babylonboy

Hi all! After researching with a few tour operators, I've learned that there are two options for gorilla trekking: Uganda and Rwanda.

- In Rwanda, gorilla trekking permits are $1,500 per person
- In Uganda, gorilla trekking permits are $700 per person (or $1,500 per person for the habituation experience)

It seems to me it may be worth going to Uganda and getting the habituation experience for the same price as a normal gorilla trekking trip in Rwanda. They are offered at both Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga National Park.

Does anyone have thoughts on which of the two might be better options? Looking to book for July and there seems to be availability across the board, so wanted to make sure we chose the best option before spending a good portion of our savings on it! Thank you

Heimdall

Either would be a good experience. Rwanda has more habituated gorilla groups, some easier to reach than others. I visited the Susa group in Rwanda when the tracking fee was only $250 (that was about 20 years ago). More recently my daughter and SIL tracked gorillas in Uganda, and also tracked chimpanzees there. They enjoyed seeing the gorillas, but found the chimps more exciting as they move around more.

The habituation experience in Uganda sounds very interesting. Only one hour with a habituated group flies by, and four hours would obviously be better IMO, especially if you are physically fit. The mountain gorillas live in rain forests, and climbing uphill through thick vegetation and mud, isn’t easy.

I would have reservations with Mgahinga National Park, which is small and bordering Rwanda and DRC. The gorilla families don’t respect international borders, and I have heard that the habituated group sometimes wanders across to Volcanoes NP in Rwanda. That said, apparently the habituated group is now more settled, and there is a second group that has wandered from Rwanda to Uganda.

glover

We did the normal gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi in uganda last November. We had a great time/viewing and were fortunate to have found two different families on successive 2 day trip within an hour. the experience was very well organized and the guides, porters, and rangers were quite knowledgeable and helpful. Our chimp experience was not as good as the chimps at that time were all very high in the trees. Trekked for about 3 hours on muddy trails for little reward.
I posted a long trip report under At Last Africa….

amyb

I researched this for my 2017 gorilla trekking trip. I ended up landing with Rwanda. A few things played into this. I was traveling with someone not as fit and not committed to getting fit for the trek, so I wanted to try to minimize the difficulty of the climb as best as I could. Rwanda does have easier treks, although there is always the chance the gorillas move and you have to move to where they are. I also didn't like that I had to choose between two locations in Uganda, neither of which were easy to get between (one itinerary had us getting up at 3 am to make it to the hiking location by 7!). In Rwanda, you go to one place pretty close to all the lodges and have a choice of many families to trek to, and they'll assign you based on your fitness/willingness to trek far and high.

I was also really interested in the 4 hour habituation experience in Uganda, but talked to someone on another forum who did it and she said she was disappointed by it when compared to the habituated trek she did. On the four hour visit you are there to habituate them, so they're not used to you being there and aren't as willing to tolerate being near you like the habituated groups do. Her four hours was spent chasing them and trying to catch glimpses as they moved through thick overgrowth. (Trekkers cut paths for you through bushes, so it's not like you're on a defined path) As I was very interested in photographing them, I wanted to better my chances and didn't think that would work for me. So as long as you go into it knowing those four hours may not be as "ideal" as a visit with gorillas who are used to humans every day, at least you won't be disappointed.

I am already pretty physically active and I trained specifically for hiking/trekking (five months on the step mill!) and I was still pretty wiped out after 2 one hour gorilla treks + golden monkeys on consecutive days. Our climbs were "moderate" but there is no training for slogging through mud at altitude. I'm not sure how I would have done the four hours if I'm honest. If I hadn't hired porters, I'm certain I would still be stuck knee deep in mud in Volcanoes National Park.

My trip report is on here, if you're interested.

babylonboy

Wow, this is some incredible insight thank you amyb, glover, and Heimdall – sounds like I have a bit more to research here!

amyb, your other content on Africa is great as well and will certainly inform some decisions going forward

Heimdall

Another feature of Volcanoes NP in Rwanda is the Karisoke Research Center founded by Dian Fossey. If you’ve read the book or seen the film Gorillas in the Mist you will know who Dian Fossey was. Today there is a museum located at the site, for which you can book a visit. I would have dearly loved to see it myself, but my gorilla tracking was at the end of my stay in Rwanda, and I needed to get back to Kigali for a flight home.

https://www.insidevolcanoesnationalp...fossey-museum/