Bwindi gorilla tours from Lake Mutanda
Bwindi gorilla tours from Lake Mutanda: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is a habitat for mountain gorillas found in the southwestern part of Uganda. The area was gazetted in 1993 to protect mountain gorillas and other wildlife species that were living in the forest at the time. Currently, the park is famous for harboring the highest population of mountain gorillas in the whole world.
Tourists from all over the world are allowed to go gorilla safari in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park at any time of the year. Today, we are looking at those tourists who are already in Lake Mutanda or those intending to visit Lake Mutanda and trek the mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.
From Lake Mutanda, the closest sectors of Bwindi are Nkuringo and Rushaga sectors all in the southern sector of the park. These have several mountain gorilla families habituated for trekking activities at any time of the year. Rushaga has got one of the families going through habituation and trekkers can have 4 hours around the members making them get used to human presence.
Bwindi gorilla tours from Lake Mutanda:
Visiting mountain gorillas of Bwindi from Lake Mutanda
Tourists from Lake Mutanda can only do gorilla trekking in two sectors of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Nkuringo and Rushaga are the nearest sectors to Lake Mutanda where tourists drive for a few hours to reach the sector headquarters. Tourists can trek one of the three mountain gorilla groups in Nkuringo or the 8 groups in the Rushaga sector.
Gorilla trekking starts early in the morning with trekkers joining at the sector offices. Here they are entertained by the traditional dancers from the neighboring community who sing local songs and dance for the trekkers. Trekkers are taught the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking and later grouped not exceeding 8 people.
Armed ranger guides are assigned to each of the groups formed to lead the members into the jungle. Inside the jungle, several trekking trails are used to search for where the mountain gorillas could be. Searching can take 2 to 4 hours but the trekkers finally meet the mountain gorillas. Once spotted, trekkers get to have 1 hour around the members.
The one hour around the mountain gorillas comes with an opportunity to ask the rangers as many questions as you want about the mountain gorillas. The trekkers get to learn different habits about mountain gorillas. The mountain gorillas are spotted carrying out daily activities such as nesting, hunting, breastfeeding, mating, and playing to mention but a few.
Tourists that participate in gorilla habituation in the Rushaga sector once they meet a semi-habituated mountain gorilla group, they are given 4 hours to be with the mountain gorillas. They are allowed to be part of the activities that make the mountain gorillas get used to the human presence around them.
What is the cost of the gorilla trekking permits in Bwindi?
Tourists intending to visit Bwindi impenetrable forest national park for gorilla trekking from Lake Mutanda require gorilla permits. These are documents issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to enable tourists to see mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking permits cost $800 for foreign non-residents, $700 for foreign residents, $500 Rest of Africa and UGX300,000 citizens of East African member states.
Best time to trek mountain gorillas of Bwindi from Lake Mutanda
Tourists are allowed to trek mountain gorillas of Bwindi from Lake Mutanda at any time of the year however there are months that are better than others. The driest months of the year June to September and December to February are the best months to visit. They have the best weather which is characterized by little rainfall and plenty of sunshine.
Tourists who visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park during the dry season find the trekking trails dry and easier to walk through. The vegetation is short with unclear views of the mountain gorillas and other wildlife attractions. The roads leading to the park are in good condition allowing tourists to access the areas on time.
Tourists can still visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park from Lake Mutanda during the rainy season from March to May and October to November. Those intending to visit should know that there is plenty of rainfall and little sunshine which at times affect the activities. The trekking trails are slippery, vegetation is tall and roads are in poor condition.
