Gorilla trekking Uganda from South Africa : So you are in South Africa and you want to connect to Uganda for that much anticipated mountain gorilla trekking safari in Uganda. How do you do that?
It’s very easy, you don’t need to worry, and here below is a breakdown of how you can have a mountain gorilla trekking safari in Uganda from South Africa.
- Plan on a day to leave South Africa to get to Uganda
The mountain gorillas you would love to trek are in Uganda so you have to be in Uganda to trek them. Plan and make it a point to leave South Africa to head to Uganda.
A flight from South Africa to Uganda will take you about 4 hours and 45 mins roughly 5 hours so you will be in Uganda the same day you leave South Africa.
- Arrive in Uganda
You will arrive in Uganda and when you do you will check into an accommodation near Entebbe International airport when you will spend the rest of your day and night; resting and reenergizing literally getting ready for your mountain gorilla trekking experience.
- Start your mountain gorilla trekking experience journey.
Now this depends on your itinerary, you may choose to immediately jump in and go for that mountain gorilla trekking trip or have another day to rest before going for the trek.
Whatever your decision, this is how your mountain gorilla trekking safari will go. You can choose to have either a flying mountain gorilla safari or a road mountain gorilla safari.
In this article we shall describe both for you and let you make the final decision.
Flying mountain gorilla trekking safari
For the flying mountain gorilla safari you will fly from Entebbe or Kajjansi to either Bwindi National Park or Mgahinga National Park – depending on the park you will be trekking at. A flight to either parks from Entebbe is 1 hour and 45 mins. From the airstrip where you land to the actual park, it’s about a 1 hour to 1 hour and a half drive. You will get to the park and rest as you wait for the next day go for you trekking experience in the early morning.
The next day you will be up early go for a briefing at the park headquarters at 7am, after the briefing you will head into the forest to trek the gorillas, you will spend about 4 to 5 hours going up the mountain, 1 hour viewing the mountain gorillas and another 4 to 5 hours trekking down the mountainous forest.
Since you are flying you can choose to fly back to Entebbe after the trek or you can decide to spend a night at the park and fly back the next day.
Road mountain gorilla safari
The road mountain gorilla safari, means you will simply travel to any of the mountain gorilla parks by road. By road it takes about 9 to 10 hours to get to either Bwindi National Park or Mgahinga National Park.
You will set off from Entebbe in the early morning and you will arrive at either park in the evening. You will rest and refresh and your get ready for the trekking day next.
The next day you will be up early go for a briefing at the park headquarters at 7am, after the briefing you will head into the forest to trek the gorillas, you will spend about 4 to 5 hours going up the mountain, 1 hour viewing the mountain gorillas and another 4 to 5 hours trekking down the mountainous forest.
After the trek you will retire for the night and the next day you will embark on another road travel 9 to 10 hours to Entebbe to continue with your other plans or return back to South Africa.
Things to note
- You need to have a mountain gorilla trekking permit before you go for mountain gorilla trekking so book that before you even leave South Africa.
- Mountain gorilla trekking is quite physical so train your body beforehand for the challenge ahead.
- Don’t forget to have the right outfits for the trekking experience that is hiking boots, gloves, moderately hard clothes, long sleeved clothes among others
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You will also need to observe all the mountain gorilla trekking rules as shared with you by the rangers and your tour operator. These rules include but are not limited to:- not trekking while you are ill, observing a 7 meter distance between you and the mountain gorillas, not feeding the gorillas among other things.
