Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda vs Uganda

Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda vs Uganda

Whether you are seeking a Gorilla Trekking adventure or cultural safari, we share your passion for new experiences. Thrill your senses on your Gorilla Trekking exercise in the wild as one of the most majestic and mesmerizing experiences as you gain a fascinating insight into the rich lifestyle and livelihood of these elusive gentle animals. Gorilla Trekking is one of the most thrilling activities and the main reasons tourists visit Rwanda, Uganda and D.R. Congo as they seek the famous mountain gorillas in their natural habitat

Journey through the jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and admire the endangered mountain gorillas, the vegetation and the beautiful mountains in Virunga massif as the main habitat of these gentle creatures. Mountain gorillas only live in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in the D.R. Congo.

Though mountain gorillas can also be viewed in Virunga National Park in D.R. Congo, they are more preferable to visit in the alternative parks in Uganda and Rwanda since there habitats in Congo are politically insecure posing fear to travelers.

Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park located in the Virunga Massif/ Virunga volcanoes is the only place in Rwanda where you can view these gentle creatures and is located 3 hours drive from Kigali in the northwest of the country, on the border with the D.R. Congo and Uganda.

Volcanoes National Park is home to over 150 habituated gorillas split into 11 gorilla families issuing 96 gorilla trekking permits every day alongside several wild ones that are not habituated for the gorilla tracking exercise.

Rwanda presents itself as the location offering high end gorilla trekking with a gorilla safari in Rwanda being rated the most expensive travel experience compared to the other two counterparts, this is a tourism strategy attracting the most exclusive resorts and promising higher income to the local communities.

Advantages of Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda:

• Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda is more convenient in terms of driving distance as Volcanoes National Park is 2 1/2 hours from the entry point- Kigali International Airport
• .Rwanda is also one of the safest, best organized places to the gorillas and the experience will be memorable.
• The road network in Rwanda is in better Conditions and Cleaner with functional traffic lights.
• The Lodging choices around Volcanoes National Park are most luxury establishments offering a fascinating experience.
• Before the trekking and during briefing, the travelers are offered welcoming coffee and a traditional dance.
• Apart from Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park, the park offers other exceptional activities including Golden Monkey Trekking, Volcano Climbing.
• A Gorilla safari in Volcanoes National Park can be combined with a wildlife tour in Akagera National Park and a primates tour in Nyungwe Forest National Park alongside a relaxing episode out on Lake Kivu.
• On arrival in Rwanda you can enjoy a Kigali city tour which includes the Genocide memorial Centre and also supplement the gorilla trek with a hike to the Dian Fossey grave alongside other cultural add-ons.
• The tracking experience in Volcanoes National Park is less strenuous with better photography opportunities compared to the other parks with tough terrains.

Disadvantages of Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda:

• The cost of a permits in Rwanda is USD 1500 compared which is expensive in comparison to Uganda at USD 600 USD. Rwanda raised its Permit Prices to help in Gorilla Conservation, to market Rwanda as an upmarket Gorilla Trekking Destination and assist the local communities surrounding the trekking areas with improving their infrastructure.
• The lodging options in Rwanda around Volcanoes National Park are costly and fewer options to cater for the large tourism numbers.
• Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda offers less daily Permits compared to Uganda since they have less habituated gorilla families compared to Uganda.
• Unlike Rwanda, Uganda offers a Gorilla Habituation Experience lasting 4 hours with the gorillas at USD 1500.
• Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda is offered at the same price to the Rwandan nationals as the tourists that visit the country.
• Rwanda has limited add-ons onto the gorilla safari unlike Uganda that offers a total African Wildlife Safari experience.

For luxury travelers that prefer more intimate and high-end experiences, Rwanda is your best choice with the most exclusive and stunning lodges. However, the permits are significantly more expensive compared to Uganda at 600 USD and a Gorilla Habituation Experience lasting 4 hours at USD 1500.

Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

Gorilla Trekking in Uganda can be experienced in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park that are as well part of the Virungas Massif together with the Virunga National Park and Volcanoes National Park. Uganda is home to half of the remaining mountain gorillas with the gorilla trekking permits more affordable compared to Rwanda.

Gorilla Trekking Parks are found in southwestern Uganda which is over 12 hour drive away from the entry point- Entebbe International Airport or enjoy a 3 hours scheduled flight over to the beautiful landscapes to cut the long hectic drive to the gorilla parks.

The Parks in Uganda offer other opportunities including Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, mountain climbing, Batwa visits, visit to the local medicine man, visit the local villages and the visit of Queen Elizabeth National Park for its tree climbing lions.

Unlike Rwanda, Uganda Gorilla permit is affordable at $600 per person with a range of affordable accommodation options to carter for all the economic groups of travelers and domestic flights you can take to get there from Entebbe.

Advantages of Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

• Uganda gorilla permits are at a lower price – USD 600 compared to USD 1500 for the Rwanda Gorilla Permit
• At the same price as Rwanda of USD 1500, in Uganda you get to spend 4 hours with a gorilla group in Gorilla Habituation Experience
• Uganda offers lower priced Lodging options compared to Rwanda and also carters for al the economic groups of travels including upmarket, midrange and budget accommodation.
• Uganda is home to more than half of the remaining mountain gorillas with more habituated gorilla families thus offering more gorilla trekking permits compared to Rwanda.
• With your entry point as Rwanda, gorilla trekking in both Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and  Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is 3 hours drive from Kigali and save USD 900.
• Mgahinga Gorilla National Park offers an option of Golden Monkey trekking alongside the Gorilla Trekking exercise.
• A tour to Uganda offers a lot of diversity with more activities to enjoy including chimpanzee Tracking, White Water Rafting, Kayaking, visit Lake Bunyonyi, Lake Mutanda, or the Ssese Islands on Lake Victoria.
• The Virunga mountains where the gorilla parks are located, you have an option of mountain and volcano climbing including on the Virunga Volcanoes.
• Uganda has 10 national park thus offering the travelers more than a gorilla safari like the Big five, chimpanzees and many more compared to Rwanda.
• Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the Best Parks in Africa with a variety of plant species, animal species and bird species that inhabit it.
• In Uganda a Gorilla Trekking permit is offered to nationals and East Africans at a lower which is not the case in Rwanda.

Visiting Uganda, will not only offer you a gorilla safari but will also offer a wildlife safari, chimpanzee trekking, mountain climbing, with spectacular birding opportunities in most of the Ugandan parks compared to Rwanda that has less to offer to traveler.

Disadvantages of Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

• The gorilla parks in Uganda are located in the southern part of Uganda with long drive times, unless one flies into Kigali and drives to Bwindi or flies from Entebbe to Kisoro or  breaks drive-times by staying a night in another park such as Lake Mburo National Park.
• The road conditions in some places are bad and  are in need of improvement.
• The in-bound flights tend to be on the expensive side, however many take advantage of the short 1 1/2 hour flight to Bwindi.
• Uganda has 4 Gorilla Starting Points in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park which confuses travelers.
• Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda makes the gorilla experience memorable with a coffee and a traditional dance before the trekking activity and other ceremonies like the “Kwita Inzina”
• Does not serve coffee at the orientation for the trek, plus there is no cultural dance offered for visitors.
• Park Offices at Gorilla Trek Starting points are not as elaborate as the one in Rwanda.

Both the countries- Uganda and Rwanda, each of the countries have an added advantage over the other thus we can choose which one offers the perfect Gorilla Trekking experience.
Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest  requires more physical fitness and stamina though for most people this makes the experience more exciting.
In Rwanda on the other hand, gorilla tracking is done on the side of a volcano, and the tracking is a bit easier and you are assigned a group based on your physical abilities.

On your safari to Rwanda you can go chimpanzee tracking, or golden monkey tracking, Nyungwe forest canopy walk, visit Akagera national park, or hike the Congo trail in addition to tracking gorillas while your Uganda safari has a host of things to do  including chimpanzee tracking, visit some of the game parks such as Queen Elizabeth national park and go on game viewing drives, or bird watching, see some tree climbing lions, go white water rafting on the Nile, enjoy some mountain climbing and enjoy a bit of cultural tourism. Both countries are destinations rich with tourist sites and activities. So you can go for your gorilla safari in whichever one feels right and more adventurous for you.

The real tracking procedure and experience may be almost similar except for both Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with a few add-ons onto the activity like guests being given a cup of coffee or tea at the briefing center and are also given some cultural entertainment.

It is important to note that the choice of the country to track gorillas from will depend on one’s budget, time schedule and one’s additional interests apart from the gorilla safari which will vary from one individual to another.

Gorilla Trekking in D.R. Congo

Virunga National Park in D.R. Congo also offers Gorilla Trekking though it was closed in May 2018 after the kidnapping of two British tourists and their driver and the killing of their guide. The insecurity in the country renders it not safe to visit due to its political instability over years since the country descended into civil war and unrest and also making gorilla conservation efforts far tougher than in Uganda and Rwanda.

Virunga National Park has six habituated families in the DRC although this number is always in flow as new families can be created from spinoffs from the existing ones.
Gorilla trekking permits in the D.R. Congo costs USD 400 which is way cheaper compared to the two alternatives in Uganda and Rwanda

Virunga National Park, Africa most Bio-Diverse Park is one of the best-managed Parks in Africa and one of the oldest National Park in Africa. But due it’s political unrest the well-being of our Clients is foremost on our mind.
The USA and UK do not recommend  their nationals traveling there with strong advisories as your Travel insurance becomes null and void in most cases.

Most travelers that come to Uganda and Rwanda are here to visit the gorillas in their natural habitat and the choice of which country to visit is up to your with some of the defining factors mentioned above to guide you to make a choice on which country to visit depending on the price, time of travel and what other add-ons your would love to include on your safari, at the end of the day the Gorilla Trekking adventure is a very thrilling activity.