Plan Your Trip to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Congratulations on choosing to travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You’ve decided to Visit the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park! You won’t regret it – now let’s get planning. Whether you are planning to take a gorilla trek or a nature walk, Bwindi Forest is a great place to be.
5 Steps to Planning a Trip to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Step 1: Read about Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and get to know the different things to see and activities to do within the park. If you get stuck in anyway, contact us vial email so that we can help you plan your trip.
Step 2: Decide how you’ll travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Most people do a road trip vacation either starting from Kampala or Entebbe. There are also road trips from Kigali, Rwanda. You can also fly to a smaller airport at Kihihi or Kisoro and get transferred by car to the lodge. Once you get to the park, you’ll need a vehicle, bike, or tour transportation to get around.
Step 3: Choose the different Bwindi attractions that you are most interested in seeing during your visit. Bwindi Impenetrable Park is a large park with several entrances and if you are planning to take a gorilla trek, you should be knowing the sector where you are to track the endangered gorillas from. You can also visit our safari ideas page to get suggested itineraries and tips on traveling on Bwindi Forest. Decide what you want to do and see before you search for lodging options available.
Step 4: You can make your tour reservation or make direct reservations with your preferred safari lodge. You sould also book your gorilla permit well in advance with the UWA or a local tour operator. Depending on what time of year you are visiting Bwindi, you’ll need to make your necessary bookings well in advance.
Step 5: Before you go, check our page about Bwindi Forest, when to visit, weather and climate,things to pack, clothing and more so you can get the right gear for your tour.
We know you’ll have a wonderful time!
Frequently Asked Questions in Bwindi
How much is Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Forest
A Gorilla Permit costs USD700 per person per trek for Foreign Non-Residents, USD600 for East African Residents and USD70 for East African Citizens. This Gorilla permit gives you an opportunity to spend one hour encounter with mountain gorillas in Bwindi forest once you find them on your trek.
How to purchase a Gorilla trekking permit for Bwindi Forest
Gorilla trekking permits are purchased from Uganda Wildlife Authority, this can be done at their headquarters in Kampala or Kisoro for tourists arriving in Uganda through Entebbe it is recommended to purchase their gorilla permits from Kampala and for tourists arriving in Uganda through Kigali they can purchase their permits at the branch headquarter of Uganda Wildlife Authority in Kisoro town which is 1-2 hours drive to Bwindi. Africa Tours adventure Ltd is one of the best gorilla safari companies which can purchase for you your gorilla permit in advance and on short notice, once you confirm your dates and share them with us via email or whatsapp we will first tentatively reserve the gorilla permits for you online and then send you an invoice for you to make payment and once money comes through on our account we will purchase your gorilla permits immediately and send you scan copies of your permits for your records and perusal and this will confirm you have purchase your gorilla permits for your gorilla trek in Bwindi forest for a given date.
Where is Gorilla Habituation Experience done in Bwindi Forest?
Gorilla Habituation in Bwindi forest is done in the southern part of Bwindi at Rushaga sector and areas between Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors. With this if you are interested in doing Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi you are required to stay in lodges in the south at either Nkuringo or Rushaga. Gorilla habituation experience involves walking/hiking through Bwindi forest to search for semi habituated mountain gorillas and once you find them you will spend 4 hours encounter with them as you participate in activities geared to make these mountain gorillas get used to human presence so that they can be trekked normally after a given period of time. Gorilla habituation experience gives you an opportunity to spend more hours with mountain gorillas that is 4 hours compared to one hour during normal tracking. Gorilla habituation is always on high demand given they are only 4 permits available per day and tracking is only done by 4 people per day so it is recommended you book your permit atleast 2-3 months in advance. A Gorilla Habituation permit costs USD1500 per person per trek for Non foreign residents, USD1000 for Foreign Residents and USD220 for East African Citizens.
What is the difference between Gorilla Trekking and Gorilla Habituation Experience?
The major difference is during Gorilla trekking you spend one hour encounter with the mountain Gorillas once you find them in Bwindi forest whereas for Gorilla habitation experience you spend 4 hours encounter with mountain gorillas in Bwindi forest, gorilla trekking is done in a group of 8 tourists tracking per gorilla family whereas gorilla habitation is done in a group of 4 tourists tracking a given semi habituated gorilla family. Both activities are done in Bwindi Forest national park and both start in the morning hours you are required to be fit to be able to participate in one of the activity given the fact some time they tend to be strenuous especially when you are hiking through Bwindi Forest.
What to pack for Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Forest
During gorilla tracking you will need a comfortable, hard wearing, pair of walking shoes or boots. Conditions are generally very muddy when it is raining. There are uphill sections which may be quite steep and strenuous. It is also advisable to wear a long sleeve cotton shirt and lightweight long trousers to protect yourself from the undergrowth, stinging nettles and biting ants. Suggested Items to pack for Gorilla trekking in Bwindi include;
- Insect Repellent
- Torch/Flashlight – and Spare Batteries
- Wet Wipes
- Water Bottle
- Camera, lenses etc
- Comfortable walking/hiking boots & socks
- Gardening gloves for gorilla tracking
- Sandals/strops/walking shoes
- Hat and Sunscreen
- Rain Jacket
- Sweater/fleece
- Swimwear
- Binoculars (game/bird watching)
How hard and challenging is Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Forest?
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Forest timings and conditions vary tremendously as the gorillas move continuously through the rain forest. It is good to be prepared and remember the weather can change with very little warning. The terrain is often steep and through areas where there are no marked paths. It can be very strenuous it may be just a couple of hours but it can also be for a full day of up to 8 hours or more of hiking in hot, high altitude conditions therefore please be prepared for this by being as fit as possible.