What is the best time for a gorilla safari
What is the best time for a gorilla safari? Many travelers, particularly primatologists and nature lovers, always ask about when one should book a gorilla safari. Well, a gorilla safari is a wildlife adventure excursion where trekkers enter the lush jungle in search of the majestic gorillas in their natural habitat. To book a gorilla safari, you need to know the best time of the year that is conducive for gorilla trekking. Gorilla trekking is best done during the dry months that run from June to September and December to February.
These months are subject to dry weather, drawing visitors globally, where roads connecting to the gorilla parks and trekking trails tend to be dry since they receive little to no rainfall. Besides the best time to do gorilla trekking, visitors should also know that the major determinant is securing a gorilla permit. This is a document that grants trekkers permission to have access to gorillas in their natural setting.
To secure gorilla permits, transportation, and accommodation and have the best of a once-in-a-lifetime activity, tourists are advised to book their gorilla safari 6 to 12 months in advance if traveling in high season and 3 to 6 months in advance if traveling in the low season. The high season is a period with lots of travelers, while the low season is when a few people are in the country.
A gorilla safari is different from the normal wildlife safaris, as tourists need to have a gorilla permit to see these mountain gorillas in the wild. The most important thing on a gorilla safari is the gorilla permit, which is issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority, a government agency managing and controlling all parks across the country.
Last-minute bookings are also possible in Uganda, especially during the low season. Even though availability of gorilla permits is never guaranteed, tourists on a short stay in Uganda can always try our tour operators to organize last-minute safaris for them before leaving the country. Some days have gorilla permits available, allowing tourists to make last-minute gorilla bookings.
Why should one book a gorilla safari in advance
Proper planning
Early booking of a gorilla safari helps a traveler to plan smoothly for their safari. A gorilla safari to Uganda can involve traveling to other destinations within the country during your stay. Early booking gives travelers enough time to make changes, book flights, transportation, gorilla permits, and accommodation without any last-minute stress.
Early booking also helps tourists know which gorilla national park to visit, as Uganda has two gorilla trekking destinations, which are Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Bwindi has over 200 gorilla permits, while Mgahinga has only 8 permits, so tourists who prefer Mgahinga need to book as early as possible.
To secure gorilla permits
Early booking of a gorilla safari does help tourists to get gorilla permits and avoid last-minute disappointments. Tourists are assured of gorilla trekking, and some are able to trek with gorilla families in the sector they love. Tourists should know that there are a few gorilla permits in Uganda compared to the number of tourists who want to travel.
Uganda has 200 gorilla trekking permits in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, 8 gorilla trekking permits in Mgahinga National Park, and only 4 gorilla habituation permits in the Rushaga sector of Bwindi every day. During the high-season months, these permits do sell out quickly because that is the best time for safaris in the country, and thousands of travelers are within the country because of the good weather.
For tourists to get gorilla permits for Bwindi or Mgahinga National Park, they need to go through a licensed tour operator. These are allowed to purchase permits from the Uganda Wildlife Authority at a fee of $800 for foreign non-residents, $700 for foreign residents, $500 for the rest of Africa, and UGX 180,000 for citizens of East African Member States.
Accommodation availability
Tourists who are intending to travel for gorilla safaris in Uganda are advised to book their safaris early enough so as to get the best accommodation before it sells out. In the high season, June to September and December to February, accommodation sells out because of so many travelers that visit the country in that period.
Tourists who don’t book in advance will find the lodges of their choice fully booked and will be left with no option but to book another lodge or postpone their safari. Most of the accommodation facilities around the national parks are small with limited rooms, and so tourists who don’t book early will struggle to get the best accommodation facilities within their budget.
