Gorilla trekking in Bwindi from the USA – United States of America
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi from USA United States of America: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is a mountain gorilla trekking destination in Uganda. It was gazetted in 1993 to protect endangered mountain gorillas which were about to get to extinction. Currently the park the park is famous for hosting the highest number of mountain gorillas in the whole world.
Tourists from all over the world including those from the United States of America prefer to trek mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. This is because the park has several mountain gorilla families and the most affordable mountain gorilla trekking permits. From the United States of America, trekkers can go trekking in any of the four sectors of Bwindi namely Rushaga, Nkuringo, Ruhija, and Buhoma.
Gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi
Gorilla trekking is a dream come true for a lot of travelers in the world including those from the United States of America. On the day of trekking, tourists wake up very early in the morning and head to sector headquarters for their gorilla trekking permits. Gorilla trekking is carried out in Nkuringo, Rushaga, Ruhija, and Buhoma.
At the briefing points, trekkers gather and learn the rules and regulations of trekking from the rangers. Once the briefing is done, trekkers are grouped not exceeding 8 people, and armed ranger guides are assigned to lead them into the jungle. Trekkers who have excess luggage can hire porters at a very affordable fee from the briefing points.
From the briefing, trekkers are transported to the starting points of the trek where they are left with the armed ranger guides to head into the jungle and see the mountain gorillas. Different trekking trails are used to search the mountain gorillas and while searching there are chances of meeting some of the forest attractions like the forest elephants, monkeys, giant forest hogs, bird species, and much more.
To locate mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park takes 2 to 4 hours and the time depends on the location of the family as well as the speed of trekkers. When a mountain gorilla family is spotted, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around the apes and this allows them to learn about the gorilla habits while watching them carry out daily activities.
When gorilla trekking is done, tourists leave the mountain gorillas alone to continue with their day to day activities. Tourists can drive back to the lodge or visit any of the tourist destinations such as Lake Bunyonyi the deepest lake in Uganda for relaxation, Lake Mburo National Park for wildlife, or Mgahinga National Park for golden monkeys.
What is the cost of gorilla trekking in Bwindi?
To see mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park one must have a gorilla trekking permit which is a document issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority. A gorilla permit costs $800 for foreign non-residents, $700 for foreign residents, $500 Rest of Africa, and UGX300,000 citizens of East African member states.
Tourists who are intending to visit Bwindi impenetrable forest national park for Gorilla trekking experience should know that early permit booking is necessary especially when they are to visit during the high season. Tourists are advised to secure their gorilla permits for 3 to 4 months when so many are still available.
When is the best time to visit Bwindi from the United States of America?
Tourists can can have safaris to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park from the United States of America at any time of the year however the dry season is the best. June to September and December to February are the best times when tourists need to visit Bwindi because the region has little rainfall and plenty of sunshine.
During the dry season, tourists who visit the park find dry and passable trekking trails which ease locating the mountain gorillas. The roads leading to the park are in very good condition which allows tourists to access the location on time. The vegetation within the jungle is short allowing trekkers to clearly see the mountain gorillas and take the best photographs.
Tourists can still have a gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi from the United States of America during the rainy season. This period occurs from March to May and October to November a period when the park receives plenty of rainfall and little sunshine. Tourists who visit during that time get discounted tour packages because a few people are traveling and every operator reduces the price to attract a few that are intending to travel.
Getting to Bwindi from the United States of America.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is located in the southwestern section of Uganda and can easily be accessed by air transport or road transport. Air transport is the quickest tourists can get to Bwindi using chattered or scheduled flights. Airline companies such as Aerolink Uganda or Bar Aviation Uganda help tourists fly to Kisoro or Kihihi airstrips and later drive to different sectors of the park.
Road transport is the most used means of transport to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park where tourists can start the journey from Entebbe/Kampala or Kigali. From Kigali, the journey becomes short taking 3 to 4 hours when tourists cross to Uganda using Katuna or Kyanika borders to any of the sectors of Bwindi.
From Entebbe by road transport tourists drive through Mpigi, Masaka, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Kabale, and Kisoro to the park. This journey takes 9 to 10 hours which is a very long journey however tourists get to have stopovers and see different attractions along the way.
