Difference between Gorillas in Volcanoes and Bwindi National Parks
Difference between Gorillas in Volcanoes and Bwindi National Parks is a simple comparison that will guide a Traveler on which park to choose for their tour. Mountain gorillas in Africa are found in four national park which includes Bwindi national park and Mgahinga national park in Uganda, Volcanoes national park in Rwanda and Virunga national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mountain gorillas in Bwindi national park differ from those of volcanoes national park due to various reasons which include,
Where the Mountain Gorillas are found?
Location of Gorillas in Uganda: Mountain gorillas in Uganda are found in two national parks that is Mgahinga Gorilla national park and Bwindi impenetrable national park which are all located in south-western Uganda. Bwindi national park is situated in Kanungu district and is the only destination in Africa that harbours half of the world’s mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas in Bwindi national park are found in the four sectors of the park which include Nkuringo sector in the southern part of Bwindi national park, Buhoma sector in the northern side, Rushaga sector in the southern part and Ruhija sector in the eastern side of Bwindi national park.
Location of Gorillas in Rwanda: Mountain gorillas in Rwanda are found in Volcanoes national park which is located in the northwestern part of Rwanda in Musanze village. Volcanoes national park is one of the most visited national park in Africa due it’s the endangered mountain gorillas.
How to get to Volcanoes national park and Bwindi national park
Volcanoes national park: Volcanoes national park is located in northwestern Rwanda and visitors going to volcanoes national park can fly to Kigali international airport and then connect by road from Kigali City to the park headquarters. Distance from the airport to the park headquarters takes about 2 hours drive and volcanoes national park is the only gorilla destination with the shortest distance from the airport to the park headquarters where gorilla trekking activity will start from. Volcanoes national park is also the only gorilla destination where you can do gorilla trekking activity and still go back home due to its short distance to Kigali international airport.
Bwindi Impenetrable national park: Bwindi national park is located in south-western Uganda and visitors can access the park through different directions, for example, visitors can fly to Entebbe international airport and then connect to the park by road whereby they will drive from Kampala City via Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale to the park headquarters taking about 8 to 9 hours to drive on a marram road. You can also reach Bwindi national park through Queen Elizabeth national park route, when using this route you will drive from Kampala via Mubende, fort portal, Kasese where Queen Elizabeth national park is located, you can have an overnight in Kasese before connecting to Bwindi national park and you will pass via Ishasha sector where you will view the climbing lions before reaching Bwindi national park. This is the longest route but provides great scenic views on the way such as tea plantations, banana plantations, local people among others.
Uganda also has domestic flights which fly from Entebbe international airport to Kisoro Airstrip or Kihihi Airstrip, the domestic flights are scheduled and therefore should be booked in advance which can be done with the help of a tour operator.
Cost of a gorilla trekking permits
Volcanoes national park: A Gorilla Trekking Permit in Volcanoes National Park costs $1500 for all nationals. Among the three countries in Africa where gorilla trekking activity is carried out, Rwanda is the destination with the highest amount of gorilla trekking permit. The gorilla trekking permits in volcanoes national park are higher than other destinations but the experience gained after trekking gorillas in volcanoes national park is worth the amount paid. Gorilla trekking permits in Volcanoes national park should be booked 4 to 6 months in advance before the trekking date especially during the peak season in the months of June, July, August, December, January and February because they are competitive.
Bwindi national park
A Gorilla trekking permit in Bwindi national park costs $600 for Foreign Non-Residents, $500 for Foreign Residents and UGX 250,000 for East African citizens. Visitors who want to visit Uganda next year at around July, the gorilla trekking permits will have increased by $100 for the Foreign Non Residents and Foreign Residents. Visitors who want to get involved in the gorilla habituation process, the habituation permits cost $1500 for Foreign Non-Residents. Just like in volcanoes national park, gorilla permits in Bwindi national park should be booked 4 to 6 months in advance to avoid competition and getting sold out especially during the peak season in the months of June, July, August, December, January and February.
Gorilla trekking experience in Volcanoes national park and Bwindi national park
Volcanoes national park: Volcanoes national park in Rwanda is a home of 14 habituated gorilla families which are equivalent to 112 gorilla permits that are available for trekking on a daily basis. Visitors who visit volcanoes national park are grouped into 8 individuals and are allocated to a gorilla family where they will spend one hour in the presence of the allocated gorilla family. Gorilla families in volcanoes national park are easy to trek in that some of the Gorilla groups are located on the slopes of Mount Sabyinyo and Mount Gahinga hence making trekking easy.
Bwindi national park: Bwindi national park harbours the highest number gorillas and habituated gorilla families which are about 18 groups. The 18 Gorilla families in Bwindi national park mean the availability of about 144 gorilla permits that are available for visitors on a daily basis. Just like volcanoes national park, Bwindi national park also allows a maximum for 8 people to trek each gorilla family in the jungle for one hour with the gorillas in their natural environment. Gorilla trekking activity in Bwindi national park is done in thick forest in high altitude areas which require visitors to be the physical fit and sometimes trekking takes long hours though the experience is rewarding with great scenic views of plant species, bird species, bird species, other primates such as L-hoest monkeys, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys among others.
Bwindi national park is also the only gorilla destination where gorilla habituation process is carried out in the Rushaga sector. This is the process where the gorillas in the wild are trained by researchers, guides and visitors to get used to human presence for trekking. Gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi national park allows a maximum of 4 people to participate in the habituation process which takes place for a period of two years and is done on a daily basis in the jungle and the visitors get an opportunity to spend more time of about 4 hours with the gorillas in the wild learning about their habits, behaviours, way of feeding, viewing how they communicate with each other, juveniles entertaining the family among other compared to the one hour given during gorilla trekking activity.
Where to stay on your gorilla safari
Volcanoes national park: Volcanoes national park offers a wide range of luxury, mid-range and budget accommodation facilities such as Mountain Gorilla’s Nest Lodge, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Five Volcanoes Boutique Hotel, Garden Place Hotel, Farage Hotel, Best View Hotel, Da Vinci Gorilla Lodge, Gorilla Solution Lodge, Hotel Muhabura, Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Virunga Lodge, Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge, Garr Hotel, Villa Gorilla, Kinigi Guest House, La Palme Hotel, Gorilla Volcanoes Hotel among others. The lodges offer quality services to visitors such as comfortable beds, delicious meals, free internet among others. Volcanoes national park has few and costly accommodation choices compared to Bwindi national park.
Bwindi national park: Bwindi national park contains various luxury, midrange and budget accommodations where visitors on a gorilla trekking safari can stay including Buhoma Community Rest Camp, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, Bakiga Lodge, Lake Kitandara Lodge, Bwindi Camp, Silverback Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Buhoma Haven Lodge, Mahogany Springs Camp, Bwindi Guest House, Engagi Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Nkuringo Gorilla Camp, Trekkers Tavern Cottages, Gift of Nature Lodge, Ruhija Gorilla Mist Camp, Ruhija Community Rest Camp, Gorilla Safari Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Wagtail Eco Safari Camp among others. Bwindi national park offers a wide range of lodges build in African architectural designs and offer great scenic views of Bwindi forest, wildlife species, offer comfortable shelter, high-quality meals and drinks among others. Bwindi lodges are many and affordable to all the categories of visitors on a safari in Uganda. Visitors in Bwindi national park are encouraged to stay in lodges near the sectors where gorilla trekking activity is going to be carried out for easy accessibility.
With Uganda harbouring more than half of the world’s mountain gorilla population and the tracking permits cheaper than those of neighbouring Rwanda, visitors who wish to see these animals are given variety to choose from, with the distance to the national park from the airport shorter in Rwanda than in Uganda. The visitors can, therefore, choose either to visit Bwindi national park in Uganda to see the many gorilla families or to visit Volcanoes national park in Rwanda, which offers quick access to the park.
