What are the chances of seeing mountain gorillas in Bwindi? Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is the best place to see mountain gorillas in the whole world. The park has more than 98% chances of seeing mountain gorillas when one engages in gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation activities. The impenetrable forest of Bwindi is a place to meet more than half of the remaining mountain gorillas in the world.
Tourists who have been asking about the chances of seeing mountain gorillas within Bwindi, well they are more than 98%. Mountain gorillas of Bwindi roam in all four sectors of the park namely Rushaga, Nkuringo, Ruhija, and Buhoma. Each of the sectors has several mountain gorillas that tourists can spot during gorilla activities.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park has the highest number of mountain gorillas in the whole world making it the best place to spot mountain gorillas. The park also has armed ranger guides who monitor the movement of mountain gorillas within this park every day. Before gorilla activities begin, the rangers already know where these animals are, and finding them is always easy.
Gorilla trekking and habituation in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation are the most done activities within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park allowing tourists to spot endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. Gorilla trekking is a 1-hour activity around mountain gorillas while gorilla habituation is a 4-hour activity with mountain gorillas making them get used to human presence around them.
Gorilla trekking is carried out in all park sectors while gorilla habituation is only done in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi. The activities start with an early morning briefing at the sector headquarters where tourists are taught the rules and regulations of the activity. Once the briefing is done, tourists who would love to hire porters can get them at an affordable fee at the briefing point.
After the briefing is done, tourists are driven to the starting point of the trekking where armed ranger guides join them and lead them into the jungle to search where the mountain gorillas could be. Using different trekking trails, the trekkers are able to meet different park attractions which include animals, birds, water sources, and vegetation among others.
The search for a mountain gorilla families in Bwindi can take 2 to 6 hours but when a family is located tourists are given time to be around the members. Gorilla trekking comes with one hour of seeing mountain gorillas carry out daily activities, learning gorilla habits, taking photos, and recording videos among others.
With gorilla habituation in Rushaga sector, trekkers are given 4 hours to be with the mountain gorillas. Trekkers are allowed to be part of the activities that make mountain gorillas get used to the human presence around them. Trekkers have enough time to study the gorilla habits, watch them play, take photos, and record videos.
How much does it cost to see mountain gorillas in Bwindi?
To see mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, tourists must have a document from the Uganda Wildlife Authority allowing them to see these apes for a certain period of time. The park has a gorilla trekking permit which comes with 1 hour and a gorilla habituation permit which comes with 4 hours around mountain gorillas.
Gorilla trekking permits cost $800 for foreign non-residents, $700 for foreign residents, $500 Rest of Africa and UGX300,000 citizens of East African member states. Gorilla habituation permits cost $1500 for foreign non-residents, $700 for foreign residents, and UGX750,000 citizens of East African member states.
Best time to go see mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Tourists can go see mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park at any time of the year for the park is always open. Those looking for the best time need to go during the dry season a period that has little rainfall and plenty of sunshine. The dry season occurs from June to September and December to February attracting thousands of tourists into the country.
During the dry season, tourists find the trekking trails dry and passable which eases their movement in the jungle. The vegetation is short with good views of the mountain gorillas Gorilla trekking Bwindi forest and other park attractions. Lastly, driving to the park is always easy because the roads are dry and passable.
Tourists who hate crowded places and budget travelers can visit Bwindi impenetrable forest national park during the rainy season of March to May and October to November. Budget travelers can benefit from discounted packages because lodges reduce prices. Tourists intending to come during that period should know that there is plenty of rainfall and little sunshine during that period.
Tourists visiting Bwindi in the rainy season to see mountain gorillas should know that the trekking trails are muddy and slippery which affects the movement of trekkers in the jungle. The vegetation is tall with unclear views of the mountain gorillas and other park attractions. When it rains too much, the roads leading to the park become muddy and slippery increasing the time taken to access park areas.