Where to go on a budget Gorilla Safari: Mountain gorillas in Africa can only be found in three (03) countries; Uganda, Rwanda & DR Congo. However, we currently can confidently say only Uganda & Rwanda are considered safe places where to go on a gorilla trekking safari as of 2022 & beyond. DR congo specifically is off our list of places to go. The wildlife in Congo is amazing but trust me we can’t guarantee your safety – if anything changes, we will let you know!
Going on a Budget Gorilla Safari to Uganda:
Uganda is popular has two locations; Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park where you can trek & see mountain gorillas – 99% success rate.
Bwindi was the first to be opened for gorilla trekking in 1993 and currently has a total of 20 habituated mountain gorilla families open for tourism. Each of these Gorilla groups can be visited by strictly 08 tourists after acquiring a gorilla permit. Gorilla permits to trek Gorillas in Bwindi Forest cost $700 per person for foreign non-residents, $600pp for residents, and UGX250,000pp for East African citizens (proof of citizenship required).
Mgahinga unlike Bwindi only has one fully habituated mountain gorilla family that opened for tourism in 1994 with the habituation process having started in 1991. Only eight tourists can visit the Nyakagezi gorilla family in Mgahinga on a daily – of course after having secured a gorilla trekking permit from UWA ( we can assist you to book this). Gorilla permits to trek the Nyakagezi gorilla family cost $700 per person for foreign non-residents, $600pp for residents, and UGX250,000pp for East African citizens, and proof of citizenship required!
Going on a Budget Gorilla Safari to Rwanda:
Unlike Uganda, Rwanda only has one gorilla trekking location – volcanoes National Park. To get to volcanoes from Kigali takes about 2 hours driving through the scenic hills and is worthwhile, however, should you be tight on time and with a flexible budget, then you might want to look into hiring a helicopter to fly from Kigali to Volcanoes National park – something that will obviously cost quite a bit of money – thought you were thinking budget right!
Gorilla Permits In volcanoes national parks cost $1,500 per person to trek and see the mountain gorillas of Rwanda – this price for many is at the top so not many have even considered Rwanda as a budget destination – which makes Uganda the Best Place to go on a budget gorilla safari.
Other important things to consider when deciding where to go on a Budget gorilla safari in 2022 – 2023 & beyond.
Uganda does have an additional eight national parks with a lot of things to see and do that your tour operator can assist add to your gorilla trekking holiday itinerary. for instance, besides mountain gorillas, you may consider adding;
- Gorilla Habituation – 4 hours longer with the gorillas!
- Golden Monkey trekking.
- Lion tracking.
- Chimpanzee Tracking.
- Chimpanzee Habituation – Full day with a group of wild chimpanzees.
- White water rafting on the Nile.
- Sportfishing – fishing for the Nile Perch in Murchison falls.
- A visit to the Batwa pygmies – the marginalized forest people – who previously lived in the gorilla Forest.
