Tracking Mountain gorillas in Uganda on a budget plan

Even though gorilla trekking is known to be a life time experience, most trekkers have been left thinking that it’s only for the wealthy class and this is not right. A gorilla trek to see a group of endangered mountain gorillas in the thick tropical rain forests in Uganda is the most thrilling experience that comes once a life time.

These are classified as the critically endangered apes by the IUCN and not more than 1000 individuals still live in the whole world with half of them living in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national park.

 

To be able to view these species, there are about 20 habituated groups that are assigned to eight trekkers per day all of which belong to different trailhead. Some of these groups include; Habinyanja, Rushegura, Mubare found in Buhoma area, Nkuringo region; Oruzogo, Bitukura group, Kyaguriro group are for research in Ruhija. Mishaya, Busingye, Kahugye, Nshongi and Bweza family are found in Rushaga sector of Bwindi and Nyakagezi group is found in Mgahinga national Park.

 

For the tourists who like budget safaris in Uganda, Bwindi impenetrable Forest National park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. This is mainly because these two parks have got a low season from March to May and then November. These are known to be rainy months but it doesn’t mean that there is no gorilla trekking that is taking place in Uganda.

These large primates are found in thick tropical rain forests where rain is expected to fall any time of the day meaning weather you travel dry or wet season, you have to expect rain in the course of the day. During the low season months, any lodges reduce the price of the lodges and this is a chance for the budget travelers to travel for their gorilla trek.

There are factors  considered before planning your budget gorilla trekking safari in Uganda.

The cost of gorilla trekking permits in Uganda; gorilla trekking is one of the best adventures that give reward to trekkers with unforgettable experiences. Just like any other adventures, trekking these Giant Apes is so costly but despite the cost, back packers and many other visitors on budget plan are able to meet these wild creatures in Uganda. Not like in Rwanda, tourists who are interested in tracking mountain gorillas on small budget and save some money.

The budget gorilla trekking safaris allow those visitors who can make it in the peak season to glimmer imaginations with these great apes at a reduced price. Most of the lodges in Bwindi impenetrable national park reduce their rates during the low season to attract more visitors to their facilities. This is during the months of March, April, May, October as well as November. This helps in reducing the price of the gorilla safari.

You are also advised to book for your gorilla permits in advance, many of the tourists on budget safaris like traveling in a group of 4 to 6 people and this comes with the excitement and memorable experiences as you get to enjoy these charismatic creatures in their natural habitats.

This helps the budget travelers as they may decide to share the cost of vehicle and transport costs as compared to individual travelers. There are many cars to hire that accommodate the big group travelers and their prices are pocket friendly.

The budget lodging facilities for you to book while on a gorilla safari in Uganda; Accommodation facilities are so vital when it comes to any safaris not only gorilla destinations but also across wildlife national parks in Uganda. When it comes to the budget gorilla trekking tours in Uganda, visitors are able to reduce the costs by spending one night in one of the best and comfortable budget or high priced lodges around the park. The cost of the lodges is always high during the peak season months and reduced during the low season months and they are forced to offer discounted prices to win over the clients.

Many of the visitors tend to avoid the wet season but the budget travelers take advantage of this since it comes with less congestion since few tourists travel during this season, offering the budget travelers and the back packers an up close encounter with the giant apes in the wild.

Mostly the low season comes with heavy rains and the gorilla forests remains wet, muddy and very slippery for the tourists to trek to see the endangered primates in the wild and this means many travelers run away from this season.

However, it’s adventurous that it’s a period when there is too much food for the endangered mountain gorillas in the wild and the visitors who travel during this period have a chance of meeting them at the base of the park while they are feeding as compared to the dry or peak season when many of them are forced to wander looking for food.

As you enjoy your budget trekking safari, you will strike your imaginations with the unique forest birds, the golden monkeys, and wild chimpanzees in Kibale forest National park where there are over 1500 individuals that are conserved together with 12 distinct primate species, which makes it a stopover in Queen Elizabeth National Park for taking photos at the equator or sight of the tree climbing lions at Ishasha sector.

 

When to go for your budget gorilla trek; Uganda recently stopped offering cheap gorilla permits during the low season, however DR Congo still offers the discounted permits. In case you are interested in doing the budget gorilla trek in Congo, always contact your travel agency or adventure for more information about the discounts in DR Congo.

The Budget gorilla trekking in groups; In order to save, organizing a group gorilla trekking safari is the best option. Groups help each individual traveler to share the costs of transport with others which helps in reducing the cost of the trek.

For the group tours, we advice that the travelers book at least 4 months in advance to ensure that the whole group gets their budget gorilla trekking permits. Tour operators can help you join different groups of other budget travelers, therefore, if you are single travelers and you want to join a budget gorilla trekking group, contact any tour operator and you will be helped.

The best country for budget gorilla trekking safaris is Uganda; this is because of the cheap gorilla permit of $700 per person. You will as well find cheap budget accommodation in Bwindi; the visa is cheap and is given on arrival.

This country is cheap as compared to Rwanda whose gorilla permit is $1500 per person per day. DR Congo on the other hand is a new gorilla destination, but its visa is $100 and the gorilla permit is $450 per person. Even though the gorilla permit is cheap, its lodging facilities are expensive.

In conclusion, budget gorilla trekking safaris is a great chance for budget travelers and back packers across the globe to have magical meeting with the rare mountain gorillas in Bwindi forest and Mgahinga national park in south western Uganda.