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Gorilla discovery is a safari tour and travel company based in Uganda, fully licensed to conduct safaris within Uganda and Rwanda. We offer several tours and safaris in Uganda including Gorilla Tours, wildlife adventures, mountaineering trips

Bwindi gorilla safari from Arusha

Bwindi gorilla safari from Arusha

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is one of the best places to encounter endangered mountain gorillas in the world. The park is situated in Kisoro district in the southern part of Uganda harboring more than a half of the mountain gorillas remaining in the world. With the high number of mountain gorillas, it has attracted thousands of tourists from different parts of the world.

Arusha is the capital of the Arusha region in northeastern Tanzania however it has no place that harbors endangered mountain gorillas. Tourists who are interested in seeing mountain gorillas from Arusha have Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park as one of the best places to visit.  The park has the highest number of mountain gorilla families for trekking with one open for habituation.

To have a Bwindi gorilla safari from Arusha, tourists need to book the permits and accommodation in advance. The best way to book is by using a local tour operator like Africa Adventure Vacations who will give you a very organized and successful safari. The local tour operator helps to check for gorilla permits and purchase them from Uganda wildlife Authority which sells them to only tour companies that are licensed by Uganda Tourism Board.

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi from Arusha

On the day of gorilla trekking, tourists from Arusha will have to drive very early in the morning to the sector headquarters to join other trekkers for the day. The local dancers entertain the trekkers through dance and drama as they wait for all the trekkers to gather. Rangers do brief the trekkers about the dos and don’ts of the trekking exercise.

Groups not exceeding 8 people ae created and armed ranger guides are allocated to lead them into the jungle. Trekkers that need porters in carrying excess luggage can hire them at an affordable fee at the briefing point. Trekkers and the team are driven to the starting point of the trek where they are left to head into the jungle and search for where mountain gorillas could be.

Searching endangered mountain gorillas in the impenetrable forest of Bwindi goes through a number of trekking trails. The trekkers get an opportunity to meet some of the attractions around the park like the forest elephants, giant forest hogs, monkeys, birds and water sources among others.

Searching and locating mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park takes 2 to 4 hours. Once spotted, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around the members and the time comes with an opportunity to ask the rangers different questions about the apes, learning about the gorilla habits, taking photos and recording videos for future memories.

When gorilla trekking is done, trekkers are asked to move away from the gorilla family while keeping the rules and regulations taught at the briefing center. While getting out of the jungle, trekkers get to meet the different attractions along the way like the mammals, birds, primates and water sources among others.

The cost of gorilla trekking permits from Arusha.

Gorilla trekking permits for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park are sold to persons above the age of 15 years. They cost $800 for foreign non residents, $700 for foreign residents, $500 for Rest of Africa and UGX300,000 citizens of East African Member States. The permits are only issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority a government agency managing and controlling the park.

When is the best time to visit Bwindi from Arusha?

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is one of the places that can be visited all throughout the year. The perfect time is however the driest months of the year June to September and December to February are the best. They have little rainfall and plenty of sunshine which make the perfect weather for different activities with in the park.

During the dry season, trekkers find the trekking trails dry and easier to walk through, the vegetation is short and scattered giving clear views of mountain gorillas and other forest attractions. The roads leading to the park are in good condition allowing tourists to access the park and other areas on time.

Tourists especially the budget travelers can still visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park during the rainy season from March to May and October to November a period when the tour packages are on a discount. Tourists should know that there is plenty of rainfall and little sunshine and the weather sometimes affects the activity.

Getting to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest from Arusha

Tourists from Arusha will need to fly to Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport and then drive or fly to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.  Air transport is the quickest way tourists can get to Bwindi for it’s about 2 hours. There are flights by Aerolink Uganda and Bar Aviation Uganda to Kisoro Airstrip and Kihihi Airstrip.

 By road transport, tourists can access Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in 9 to 10 hours from Entebbe/Kampala. The journey goes through districts Mpigi, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale or Kisoro to different sectors of the park. The journey comes with great views of different attractions along the way.