Price of Gorilla Trekking Safari in Uganda | Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi & Mgahinga
Price of gorilla trekking safari in Uganda; The price of a gorilla trekking safari is a common question that most visitors ask before they decide to go on a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda. Gorilla trekking is an exceptional activity in Uganda where visitors move into the tropical rainforest in search of the habituated mountain gorillas and, once found, spend one hour with them in their natural habitat.
The price of a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda depends on different factors, including the cost of a gorilla trekking permit, transportation costs, accommodation costs, the length of the gorilla trekking safari, the number of people you will be traveling with, and the cost of hiring a porter, among others.
Cost of a gorilla trekking permit in Uganda.
A gorilla trekking permit is a legal document issued to visitors over the age of 15, allowing them to visit any habituated gorilla family in either Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. A gorilla trekking permit in Uganda costs 800 USD per person for foreign non-residents, 700 USD per person for foreign residents and 300,000 UGX per person for East African citizens.
A gorilla habituation permit in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park costs 1,500 USD per person for foreign non-residents, 1,000 USD per person for foreign residents and 750,000 UGX per person for East African citizens.
Gorilla trekking permits in Uganda can either be booked directly through the Uganda Wildlife Authority or through a trusted tour operator like Achieve Global Safaris, whereby you will contact us with the dates, month, year and gorilla destination you wish to visit.
Cost of accommodation
After acquiring your gorilla trekking permit, the next step is booking accommodation where you will be staying during your safari and the type of accommodation you choose determines the price of your gorilla trekking safari. Accommodations range from budget to midrange to luxury.
Budget accommodations in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park range between 60 USD and 100 USD per night; midrange accommodations range from 120 USD to 180 USD per night while luxury accommodations range from 200 USD to 500 USD per night and super luxury accommodations range from 600 USD to 1,500 USD per night.
When budgeting for accommodation, it’s important to consider the season; for example, during the low/rainy season, accommodation prices usually reduce, especially for luxury lodges, compared to the midrange and budget accommodations.
Accommodations in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park can either be booked by yourself or through a trusted tour operator like Achieve Global Safaris. When you book the lodge yourself, always ensure that it’s located close to the gorilla trekking starting point so that you do not miss your gorilla trekking adventure.
Cost of transportation
After acquiring a gorilla trekking permit and booking the accommodation where you will stay during your gorilla trekking safari, the next step is how to get to the gorilla trekking destinations. You can access both Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park by road and air transport means.
When using road transport, you will hire either a safari vehicle, which costs about 50 to 70 USD per day, or a Land Cruiser, which costs about 200 to 300 USD per day. A driver-guide will drive you from Kampala to either Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, which takes about 8 to 10 hours.
Travelers can also hire a safari vehicle from Kigali Rwanda and then connect to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park via the Cyanika border or Katuna border, which takes about a 3- to 4-hour drive.
The gorilla destinations can also be accessed by air transport means whereby you will book charter or scheduled flights with Aerolink Uganda or Bar Aviation from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield to Kihihi or Kisoro Airfield. Scheduled flights to Kisoro and Kihihi airstrips cost between 250 and 300 USD per person one way and they can be booked by your tour operator.
Cost of hiring a porter
If you are going for your gorilla trekking experience with heavy bags or equipment like cameras or in case you are not physically fit, you will need to hire a porter to carry your bags or equipment at a cost of about 15 to 20 USD.
The elderly people who are not physically fit or the disabled travelers who want to engage in gorilla trekking will need a bamboo stretcher or a sedan chair, which requires about 12 strong porters to carry or lift it to the gorilla family and back after the one hour with the mountain gorillas. Hiring a bamboo stretcher or sedan chair costs between 300 USD and 500 USD.
Tips for the driver guide, park rangers or hotel staff
Tipping is not compulsory or a tradition in Uganda, which means that driver guides, park rangers or hotel staff do not expect a tip after offering a service; however, if they go out of their way to ensure that your stay and activities during your gorilla trekking safari are memorable, you can decide to show your appreciation for the work done by giving them a tip, and the amount depends on you.
The price of a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda depends on the number of days you will be spending on the safari; the type of transportation used to the gorilla destination; the type of accommodation where you will stay during the safari; the cost of a gorilla trekking permit, the cost of hiring a porter, the number of people you will be traveling with, as traveling alone is more expensive as you will be able to incur all the costs alone; and tips for the service providers, among others.
For more information about prices of gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda, do not hesitate to contact our experienced tour consultants at Achieve Global Safaris.
