Gorilla Trekking in Uganda from Rwanda
Gorilla Trekking in Uganda from Rwanda is one of the best safari packages that many travelers book when they want to take a short ride to Bwindi and Mgahinga. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is always considered to be the topmost activity enjoyed by people from different dimensions of the world as long as they hit the age limit, 15 years which is the minimum trekking age for the Gorillas in Uganda enabling between 2-8 hours in the wild with the gorillas learning all their behaviors and taking photographs in their nature habitat.
However, for the Travellers who aren’t aware of the distance from Entebbe International Airport to the land of Gorillas in extreme southwestern Uganda always find it so exhausting to drive such a long distance.
Nowadays most visitors’ on a gorilla trekking adventure in Uganda always prefer to fly to Kigali international airport and then drive via the either Cyanika or katuna border into Uganda to trek the mighty Gorillas at a relatively cheaper price as compared to Rwandan gorilla trekking permit. This is always the preferred and the shortest drive to connect from Kigali to Uganda which takes about 4 -5 hours’ drive as compared to drive from Kampala City which takes about 8-9hours drive.
It is an advantageous adventure to trek mountain Gorillas in Uganda from Kigali due to availability of trekking permits in Uganda than in Rwanda. This is due to the fact that Uganda harbors more than half of the world’s mountain gorillas with the biggest number of habituated families available for trekking in Uganda all year round as compared to Rwanda.
Where can one do gorilla trekking in Uganda from Rwanda?
As mentioned earlier, Uganda has the biggest population of mountain Gorillas in its two National park a surprisingly all the two park co-exist in the south western part of Uganda and are also the habitats for the ancient Batwa people who lived happily in harmony with the mountain gorillas in the wild before their evacuation by the government. In fact, encountering Batwa guides for gorilla trekking in Uganda From Rwanda is one of the most fascinating and exciting adventures as the Batwa know each and everything that exists in the forests that were their ancient homesteads
There are some sectors that visitors can easily trek in the mountain gorillas and then return to Kigali on the same trekking day. this is easily possible once the trekkers sleepover within the park in Uganda the previous day before trekking and then wake up on an early trek and return to Rwanda on that really day. This is the best option for budget Travellers who are interested in only trekking Gorillas in Uganda from Rwanda and then return to Kigali for departures and it can be done in just two days in Uganda from Rwanda than three days in Uganda from Kampala since most of the time is spent on the road traveling.
There are three best sectors in Uganda which are easy to connect to from Kigali and these are none other than, Rushaga sector and Nkuringo sectors in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga gorilla national park which are all situated in south western Uganda
The most commonly visited sector by the Travellers from Rwanda is the Rushaga sector due to its strategic location in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park overlooking Virunga ranges. In fact, this is one of the sectors that harbor a bigger number of gorillas that have been habituated for trekking purposes and it is the only place and sector in Uganda where gorilla habituation is carried out at a cost of $1500 which is the exact trekking fee in Rwanda. Rushaga sector is easily accessed by road transport from Kigali taking 4 hours’ drive through the Kigali-Uganda Cyanika border.
Trekkers from Rwanda can also trek gorillas in the Nkuringo sector which is also situated in the southern corner of Bwindi impenetrable national park in close vicinity to the Rushaga sector. This takes about an hour to connect from Rushaga to Nkuringo all in the same part of the park.
And without forgetting Mgahinga Gorilla national park, a home to one and only Nyakagezi Gorilla family which is also park of Virunga Conservation. The location of the Nyakagezi family also enables travelers to trek gorillas in Uganda from Rwanda.
However, Travellers can also opt to enter into Uganda from Kigali via katuna border and then trek the other sectors in the north that is in Buhoma sector and even in the east that is in Ruhija Sector both in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
What makes gorilla trekking in Uganda from Rwanda more fun?
Gorilla Trekking in Uganda from Rwanda is really more fun than expected due to the fact that it saves trekkers from exhausting long drives from Entebbe international airport to Bwindi impenetrable national park or Mgahinga gorilla national park. This implies that trekker just books their flights to Kigali international airport and then cross via Cyanika border to Uganda which is approximately a 4-5 hours’ drive. However, Travellers who wish to trek from the Northern and eastern sectors of Bwindi, have an alternative of entering Uganda via katuna border.
Uganda has over 19 habituated gorilla families that in just one park of Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park and one more Nyakagezi gorilla family situated in Mgahinga Gorilla National park which sums up 20 gorilla families that offer 160 permits per day implying that as long as the permit is paid for in time, there are lower chances of missing out on the trek at any given time as compared to Rwanda where permits tend to be sold off especially during the high season.
Also trekking mountain gorillas in Uganda from Rwanda enable the trekkers to save $900 on the gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda which can be used to carry out other activities such as visiting Iby’Iwacu, hiking any volcanos mountain and many more since in Uganda it goes for just $600 as compared to $1500 for Rwanda making Uganda cheaper than Rwanda in terms of permits
Trekkers who intend to trek gorillas in Uganda from Rwanda enjoy benefits of low accommodation rates where they always have options of different accommodation facilities in the parks and the nearby areas and these accommodations have different amenities and facilities ranging from Budget, midrange and luxury that allow all classes of trekkers to make their own accommodations
There is yet another interesting thing about trekking gorillas in Uganda from Rwanda, as trekkers who intend to trek Nyakagezi gorilla family have a golden opportunity of encountering Golden monkeys as the swing on tree branches, swaying their tails alongside mountain gorillas in the same habitat
And lastly but not the least, gorilla trekking in Uganda enables travelers to intimately explore two beautiful countries of Uganda the pearl of Africa and Rwanda the land of a 1000 hills since Travellers can fly into Rwanda, do some activities within Kigali such as community walks, city tours, visit Kigali genocide memorial sites, volcano hiking, game drive and many more and then cross over into Uganda trek the might gorillas and do some other activities with the pearl of Africa and finally exit through Entebbe international airport to either back home or to the next destination and this is easily achieved with the East African visa which enables travelers to visit different countries at ease
Rwanda is also used as a center when it comes to trekking gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. To trek Gorillas in DRC from Kigali, Travellers have to take a flight to Kigali international airport and then opt for either a flight to Goma the airport in DRC or opt for road drive via Goma – Rubavu border or opt for a ferry crossing at Lake Kivu in Cyangugu and then drive to the park headquarters. When all the park activities commence. Trekking Gorillas in DRC is the best way for the budget Travellers to encounter the mountain gorillas at the lowest cost possible $400 which is even reduced by half its cost in the low seasons in order to attract more Travellers within the country. Apart from trekking Gorillas, DRC is also amongst the best places for one to experience the best hike of the lifetime after climbing to summit mount Nyiragongo.
Requirements for gorilla trekking in Uganda from Kigali – Rwanda
First and foremost, every trekker must be fully vaccinated before being allowed into Uganda. The vaccinations include the yellow fever vaccination and other communicable diseases and with the proof of vaccination, trekkers are allowed to obtain a visa.
Since gorilla trekking Uganda from Rwanda involves crossing the border of two different countries, then trekkers need to obtain an East African tourist VISA which goes for a cost of $100 or else trekkers can opt for two visa one for Uganda and the other for Rwanda to enable them freely visit two countries in just one trip.
And finally obtain your gorilla permit to explore the hidden treasures in the pearl of Africa
Conclusion
There are other primate safaris organized by Achieve Global Safaris that are easily combined with the Gorilla trekking safari and have an overwhelming expedition in the pearl of Africa. These are primate safaris include chimpanzee trekking and habituation, golden monkey tracking and experience, and all other primate viewing safaris but all in all Gorilla trekking tops up the league.
So let Achieve Global Safaris organize for you that everlasting trip to explore the gorillas from any of the three countries or even one can plan to trek from both countries in order to compare the differences in the experiences and come up with the conclusion on which of the three destinations is the best for gorilla trekking.
