Budget gorilla trekking safaris in Mgahinga national park

Budget gorilla trekking safaris in Mgahinga national park: Mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park is one of the highlights of any visit to Uganda. Trekking mountain gorillas remains one of the best tourist activities in Africa where tourists trek the closest relatives to human beings in the jungle and spend time with them. The gorilla trekking activity is a once in a lifetime experience every traveler will live to remember.

The budget gorilla trekking safaris in Mgahinga national park are organized for budget and mid-range travelers. Are you looking for budget gorilla trekking safaris to Mgahinga national park where you will encounter mountain gorillas, this article is for you. A budget gorilla trekking safari to Mgahinga national park usually has a few days, budget/mid-range accommodation facilities and it also has tourists accessing the park using road transport.

To be part of the mountain gorilla trekking activity in Mgahinga national park on a budget safari, you need a gorilla trekking permit. The permit is a card a ranger will ask you at the briefing point to allow you to be part of the gorilla trekking activities. The gorilla trekking permit is issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority and local tour operators can always help you get it.

Uganda Wildlife Authority does sell its gorilla trekking permits $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 members of East African states. People are asked to pay this money to aid in the conservation of the mountain gorillas, paying workers and about 10% to the locals living around the park.

What happens on the day of gorilla trekking?

On the day of gorilla trekking, tourists must wake up early in the morning and be at Ntebeko Visitors Centre by 7:30 am to hear what the rangers have to teach about the gorilla trekking activity. After the briefing, a maximum of 8 people is led by armed ranger guides into the jungle where they start looking for where the mountain gorillas could be.

Searching for mountain gorillas in the jungle involves going through different trekking trails and looking for where the mountain gorillas could have passed. The search for mountain gorillas goes for 1 hour to 7 hours and the time taken to locate them depends on the location of the mountain gorillas as well as the speed of trekkers. Once the mountain gorilla family has been allocated, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around the members which helps in learning about their habits, watching them do daily activities, and take photos.

What does one need to pack for their budget gorilla trekking safari in Mgahinga?

For any travelers to have the best of gorilla trekking safari in Mgahinga national park, they need to have packed a list of items needed for gorilla trekking. These items include waterproof hiking shoes, long cotton stocks, a pair of gaiters, long-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shorts, a rain jacket, a sweater, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellents, a camera, a pair of binoculars, a camera, drinking water bottle, and energy giving snacks among others.

Accommodation on a budget gorilla trekking safari in Mgahinga national park?

Mgahinga national park is not so big therefore not so many accommodation facilities can be found here. Tourists that are to have budget safaris to Mgahinga national park will have to book accommodation facilities of budget or mid-range. The budget accommodation facilities in Mgahinga national park include Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp, Kisoro Heritage Guest House, Travellers Rest Hotel, Mutanda Eco Community Centre, Mutanda Lake Resort, Golden Monkey Guest House, and Countryside Guest House among others.

Accessing Mgahinga national park for budget gorilla trekking safari.

The only means of transport affordable by tourists who want budget safaris to Mgahinga national park is road transport. Road transport to Mgahinga national park is very cheap compared to air transport and tourists access the park within a single day. By road transport, it takes 9 to 10 hours for tourists to move from Entebbe/Kampala to Mgahinga and it takes 4 to 5 hours when one is coming from Kigali.

The road route from Entebbe/Kampala to Mgahinga national park goes through Masaka, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale, and Kisoro to the park. Tourists who use road transport to Mgahinga national park do get an opportunity of seeing different attractions along the way and even stopovers at areas like the Equator at Kayabwe and Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara.

When to have budget gorilla trekking safaris in Mgahinga national park

Travelers can have budget safari activities in Mgahinga national park at any time of the year however there are periods better than the rest. The dry season is the best time to have budget safaris in Mgahinga national park because of the good weather conditions. From June to September and December to February, the trekking trails are dry and easily passable, vegetation is short and thin with good views of wildlife, and roads leading to the park are passable.

Tourists who would love discounted accommodation facilities and tour packages can have their budget safaris to Mgahinga national park during the rainy season which is also the low season. The rainy season is not so good to have budget safaris in Mgahinga national park because of the too much rainfall received within the park. The trekking trails are muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife, and roads leading to the park are in poor condition.