Bwindi gorilla trekking and night game drive

Bwindi gorilla trekking and night game drive: The gorilla trekking experience is one of the exceptional tourism activities that gives travelers memories of the pearl of Africa. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is done in Bwindi gorilla park and Mgahinga national park only in this country. On this safari, we go to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park where more than half of the mountain gorillas in this world do live. We gorilla trekking in Buhoma region of the park which is located on the northern side.

Gorilla trekking on this safari is done in the Buhoma region because that is the closes sector to Queen Elizabeth national park whereas night game drives shall be done in Mweya region. From Buhoma to queen Elizabeth national park takes only 3- 4 hours. This safari can start from Queen Elizabeth national park where you will do night game drives and see most of the nocturnal animals in the area. The safari can then end in Buhoma region of Bwindi impenetrable forest national park where you go gorilla trekking. Gorilal trekking in buhoma region of bwindi impenetrable forest national park can be done on NKuringo, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Buhoma.

Bwindi gorilla trekking and night game drive

Main activities to do on this safari

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi

Gorilla trekking experience

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi is done in all the four sectors which are Nkuringo, Ruhija, Buhoma, and Rushaga. On this safari, we recommend travelers to visit the Buhoma region because it is the one near Queen Elizabeth national park. The sector is home to 5 mountain gorilla families – Katwe, Habinyanja, Rushengura, Mubare, and Muyambi which are all trekked at any time of the year by those with valid gorilla trekking permits.

Gorilla trekking in Buhoma sector starts at the sector offices very early in the morning with a briefing from the sector offices. The park wardens are do check if all trekkers have valid permits, free from transmitted diseases, and then brief them about the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity. Groups not exceeding 8 people are made and armed ranger guides lead the trekkers in the jungle.

The search for the gorilla groups can take 2-7 hours and these do depend on the location of the gorilla group and the speed of trekkers. When the trekkers are searching for the mountain gorillas, they do get opportunities to meet different park mammals, primates, and birds. The moment the mountain gorilla family is located, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around the members, watch them do daily activities, take photos, record videos and learn about the gorilla habits among others.

Night game drive

Bwindi gorilla trekking and night game drive take you to Queen Elizabeth one of the best places to encounter nocturnal animals. Queen Elizabeth national park is located in the southwestern part of the country harboring over 95 mammals and 600 bird species. On a gorilla trekking safari to Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth, you will visit the Buhoma region of the park because it’s very close to Ishasha sector. From Queen Elizabeth to Buhoma region of Bwindi it’s just 3-4 hours.

Travelers will visit queen Elizabeth national park and do game drives in the Mweya sector which is between Kazinga channel and Lake Edward. The night game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park are done together with a UWA guide who protects you from being attacked by dangerous animals and show you the best trucks to use during the safari.

Night game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park do give you an opportunity to encounter different nocturnal animals with a help of a spotlight torch. During the night game drives, you get to see animals such as hippos, waterbucks, elephants, kobs, leopards, lions, and birds such as Nubian nightjar, plain nightjar, and slender night jar among others. During the night game drive, you are recommended to use 4×4 safari vehicles or hire UWA vehicles

When to have gorilla Bwindi gorilla trekking and night game drives

Bwindi gorilla trekking and night game drive safari can be done at any time of the year but there are certain months that are better than the rest. The dry months are the best to visit the country for a gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi and night game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park. These months occur from June to September and December to February m they are characterized by little or no rainfall that makes the roads leading to and from the park passable, the trekking trails and game trucks are dry, and the vegetation in the park is short and thin with good views of the mountain gorillas.

Travelers can still visit Bwindi for gorilla trekking and Queen Elizabeth national park for night game drives in the rainy season of March to May and October to November. During these months, the lodges are very cheap because the owners lower the price to attract the customers to the park. The rainy season is however characterized by too much rainfall that makes the game trucks and trekking trails muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of the wildlife and the roads leading to the park are in bad condition.

Booking Uganda Wildlife Gorilla Permit

How much are Bwindi gorilla trekking permits and night game drives

Bwindi gorilla trekking permits do cost $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 citizens of East Africa. The night game drive permits in queen Elizabeth national park cost $30 for both foreign non-residents and foreign residents, and UGX30,000 citizens of East Africa. The night game drive fees for Queen Elizabeth national park don’t include the park entrance fee and therefore you need to pay for that entrance differently.

Accessing Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth national park.

Travelers can access Queen Elizabeth national park from Kampala/Entebbe through Masaka, Mbarara, Kasese, Mubende, or Fortportal. The park can also be accessed using air transport from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe interanational airport by flying to Mweya airstrip. Travelers can access Buhoma sector of Bwindi gorilla park from Queen Elizabeth national park in just 3-4 hours by going through the Ishasha sector or they can fly from Ishasha to Kihihi airstrip or Kisoro airstrip where they will connect to the park sectors.

Travelers who are visiting Bwindi gorilla park first before Queen Elizabeth national park can drive from Kampala/Entebbe through Masaka, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale, or Kisoro and access any of the parks in 9-10 hours. They can also fly from Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport to Kihihi airstrip in Buhoma or Kisoro airstrip for those visiting Nkuringo, Rushaga, and Ruhija. From Bwindi travelers, especially those from Buhoma can drive and enter queen Elizabeth national park through the Buhoma sector in 3-4 hours.