Luxury gorilla tours to Bwindi
Luxury gorilla tours to Bwindi are for those travelers that are interested in luxury things which include luxury gorilla experience, luxury transport, and luxury accommodation while on a safari. Bwindi is the place to find the highest number of mountain gorillas in the whole world and it’s situated in the southwestern part of Uganda. Luxury travelers can fly to the park or use luxury cars to connect to the park, have nights in the high-end loges, and have gorilla habituation experience or gorilla trekking experience in the park.
Luxury gorilla tours to Bwindi take you to any of the 4 sectors of the park (Nkuringo, Rushaga, Buhoma, and Ruhija) where you trek one of the gorilla families in the region. Luxury travelers going for habituation can only visit Nkuringo and Rushaga regions because this is where semi habituation mountain gorilla families Bikingi and Bushaho are found.
Luxury gorilla trekking in Bwindi
Luxury gorilla trekking in Bwindi we consider doing gorilla habituation experience than gorilla trekking. With gorilla habituation, 4 trekkers are the ones that habituated a single semi habituated gorilla family. The activity starts early in the morning at the sector offices of Nkuringo and Rushaga regions because this is where mountain gorilla habituation takes place.
The wardens teach the trekkers about the rules and regulations of the trekking activity, check of the permits are valid, and get armed ranger guides to lead them in the jungle. The trekkers are accompanied by researchers and conservationists and they head into the jungle where they search for the semi habituated family for 2-7 hours. The time takes depends on the speed of trekkers and the location of the gorilla group.
During the search, the trekkers are able to encounter different park animals such as bats, duikers, bush pigs, giant forest hogs, buffaloes, elephants, jackals, otters, birds, and different plant species. When the semi habituated gorilla family is located, the 4 hours of habituation start counting. The researchers and conservationists involve trekkers in activities to get gorillas used to human presence, they are able to learn about the gorilla habits, watch the members do daily activities, and take photos.
Luxury travelers to Bwindi can also opt for mountain gorilla trekking where they will spend 1 hour with a mountain gorilla family. The gorilla trekking activity is done in all the sectors of the park and only 8 people led by ranger guides trek a single gorilla family. Trekking takes participants through different trekking trails with opportunities for meeting park mammals, primates, and birds. When the gorilla family is located, trekkers are allowed to be around it for 1-hour watch the members do daily activities, take photos, and learn about their habits.
What is the best time to have luxury gorilla tours in Bwindi?
Luxury gorilla tours in Bwindi can be done throughout the year but there are months that are better than the rest. The dry months are good to have luxury tours in Bwindi and they do happen from June to September and December to February. They are characterized by little or no rainfall which leaves the roads connecting to the park in good conditions, flights are not affected, the vegetation in the park is thin and scattered with good views of the park animals, and the trekking trails are dry.
Travelers can still have luxury safaris in Bwindi in the rainy season to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities. The rainy season occurs from March to May and October to November and these months are characterized by too much rainfall that makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of the park animals, roads leading to the park are in poor conditions and flights to the park might be affected or delayed.
What is the best time to book luxury gorilla tours to Bwindi?
Travelers choosing gorilla habituation over gorilla trekking or those visiting the park in the high season are advised to book gorilla tours to Bwindi 3-4 months in advance. This is because the gorilla habituation permits are few compared to the number of people that want to trek and even the permits sell out quickly since most of the travelers be wanting to visit the park. Booking the luxury gorilla tour in Bwindi in advance helps to avoid last-minute booking disappointments.
How to book a luxury gorilla tour to Bwindi
There are a lot of local companies that help in organizing luxury tours to Bwindi. These companies help in booking gorilla permits, accommodation, and transport to the park. Africa Adventure Vacations limited is one of the companies you should contact when intending to have a luxury gorilla tour to Bwindi. We have well-trained personnel who will look at your interests and the number of days you have on the safari. We will make for you an itinerary and if you like it, we will do the quotation if you are okay with the price, we shall make for you an unforgettable safari.
Booking gorilla permits for Bwindi luxury tour
To have a luxury gorilla tour in Bwindi you need either a gorilla habituation permit or a gorilla trekking permit. The gorilla permit is a card that will allow you to see mountain gorillas for either 1 hour or 4 hours on your safari. Booking the gorilla permits can be done directly from Uganda Wildlife Authority but if you book the safari using a tour operator it’s better you use them to book you a permit.
To book a gorilla permit with Africa Adventure Vacations, we shall look at the days you want the safari to happen and we shall contact the Uganda Wildlife Authority to see if the permits are available. If they happen to be available, we shall ask you to pay a deposit or full money for the permit by sending you different banking details. After you have sent the money, you will be asked to send us a scanned copy of the receipt and we shall then book the permits for you.
Bwindi gorilla permit prices
Bwindi gorilla habituation permits cost $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 foreign residents, and UGX750,000 citizens of East Africa. The permits include 4 hours around mountain gorillas, a ranger guide fee, a park entrance fee, and community development fees. The gorilla trekking permits cost $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 for East African citizens. The fees include 1 hour around mountain gorillas, ranger guide fees, and park entrance fees.
Luxury accommodation on a safari in Bwindi
Different sectors of Bwindi have different luxury accommodation facilities and where to stay depends on the sector you are going to trek from. They include Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Bwindi Lodge, Chameleon Lodge, Ichumbi Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Trackers Safari Lodge, Silverback Lodge, Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, and Rushaga Gorilla Safari Lodge among others.
What to pack for a luxury gorilla tour to Bwindi?
Some of the things to pack for a luxury gorilla tour to Bwindi include waterproof hiking shoes, cotton stocks, a pair of gaiters, gardening gloves, long-sleeved pants, long-sleeved shirts, a hat, scarf, rain jacket, a warm sweater, a camera, a pair of binoculars, sunscreen, insect repellent, sanitizer, drinking water bottle, and energy-giving snacks.
How many gorilla permits are available in Bwindi on a daily basis?
During your luxury tour to Bwindi, you can fly to the park within 2 hours. The flights start from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airport and land at Kihihi airstrip for those heading to Buhoma region and Kisoro airstrip for those heading to Nkuringo, Ruhija, and Rushaga. Different airline companies such as Bar Aviation Uganda, Aerolink Uganda, and Uganda airlines organize flights to Bwindi, and to be part of the flight you must book in advance.
Luxury travelers to Bwindi can still use road transport to have beautiful views and stopovers along the journey. The journey starts from Kampala/Entebbe through Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, and Kisoro and you branch off to different sectors of the park. There are good luxury 4×4 wheel safari vehicles that can transport you to the park.