Looking for the Cheapest Gorilla Safaris in Uganda? Check out our amazing pocket-friendly budget Gorilla deals for 2022 – 2024. All our Gorilla trekking offers include; accommodation, meals, ground transportation, and all transport-related costs like fuel and vehicle parking, and are fully escorted by a local driver-guide – this means you have a private local guide with you the entire tour.
The Cheapest Gorilla Safaris in Uganda Starting in Entebbe
How to plan the cheapest Gorilla Safaris & Tours In 2022 – 2024
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Decide on your Destination.
The choice of destination does greatly after your budget on any holiday. Mountain Gorilla Trekking can be done in Uganda, Rwanda, and DR. Congo.
- Gorilla Permits in Uganda cost US$700 Per person to spend 1-hour viewing a group of Habituated Gorillas
- Rwanda Gorilla permits cost USD1,500 per person to stay 1-hour watching a group of Habituated Gorillas.
DR. Congo gorilla permits prices fluctuate between US$400 – $600 per person and are the lowest price for gorilla Permits you can find anywhere in the world. However, Gorilla trekking in Congo is quite unsafe, and tourists and park rangers have been kidnapped and shot dead. The most recent attack happened on 24/April/2020 (see: https://news.mongabay.com/2020/04/twelve-rangers-killed-in-latest-virunga-park-incident/)
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Decide on where to stay.
The accommodation comes in various categories from Basic campsite, homestays, Bed & breakfast guesthouses, midrange lodges located close to the gorilla trekking point to the very luxurious “break a bank” properties.
You need to choose the accommodation based on your budget. There is really no need to lavish your Money on a very luxurious property unless you think otherwise. There are great value mid-range properties that offer amazing rates on Fullboard.
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Decide the best time to go. Budget Uganda Gorilla Safaris
There are three (03) travel seasons for most destinations in East Africa; Low season, Shoulder season, and Peak Or high season.
Low season -April, May & November (rainy season) is characterized by fairly unpleasant weather, but amazing discounts on accommodation and general logistics like transport. There are fewer people traveling during this time.
Shoulder season – September, October, December to March is the season between the short rains – not so wet, but prices are beginning to go up again. There are, however, fewer people traveling then.
Peak season is self-explanatory (June to August). It is this time that we see crowds, gorilla permits, accommodation, and package tours have limited availability or are completely booked/sold out. It is expensive to travel during this time.
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Decide whether to use a tour operator or Do it yourself.
Tour operators come in two (02) categories: Foreign tour operators based in your home country, and local tour operators based in the actual place you want to visit.
Your home-based foreign tour operator is probably one you have worked with on a couple of trips previously and he/she has been amazing. The untold truth, however, is that your home-based tour operator does mark up the trip with about 15 – 30% added to what the actual local tour operator has quoted. The additional mark-up by your home-based tour operator makes the trip costly however we also understand that you might feel safer dealing with the one you know than risk your money in the hands of a local tour operator located miles away from you.
To keep the price of the trip reasonable and affordable, you might consider working directly with a reputable local tour operator. We, however, recommend that you do thorough checkups to ensure that the tour operator you choose to work with is legit; legally registered, and belongs to the Association of Uganda Tour Operators
Top tip(s): Make time and read through their reviews from previous clients (**be careful as a review can be deceiving), check if the tour operator is a member of any trade Association, for instance, Realm Africa safaris™ is a fully registered member of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators.
If you are a DIY (do it yourself) person, you will need to start planning well in advance. For instance, you will need to contact the Uganda wildlife Authority to book your Gorilla permit(s), then also move fast to secure your accommodation and eventually decide on a Car Hire company. This can be cheap but might cost you at one point. It can be risky to drive on African roads, the signage is very poor, and internet connections are unreliable for you to work on GPS – It does get even more complicated when you don’t get the timelines correct for your gorilla trek.
Related: How to book my own Gorilla Permit Directly with UWA.
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