Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga from the United Arab Emirates

Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga from the United Arab Emirates: Are you in any of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates and you would love to encounter mountain gorillas well Mgahinga national park is one of the best places to visit. United Arab Emirates comprises Abu Dhabi which is the main city, Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Ras AL Khaimah, and Umm Al Quwain. From any of these emirates, you can always book your gorilla safari to visit Mgahinga national park.

Mgahinga national park is a gorilla destination area in the southwestern part of the country in Kisoro district. Mgahinga national park was gazetted in 1991 and is currently harboring over 100 mountain gorilla species. Mountain gorilla trekking is the major activity carried out within this park by travelers coming from different parts of the world.

Mountain gorillas are endangered species of mountain gorillas that need high conservation efforts. Tourists from the United Arab Emirates and other parts of the world are asked to buy a gorilla permit to see the mountain gorillas of Mgahinga national park. The money collected is used to pay people who make sure these apes are healthy while the other is used to develop communities around the park.

How much is gorilla trekking from the United Arab Emirates?

Tourists from all emirates of UAE are sold gorilla trekking permits based on the categories which are foreign non-residents, foreign residents, and citizens of East African member states. Uganda Wildlife Authority is the government body responsible for selling gorilla permits. It does sell gorilla permits to people from UAE at $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 citizens of East African member states.

Tourists coming from the United Arab Emirates should know that only 7 gorilla permits are available in Mgahinga national park therefore they should do advance bookings. Gorilla permit booing for Mgahinga national park from the United Arab Emirates should be done 3 to 4 months or more in advance if one wants to secure themselves a gorilla permit and avoid last-minute booking disappointments.

With gorilla trekking permits, tourists coming from the United Arab Emirates will be allowed to be part of the briefing and trekking team on the dates indicated on the permits. The ranger guides normally ask these gorilla permits to confirm whether you have been allowed by UWA to go gorilla trekking. After gorilla trekking is done, the gorilla trekking permit does explore and you never go back with it.

The gorilla trekking experience from the United Arab Emirates

From any of the emirates of UAE, we believe the gorilla trekking experience in Mgahinga national park will give the best results for your dream to come true successfully. At about 7:30 am is when gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park does start at Ntebeko Visitors Centre. The activity starts with a briefing where trekkers get to know the dos and don’ts of the trekking activity.

After the briefing, the trekkers are led into the jungle by the armed ranger guides whose role is to protect trekkers from dangerous wild animals and also show them the right trails to use while searching the apes. The search goes through different trails to different spots where these animals normally hang. Searching can go for 2 to 7 hours and trekkers during that time will be able to encounter different wildlife species and vegetation of the park.

After hours of searching and meeting the mountain gorilla family which is Nyakagezi, tourists are given 1 hour to be around the apes. The hour is used to study the behaviors of mountain gorillas, take photos, and watch the members carry out daily activities among which include nesting, coupling, eating, breastfeeding, grooming, hunting, and playing among others.

After 1 hour of being around Nyakagezi gorilla family, the trekkers get out of the jungle and go back to their vehicles where they are driven back to Ntebeko Visitors Centre to pick up their gorilla trekking certificates. Later, tourists can drive to their lodge or next destination according to their itinerary. Seeing mountain gorillas on your safari to Mgahinga national park has more than 90 chances because mountain gorillas are located every day.

Things to pack for Mgahinga gorilla trekking from the United Arab Emirates

Tourists coming for Mgahinga gorilla trekking from the United Arab Emirates need to know that one must pack the right essentials in order to enjoy the gorilla trekking activity. Among the things to pack include a rain jacket, a hat, a sweater, long-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shorts, long cotton stocks, waterproof hiking shoes, a pair of gaiters, sunscreen, insect repellents, a camera, a pair of binoculars, driving water bottle, energy giving snacks, and a light backpack.

When to go gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park from the United Arab Emirates?

Tourists from any of the emirates of UAE can go gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park at any time of the year however there are certain months better than the rest. The dry season from June to September and December to February is the best for gorilla trekking in Mgahinga since it has little or no rainfall received. The trekking trails are dry and easier to navigate, vegetation is short and scattered with clear views of wildlife, and roads leading to the park are passable.

Tourists can also come for gorilla trekking during the rainy season but this favors budget travelers. From March to May and October to November, the lodges and tour operators reduce prices to attract the few tourists visiting the park. The rainy season is however not the best to come for gorilla trekking because it has too much rainfall which makes roads to the park and trekking trails muddy and slippery, and vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife

Accessing Mgahinga national park for gorilla trekking from the United Arab Emirates

Accessing Mgahinga national park from the United Arab Emirates, to get to Mgahinga national park you need to first fly to Entebbe international airport. From Entebbe international airport, one does access Mgahinga national park by air transport or by road transport.

Accessing Mgahinga national park by Air transport is the quickest way to get to Mgahinga national park and it’s usually used by luxury tourists and those that hate traveling long distances.

Different airline companies among which include Bar Aviation Uganda and Aerolink Uganda do have scheduled flights to different parts of the country including southwestern Uganda. They do have daily morning flights to Kisoro airstrip from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airstrip taking 1 hour and 25 minutes. From Kisoro airstrip to Mgahinga national park tourists from UAE will reach in less than 2 hours.

Accessing Mgahinga national park by road transport, tourists coming for gorilla trekking from the United Arab Emirates will access Mgahinga national park in 9 to 10 hours from Entebbe/Kampala. From Kampala/Entebbe one goes through Masaka, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale, and Kisoro to get to Mgahinga national park. The journey is long and full of great views of different attractions along the way

Accommodation facilities in Mgahinga

From the United Arab Emirates to Mgahinga national park for gorilla trekking, tourists have a lot of accommodation options which range from budget to mid-range to luxury options. The accommodation facilities to use if one wants to stay a night or more in the park include Mgahinga Gorilla Triangle Lodge, Mutanda Safari Lodge, Musasa Mountain Triangle Lodge, Mgahinga Safari Lodge, Tiloreza Volcanoes Lodge, Mountain Gahinga Rest Camp, and Mount Gahinga Lodge among others