Uganda has the highest population of mountain gorillas. Home to more than 500 gorilla individuals found in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Uganda also offers gorilla habituation experience.
Gorilla trekking requires entrance tickets also known as gorilla permits. These gorilla permits vary from one country to another. In Uganda, each gorilla permit is US$700 for foreign non-residents and US$600 for foreign non-residents whereas in Rwanda each gorilla permit is US$1500 and US$450 in Democratic Republic of Congo but this comes with the risk of insecurity in this place.
Unlike in Democratic Republic of Congo where you are required to sign up with Virunga foundation to go gorilla trekking, in Uganda, it is possible to simply hire a car for self-drive and still afford to gorilla trek without any restrictions. With this flexibility, it becomes easier to cut your gorilla trekking expenses in terms of transport and accommodation considering the option of rooftop tent camping.
Both Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo only have one national park that hosts the mountain gorillas. However, this is not the case for Uganda since it offers the option of gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga national park. In case you wish to look into reasons why you should trek in a particular park; see our article about gorilla trekking in Bwindi Vs gorilla trekking in Mgahinga.
Uganda has over 15 habituated gorilla groups. This is more than any of the other two gorilla trekking countries have to offer. For instance, Rwanda has 10 habituated gorilla groups while Democratic Republic of Congo has only 6 habituated gorilla groups. This implies that there are more gorillas in Uganda available for gorilla trekking than in Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
When you check out Uganda safari lodges, you will realize that there are several lodges in and around Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The beauty with these two national parks is; accommodation ranges from budget to luxury, thus you have a wide range of lodges to consider for your accommodation during your gorilla trekking safari in Uganda.
In Uganda, it is very possible to go camping with a rooftop tent, ground tent, or glamping as a form of accommodation during your gorilla trekking experience in Uganda. This implies you can save big time on accommodation in Uganda compared to Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
Alongside the cheaper gorilla permits in Uganda compared to Rwanda, a golden monkey permit in Mgahinga gorilla national park is US$50 which is half the price of Rwanda’s US$100 golden monkey trekking permit.
In Uganda, it is very possible to go gorilla trekking as well as go golden monkey trekking in the same park (Mgahinga Gorilla National Park). This implies it is very simple to couple your gorilla trekking experience in Uganda with golden monkey trekking thus a good reason to go gorilla trekking in Uganda.
Though it is not very common to spot chimpanzees during your gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, there are chances that you will spot chimpanzees in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park during your gorilla trek on a lucky day.
