4 Days luxury gorilla trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari
3 Days fly in gorilla habituation safari
3 Days Uganda luxury gorilla trekking safari
5 Days Uganda gorilla and wildlife safari
4 Days Uganda gorilla and golden monkey trekking
4 days Uganda double gorilla trekking
4 Days Flying Gorilla Safari Uganda
4 Days Bwindi Gorilla and Lake Bunyonyi
4 Days Double Gorilla Trekking
4 Days Gorilla and Wildlife Safari
3 Days Gorilla Habituation Experience
3 Days Uganda Gorilla Safari
Uganda luxury gorilla trekking in Uganda is an unforgettable adventure that takes place in Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park.
Gorillas in Uganda can only be seen during visits to the south-western region, where Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park are located. Because of the long drive to these destinations, luxury gorilla safaris involve flying to the airstrips around the parks, which include Kihihi and Kisoro airstrips.
Luxury gorilla trekking experiences include staying at high-end facilities where you will be treated with the best that money can offer as you prepare for the encounter with the mountain gorillas in the dense forests.
You will experience guided treks through the dense forests of Bwindi and Mgahinga in search of the prized mountain gorillas. To make the experience easier, luxury visitors can hire porters at a small fee to help with their luggage during the gorilla trekking experience in Uganda.
Prior to your Uganda luxury trekking experience, you are required to have gorilla permits which can be obtained through licensed tour operators. To avoid the hustle of planning a luxury trip, you can book the gorilla tour with a tour operator who manages the details of the trip, including gorilla permits, where to stay during the gorilla trek, and how to get there.
Gorilla permits in Uganda are issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), which also manages national parks and regulates fees paid at the national parks and wildlife reserves around the country.
Best time for a luxury gorilla safari in Uganda
The best time to visit Uganda for a luxury gorilla safari is during the dry seasons, which is experienced from December to February and also in June to September. During the dry season, the weather is drier and more favorable for gorilla trekking through the dense forests of Bwindi and Mgahinga National Park.
The rainy seasons, which occur in the months of March to May and November, favor luxury tourists visiting Uganda who prefer fewer crowds. This is because some tourists avoid travelling during the rainy season because of muddy and slippery trails, making it more challenging to track the gorillas of Uganda.
How to prepare for your Trek
In preparation for gorilla trekking, you can engage in long walks prior to the tour since the gorillas in Uganda live in places of high altitude, which requires hiking through steep terrain and dense forests to meet them.
It is also key to ensure that you are healthy, and wearing a face mask is a must to avoid any risk of spreading human diseases and infections to the giant cousins!
Contacting a licensed tour operator is also important when preparing to visit Uganda for a luxury gorilla safari because the gorilla permits can only be booked through these tour operators, who also know better destinations in the country and how to get there.
Cost of Uganda luxury gorilla safaris
Some of the costs that can be incurred during your safari include the following;
Accommodation costs:
The choice of accommodation influences the cost of a luxury gorilla safari in Uganda significantly. High-end lodges or luxury lodges offer different amenities and personalized services for their guests, which can add to the overall cost of the safari.
The luxury lodges in Uganda range from 300 USD to 700 USD or more per night, depending on the type of room where tourists spend their nights during the gorilla trekking tours in Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park.
Gorilla Trekking Permits:
Another cost incurred during Uganda luxury gorilla safaris is the gorilla permit cost. These permits cost 800 USD per person and are used for 1 trek in Bwindi and Mgahinga.
Foreign residents pay 700 USD, and East Africans are charged 300,000 Uganda shillings for a gorilla permit.
The trek allows you only 1 hour with the Gorillas. For a better experience, you should consider taking part in the Gorilla Habituation experience, which allows you up to 4 hours with the Gorillas but that doesn’t come cheap; the mountain Gorilla habituation permit costs $1,500, but it’s a rewarding experience and worth the money.
Additional activities:
Other additional activities which can be combined with gorilla safaris in Uganda also affect the cost of the luxury tour. These activities include bird watching, guided nature walks and also cultural experiences in the neighboring communities.
Bird watching is charged 30 USD, guided nature walks cost 30 USD per person and cultural tours around gorilla trekking destinations in Uganda cost about 40 USD per person. These additional activities if not carried out on the day of the gorilla trek also involve an extra park entrance fee which is 40 USD for foreign nonresidents, 30 USD for foreign residents and 20,000 Uganda shillings for East Africans.
Transportation costs:
Transportation costs also affect the price of the luxury gorilla safari in Uganda and the vehicles used for the tour include 4×4 vehicles which are driven by professional driver guides. The cost of these vehicles can be about 250 USD or more per day depending on the service provider and vehicle capacity.
Guides and Porters fees:
During luxury Uganda gorilla safaris, tourists are accompanied by ranger guides as well as porters who play an important role in ensuring success of the gorilla trekking experience. The services of the porter and guide fees can be around 15 USD and tourists can also give them tips for their services.
Where to stay during Uganda luxury gorilla safari
Some of the lodges to book for Uganda luxury gorilla safaris include Buhoma lodge, Trackers safari lodge, Buhoma forest lodge, Clouds mountain gorilla lodge, Nkuringo lodge, Sanctuary gorilla forest camp, Mahogany springs lodge, Gahinga lodge among others.
