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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

How to save money on a gorilla safari to Bwindi

How to save money on a gorilla safari to Bwindi

A gorilla safari to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park has never been a cheap one. This is because of the high costs of the gorilla permits which are documents that allow tourists to visit these apes in their natural habitats. Even though seeing mountain gorillas is expensive, today we look at the different things tourists can do to save on their gorilla safaris to the park.

Mountain gorillas are the closest relatives to human beings with more than 98% DNA they share with human beings. This keeps on shocking travelers who end up booking safaris to gorilla parks to see how these apes behave while in their natural habitats. Because these apes are close relatives to human beings, seeing them is one of the most expensive tourism activities we have in Africa.

Today, we are to look at how tourists can save during their safari to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. This shall enable tourists who have always been sacred to book the safari to do so and also get a chance to see these apes in their natural habitats. Gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation are the two ways tourists can go to Bwindi and see mountain gorillas in the thick impenetrable forest.

Things to do to save on a gorilla safari to Bwindi

Opt for gorilla trekking

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park has two ways how tourists can see the mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. There is gorilla trekking which is 1 hour around mountain gorillas and gorilla habituation which is four hours around mountain gorillas. Both activities enable tourists to see mountain gorillas in the wild and those looking to save money should go for gorilla trekking because the permits are cheaper.

Stay in affordable accommodation facilities.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is surrounded by budget, mid-range, and luxury accommodation facilities. The lodge to stay at depends on the tourist’s travel budget and those looking for how to save on a safari to Bwindi are advised to either stay in budget or luxury accommodation facilities. There are low budget lodges within Bwindi that offer good services where tourists can stay during their safaris and save.

Travel by road

Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is found in Kisoro district in a region that can be accessed by both air transport and road transport. The best way to save on a gorilla safari is by traveling by road because it’s cheaper than flying. Even though road transport takes a long time to access Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, it saves a lot since flights are expensive and usually used by luxury tourists.

Travel in a group

Traveling as a group has helped so many travelers to save not only in gorilla safaris to Bwindi but also in other safari destinations. What tourists need to know is that once tourists travel as a group a lot of things are shared for example the accommodation if rooms are shared, guide, fuel, and much more. Tourists who are looking at saving can form a group and in case they don’t have one they can contact different tour companies to see who has and they travel at a discounted price.

Travel during the low season

Traveling in the low season is another way how tourists can save during a safari to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Tour packages in the low season go a bit lower because the lodges reduce the prices for accommodation to attract the few people that are traveling. The tour companies also reduce the prices to win the tourists who are interested in traveling. March to May and October to November are the low season months when tourists looking at saving the need to travel.

Have a few days’ safari.

To save on a gorilla safari to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, you can choose to travel for a few days. There is no need to stay in Bwindi for many days before or after gorilla trekking. Tourists visiting Bwindi from Kigali need a 2 days safari while those coming from Kampala need a 3 days safari because the journey is long and about 9 to 10 hours.

The first day of the safari is always for traveling to the park and the second day is for gorilla trekking or habituation activities. Because tourists are not always sure about the time they leave the jungle, they need to book accommodation in places near the park or visit other tourist destinations close by. On the second day they can travel to Lake Bunyonyi or Lake Mburo National Park and on the third day is for travel back to Kampala or Entebbe.

Cary out a few activities during the safari

Tourists looking for how to save money on a safari to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park must carry out a few activities during the safari. This is because each activity carried out during the safari comes at a few. Gorilla trekking is the main reason for visiting the park, it can be enough for tourists once they visit. Those looking for other activities to do before or after seeing gorillas can try out cultural tours or visit Lake Bunyonyi for visitation.

Travel with a tour company.

Even though some tourists see traveling with a tour company being expensive, it saves a lot. Tourists who love to do gorilla safaris on their own end up facing a lot of challenges. The highest challenge is dealing with tour companies to purchase the gorilla permits and they end up disappearing with the money. Tourists are advised to work with tour companies to avoid such problems and much more.