Double gorilla trekking in Uganda : Gorilla trekking in Uganda is an activity which can be done in the south western Uganda during tours in Bwindi national park and in Mgahinga national park.
Double gorilla trekking in Uganda is an experience which involves taking part in two different gorilla encounters. This activity takes place on 2 different days and can be done in the same location such as in Bwindi national park or can be done in separate locations.
A period of 1 hour is spent with the gorillas during a gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi national park and also in Mgahinga national park. Tourists engaging in the double gorilla trek get to spend another hour on a different day with the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
Uganda is a country with the highest population of mountain gorillas that is over 50% of the worlds mountain gorillas can be seen during tours in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and in Mgahinga gorilla national park.
Tourist enjoy two separate encounters with two different gorilla families during the double gorilla trekking experience in Uganda which makes it easy to compare the behaviors of the gorillas after watching them closely and seeing how they interact among themselves in their natural habitat.
It is important to consider the distance between the two gorilla trekking destinations or sectors when planning the tour so as to easily connect from one destination to the other during the gorilla trekking experience in Uganda.
Accommodation should also be booked for the separate destinations where the gorilla trekking experience will be done when visiting Uganda for the double gorilla trek. Tourists can choose from the budget, midrange or luxury lodges around Bwindi national park and Mgahinga national park.
Apart from gorilla encounters in Uganda, mountain gorillas can be seen in Volcanoes national park in north western part of Rwanda and in Virunga national park in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo.
Permits for double gorilla trekking in Uganda
When booking gorilla permits in Uganda for the double gorilla trekking experience, tourists get two separate permits since 1 permit allows an individual to visit the gorillas once in their natural habitat an activity which can go for many hours.
Each gorilla permit for the trekking experience in Uganda costs 800 USD for foreign nonresidents, 700 USD for foreign residents and 300,000 Uganda shillings for East African citizens while citizens from the rest of Africa are charged a fee of 500 USD to engage in gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park or Mgahinga national park.
These gorilla permits can be booked through licensed tour operators who can also organize the rest of the safari in Uganda and make arrangements including transportation to the gorilla trekking destination and accommodation around the national parks.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) issues the gorilla permits for tourists to engage in the double gorilla trek in Bwindi national park and Mgahinga national park and also regulates activities around the destinations.
It is important to book the gorilla permits in advance for the double gorilla trek due to the limited number of permits issued daily for Bwindi national park and Mgahinga national park. One of the rules to be followed during the gorilla trek is that the gorilla families are visited by groups of 8 tourists dally which means that the number of permits per day is limited and can run out especially during the high seasons.
Gorilla families in Bwindi national park
During the gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi national park, tourists interact with gorillas in different sectors of the national park including Rushaga sector and Nkuringo sector in the southern part of Bwindi and also Buhoma sector in the north and Ruhija sector in the eastern part of Bwindi.
Each of the sectors of Bwindi national park has habituated gorilla groups which can be visited during the gorilla trekking experience. Tourists can enjoy a double gorilla trek by choosing two of the sectors in the national park to spend time with the gorillas.
- In Rushaga sector, tourists can visit gorilla groups such as Nshongi gorilla group, Mishaya gorilla group, Busingye gorilla group, Kahungye gorilla group and Bweza gorilla group.
Gorilla habituation is also done in this sector of Bwindi national park. Tourists can access this sector by flights to Kisoro airstrip or driving for about 9 to 10 hours along the Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara-Kabale-Kisoro route.
- Gorilla families in Buhoma sector include Katwe gorilla family, Rushegura gorilla family, Habiyanja gorilla family and Mubare gorilla family.
This sector of Bwindi national park can be accessed by flights from Entebbe international airport to Kihihi airstrip or by driving along the Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara-Kabale route which takes about 8 to 9 hours.
- The Nkuringo sector of Bwindi national park is home to habituated gorilla groups such as the Nkuringo gorilla group, Bushaho gorilla family and Christmas gorilla family.
Nkuringo sector can be accessed by flying to Kisoro airstrip or a 10 hours drive from Kampala via the Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara-Kabale-Kisoro route.
- Ruhija sector in Bwindi national park is home to gorilla families which include Bitukura gorilla family, Oruzogo gorilla family and Kyaguriro gorilla family.
This sector of Bwindi national park can be accessed by flights to Kihihi airstrip or by the 8 to 9 hour drive from Kampala to Kabale via Masaka and Mbarara.
Gorilla families in Mgahinga national park
During gorilla trekking experience in Uganda, tourists can interact with the Nyakagezi gorilla family in Mgahinga national park.
Mghinga national park also offers amazing gorilla encounters in its steep slopes which are also home to othe.r rpiate speies including the rare golden monkeys. during tours around the destination other activities for tourists to engage in include golden monkeys trekking, climbing the Virunga mountains such as Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Gahinga and Mount Muhabura.
The national park can be accessed by flying to Kisoro airstrip or by driving from Kampala to Kisoro which takes about 10 hours. When traveling from Rwanda, tourists can also get to Mgahinga national park via the Cyanika border or the Gatuna border.
