Primate safaris to encounter Mountain Gorillas
Primate safaris to encounter Mountain Gorillas: The last remaining mountain gorillas can only be found in three African countries: Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These are all located on Africa’s eastern coast. These mountain gorillas live in the dense woods of the Virunga highlands, as their name implies; they prefer hilly places. There are four national parks where you may book a permit to spend time with these gorillas. Permit fees vary by location, which is mostly driven by the country’s economic value or climate.
The authorities in charge of these parks establish the prices. If you opt to see the mountain gorillas, you can spend the allocated one hour, as is acceptable on all gorilla treks per permit, or you can spend four hours with the mountain gorillas. Each of the four mountain gorilla parks has advantages and disadvantages. We may take a quick glance at the four gorilla parks to get a sense of what they have to offer or what we can expect.
Congo’s Virunga National Park is the only park in the country’s ten national parks that gives this encounter with mountain gorillas; nonetheless, the country is endowed with lowland gorillas further south. The mountain gorilla experience in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the most authentic since the territory has not yet been overrun by tourism activity, so book your permit in the Virunga national park if you want an authentic encounter.
The mountain gorilla permit costs $400 USD for foreigners and $200 USD for Congolese, making it the cheapest of all destinations. However, keep in mind that with the reopening of Virunga National Park in February 2019, you must book the permit along with accommodation and the visa. In short, you cannot buy an individual permit but must purchase a complete travel package. The Virunga park officials concluded this as a security precaution, and tourism in the park has been successful all year with no incidents of insecurity. The park includes eight habituated gorilla families, some of which have up to 40 members, which you may be lucky enough to witness on your mountain gorilla safari.
Nyakmwe, Bageni, Munyaga, Lulengo, Mapuwa, Humba, Kabarsi, and Rugendo are some of the gorilla family names. Each has a distinct narrative to tell and was called after it. Virunga National Park is also the only park in the world having a gorilla orphanage within its confines, which you can see for free if you reserve a night at Mikeno Lodge. If you have more time in the park, check for the Nyiragongo walk, which is an overnight climb, or visit Tchegera Island to chill off.
This park includes three excellent lodging alternatives, including the midrange Kibumba Tented Camp and Bukima Tented Camp, as well as the luxurious Mikeno Lodge. The park is also constructing a new luxury resort named Ngila Lodge, which is slated to open by peak season. Virunga provides amazing packages that you may book based on your interests and time frame, so contact us and let us propose something.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of two Ugandan national parks that offer this mountain gorilla experience, and a permit for the gorilla trek costs 600 USD until July 1, 2020, when it will be increased to 700 USD per permit as regulated by Uganda Wildlife Authority, the governing body of Uganda’s national parks, and the same applies to Uganda’s second gorilla park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Bwindi Forest National Park attracts the most people hoping for a gorilla encounter since it has the most available and inexpensive permits.
In Bwindi, there are nine gorilla families, and visitors are limited to eight per day. If one hour with the gorillas isn’t enough, Bwindi offers gorilla habituation, in which you pay $1,500 USD to spend four hours in the jungle with rangers who are habituating a troop of gorillas. This option is restricted to four individuals per day, so secure your ticket early to prevent last-minute cancellations when you may reserve a spot on the ground.
The Mgahinga Gorilla National Park contains one gorilla family, although a gorilla family from Rwanda’s adjacent Volcanoes National Park has visited. This park is substantially smaller than Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which includes four gorilla sectors. Mgahinga gorilla national park, Uganda’s second gorilla park, was named for the presence of mountain gorillas. However, there are golden monkeys present, Primate safaris to encounter Mountain Gorillas.
This park is located in the Kisoro area and may be reached more quickly from Rwanda while on Rwanda Safaris since the journey from Kigali to Mgahinga is around 4 hours, but the travel from Entebbe to Mgahinga is approximately 9 hours.
Mgahinga’s mountain gorilla permit is also available for 600 USD until July 2020, when it will increase to 700 USD for foreigners and 250,000 USD for Ugandans and East Africans.
Volcanoes National Park is Rwanda’s sole gorilla park and is located in the Ruhengeri area. This is considered the premium gorilla experience, owing to the gorilla trek permit costing $1,500 USD, but it is also a fantastic and safe place. Volcanoes National Park also permits trekkers to spend an hour in the bush alongside gorillas.
This charge applies to both foreigners and Rwandans. There are widely recognized luxury accommodations, such as the Bisate lodge and the Singita lodge, that will require you to part with a few thousand dollars for a room per night, but if you are on a budget, you can also opt for more affordable accommodation, which we can arrange for you when you contact our highly skilled consultancy team.
