Luxury gorilla trekking safaris in Mgahinga national park

Luxury gorilla trekking safaris in Mgahinga national park: Mountain gorillas can only be encountered in Uganda, Rwanda, and DR Congo. In Uganda, there are two spots where you can encounter mountain gorillas and these include Mgahinga national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. Mgahinga national park is a small national park in southwestern Uganda harboring a few mountain gorilla species left in the world.

Luxury gorilla trekking safaris to Mgahinga national park are organized for tourists who would want to visit endangered mountain gorillas in a luxury style. The luxury gorilla trekking safaris involve traveling by air or using the best safari cars, and they also involve staying in luxury accommodation facilities. The luxury gorilla trekking safari also involves a gorilla trekking permit which will allow you access to a mountain gorilla family.

There is nothing more magical when it comes to the African wildlife experience than mountain gorilla trekking. Visiting the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitats will give you memories you will always live to remember. A luxury gorilla safari is the best way to have the most memorable gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park because everything you will do will be in a luxury style.

On a luxury gorilla trekking safari to Mgahinga national park the most important thing needed is the gorilla trekking permit. This is a legal document from Uganda Wildlife Authority allowing you to trek a habituated mountain gorilla family and be around the members for 1 hour. You can only obtain this gorilla trekking permit from your local tour operator and your tour operator will always be ready to help you.

How much are gorilla trekking permits for luxury travelers?

The price of gorilla trekking permits in Mgahinga national park is always the same no matter the category of the traveler. UWA does sell gorilla permits at the same price which is $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,0000 citizens of East African member states.

Luxury travelers need to know that only 8 gorilla permits are available in Mgahinga national park on a daily basis therefore they are advised to always do early permit bookings of 3 to 4 months or more. Luxury travelers can book the gorilla permits using local tour operators and directly from UWA if they are organizing the safaris themselves.

Gorilla trekking exercise on a luxury safari in Mgahinga

Gorilla trekking on a luxury safari in Mgahinga national park will start early in the morning at 7:30 am. All trekkers for the day must be at Ntebeko Visitors Centre to be part of the briefing where they will learn about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking from the ranger guides. Here a maximum of 8 people does go gorilla trekking in the jungles of Mgahinga led by ranger guides with firearms.

Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park will take you through different trails looking for where the apes could have passed or where they last nested. It can go from 1 hour to 7 hours looking for the mountain gorillas and while searching, there are opportunities of meeting different wildlife species and vegetation within the park.

After hours of searching, you will land on Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family and armed ranger guides will give you an opportunity to be around the apes for 1 hour. This gives you a chance to watch their behaviors, take photos and encounter them do daily activities like grooming, nesting, coupling, hunting, and much more. Later you trek out of the jungle and drive to Ntebeko Visitors Center where you pick your gorilla trekking certificate.

What to pack for your luxury gorilla trekking safari in Mgahinga national park?

Luxury travelers to Mgahinga national park must know that one needed to pack the right essentials in order to have the best of gorilla trekking. The gorilla trekking packing list includes long-sleeved shorts, long-sleeved shirts, a rain jacket, a hat, a sweater, long cotton stocks, a pair of gaiters, waterproof hiking shoes, a camera, a pair of binoculars, a light backpack, sunscreen, insect repellents, drinking water bottle and energy giving snacks among others.

How to access Mgahinga national park for your luxury gorilla trekking safari?

Chartered flights to Mgahinga national park

Instead of using tarmac roads and traveling so many kilometers to get to the park, tourists can use chartered flights by different airline companies to get to Mgahinga national park in a luxurious style and so fast. Mgahinga national park is one of the national parks which can be accessed by air transport with the closest airstrip being Kisoro airstrip.

Travelers that want to travel a luxury style on their gorilla safari can always communicate with the local tour operators early so that they book their flights with any of the airline companies. The flights take 1 hour and 25 minutes to move from Kajjansi airstrip and Entebbe international airport to Kisoro airstrip. From Kisoro airstrip to Mgahinga national park, you will be driven in good safari vehicles.

Luxury road transport to the park

However, much flights are the best mode of transport to use while on a luxury gorilla trekking safari in Mgahinga national park, and road transport can still be used. It’s a 9 to 10 hours tarmac route from Entebbe Via Kampala, Masaka, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale, and Kisoro. Luxury travelers can always use comfortable 4×4 safari vehicles to get to Mgahinga national park while driven by a well-trained safari guide.

When to have luxury gorilla trekking safaris in Mgahinga national park?

Tourists that want to have luxury gorilla trekking safaris in Mgahinga national park can always do so at any time of the year because the park is always open. The dry season is good for luxury travelers to go gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park and this is because of the little or no rainfall received in the park. During the dry season, vegetation is short with good views of wildlife, trails are dry and roads to the park are in good condition.

Luxury travelers can still visit Mgahinga national park for gorilla safaris during the rainy season. The rainy season happens from March to May and October to November when the park is receiving a lot of rainfall. The rainy season is not as good as the dry season and this is because it has trails muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of wildlife, and roads leading to the park are in poor conditions.