Best month to visit mountain gorillas in Uganda

Best month to visit mountain gorillas in Uganda: Dreaming of a mountain gorilla safari? Uganda is the best place to visit. The country has mountain gorillas wandering in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga National Park. These mountain gorillas are what make these two national parks popularly known worldwide. Tourists across the group love to meet mountain gorillas, having heard that they are close relatives of human beings.

Uganda hosts the highest population of mountain gorillas in the whole world, with more than half living in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The park has more than 20 mountain gorilla families, which are living in the four sectors of the park, namely Ruhija, Rushaga, Nkuringo, and Buhoma. Other mountain gorillas are found in Mgahinga National Park, where only one family has been habituated so far.

Visiting mountain gorillas is a dream come true for most travelers in the world. These leave their homes and travel to gorilla parks to see the endangered species of primates, said to be close relatives to human beings. A gorilla trekking permit comes with 1 hour around mountain gorillas, while a gorilla habituation permit comes with 4 hours of being with mountain gorillas while making them get used to human presence.

Tourists who have decided to travel and visit mountain gorillas should know that this is a once-in-a-lifetime activity. Time around the mountain gorillas should be the best, and this depends on a number of factors, one being the weather. But what is the best time to visit mountain gorillas in Uganda? Uganda can be visited all throughout the year; however, some months are better than others when it comes to experience and weather.

The dry season is the best time to visit mountain gorillas in Uganda.

June to September and December to February are the dry season months in Uganda, best for mountain gorilla visits. These months have little or no rainfall and plenty of sunshine, which is good weather for the gorilla activities. Trekkers find the trekking trails dry and easier to walk through, which makes the location of the mountain gorillas easy.

The vegetation is short and scattered during the dry season, which makes the viewing of mountain gorillas and other attractions easy. Tourists who love taking pictures and recording videos get to have the best of the best. The roads leading to the trekking sectors are dry and easier to drive through, making transportation easy.

Tourists intending to travel to Uganda to visit mountain gorillas during the dry season need to know that it is the high season when most travelers choose to travel. The gorilla permits tend to sell out very quickly, which can lead to appointments. Tourists are asked to book their safaris 6 months or even more before the safari, when the gorilla permits are still available

Tourists can still visit the mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Maghinga National Park. This is a period when the areas are receiving a lot of rainfall with little sunshine, and it happens from March to May and October to November. The trekking trails remain muddy and slippery, which affects the search for mountain gorillas.

Tourists intending to travel and visit mountain gorillas during the rainy season need to travel with waterproof hiking shoes to help them navigate through the bad terrain. Trekkers should also know that the tall vegetation covers lead to unclear views of the mountain gorillas and other forest attractions, which makes the activity less interesting.

Budget travelers need to travel from March to May and from October to November. This is because the accommodation facilities are at a discount when fewer people are traveling. They do so to attract the few travelers who intend to visit the country. When the accommodation rates are low, even the tour packages become favorable to the travelers.

Visiting Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Uganda mountain gorillas can be visited in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga National Park, where several mountain gorilla families have been habituated and are open for tourist visits. When one decides to travel, they should choose where they want to trek the mountain gorillas, subject to gorilla permit availability.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park has more than 20 fully habituated mountain gorilla families and 1 semi-habituated, while Mgahinga National Park still has one mountain gorilla family. To watch these mountain gorillas, you need a gorilla trekking permit, which costs $800 for foreign non-residents, $700 for foreign residents, $500 for the Rest of Africa, and UGX300,000 for citizens of East African Member States.

Tourists who would love to be part of the gorilla habituation experience, only carried out in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, need to purchase a gorilla habituation permit. This is a document that comes with 4 hours around these apes, making them get used to human presence around them. They cost $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 for foreign residents, and the rest of Africa, while UGX750,000 is for citizens of East African Member States.

With a valid gorilla permit, tourists will be guided by armed rangers through the jungle in search of mountain gorillas. It takes 2 to 5 hours to locate the mountain gorillas, and once spotted, trekkers are given time to be around them, which comes with an opportunity to learn about their habits, take photos, and watch the members carry out daily activities like nesting, hunting, playing, breastfeeding, and mating, to mention but a few. Gorilla trekking certificates are awarded for participation and conservation.