trekking permits for Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park cost $1500 while for Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park are at $700, a safari also helps you save money.
You may spend 4 hours trekking semi-habituated mountain gorillas in the Nkuringo and Rushaga regions of Bwindi if you start your mountain gorilla tour from Kigali. Only in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is mountain gorilla habituation conducted in Uganda, allowing visitors to help the primates become accustomed to human presence.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi from Rwanda
The park wardens provide a briefing early in the morning to those who are trekking mountain gorillas in Bwindi. During this time, you will learn about the guidelines and policies governing the trekking activity. Following the briefing, all participants will be divided into groups and assigned a gorilla family to trek.
The walk is led by armed ranger personnel along various trekking trails, providing hikers with the chance to encounter various park primates, mammals, and birds.
Depending on where the mountain gorillas are located and how quickly the trekkers move, Bwindi Gorilla trekking experience lasts between 2 and 7 hours. Once the mountain gorillas are found, trekkers will have an hour to spend with these apes, observe them going about their daily lives, snap pictures, and learn about their habits from armed ranger guides.
What is the cost of gorilla trekking from Kigali to Bwindi?
The cost of a gorilla trekking permit for travellers from Rwanda is the same as that of any other travellers worldwide. Uganda Wildlife Authority charges $700 for non-resident foreigners, $600 for foreign residents of East African countries, and shs 250,000 for natives of East Africa for gorilla trekking licenses in Bwindi. In order to prevent last-minute reservations, it is recommended that you get your gorilla trekking permits in advance as they are sold on a first come, first served basis
How can I get Bwindi Mountain gorilla permit from Kigali?
For the same price, visitors from Kigali who wish to trek with the mountain gorillas in Bwindi can purchase gorilla permits directly from Uganda Wildlife Authority or through a local tour operator. One of the local travel companies in Uganda, Alive Africa Adventures, can assist with arranging gorilla trekking permits for Bwindi from Kigali.
If you have chosen to use Alive Africa Adventures to make reservations for gorilla permits for Bwindi while you are in Kigali, you will email us with the dates of the month and year you would like to travel. We will use these dates to inquire with the Uganda Wildlife Authority about the availability of trekking permits. You will receive an email with banking details as soon as the permits become available, and we will arrange for you to get permits once the payment is received.
When is the best time to trek Bwindi’s mountain gorillas from Kigali?
While you may go gorilla trekking in Bwindi from Kigali at any time of year, there are some months are better than others for this kind of experience. The best times to go on a gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi from Kigali are during the drier months, which fall between June and September and December and February. They are distinguished by little to no rainfall, usable roads from Kigali to Bwindi, sparse foliage in the park that allows visitors to see the park’s animals up close, and dry walking paths.
Visitors from Kigali can still take advantage of huge discounts on accommodation when they visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park during the rainy seasons of March through May and October through November. But during the rainy season, there is so much rain that it becomes difficult to drive from Kigali to Bwindi, the trekking trails in the park become muddy and treacherous, and the dense vegetation obscures sight of the gorilla.
Lodging on a gorilla trekking safari departing from Kigali for Bwindi
Lodging options available in Buhoma sector: Bwindi Neck view Lodge, Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, Buhoma Rest Camp, Silverback Lodge, Ride 4 Women Guest House, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Engagi Lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Bwindi Forest Lodge, and Bwindi View Bandas.
Lodging options available in Rushaga sector: Wagtail Eco Safari Lodge, Bwindi Jungle Lodge, Gorilla Valley Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Nshongi Camp, Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge, Four Gorillas Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, and Rushaga Gorilla Camp.
Lodging options available in Nkuringo sector: Nshongi Camp, Crested Crane Bwindi Hotel, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Virunga Campsite, Mutanda Eco Community Center, Gorilla Heights Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Backpackers Lodge.
Lodging options available in Ruhija sector: Agandi Lodge, Gift of Nature Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Friends Resort, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Cuckoo Land Tented Lodge, Ecomarvels Gorilla Lodge, Bakiga Lodge, Gorilla Mist Camp, Broadbill Forest Camp, and Ruhija Gorilla Safari Lodge.