Gorilla safari is among the experiences that draws many travelers in East and Central Africa. It is generally affordable in Uganda due to its low price of the gorilla permit compared to that of Rwanda. In Uganda, the permit is US$ 800 while in Rwanda its US$ 1500. In this context, affordability will depend on the buyer.
You will find travelers taking Rwanda tour to be affordable and others taking Uganda to be affordable and it is found that from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park it is much shorter compared from Entebbe to Bwindi or Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks and hence making the other safari logistics favorable in either way.
More so, other travelers opt to go to the Virunga National Park due to that you can enjoy both gorilla trek and the Nyiragongo trek and in the Democratic Republic of Congo the gorilla permit cost US$ 450 USD and also the accommodations like Mikeno Lodge, Kibumba Tented Camp, Ngila Camp and Tchegera Tented Camp are so economical friendly.
Those with no time will take Rwanda to be affordable not minding about the permit factor but putting into consideration of other factors such as accessibility and nearness. In Rwanda, the roads to the national parks are fully tarmacked which makes the movements so easy and when it comes to distance, Volcanoes National Park is just a two hours’ drive from Kigali giving very many tourists with out time the chance to interact with the gorillas.
In Rwanda the visibility of the gorillas is simpler through the bamboo forest compared to that of Uganda in the thick rain forest. This will make the safari affordable in Rwanda since it will take less time yet giving clear views from a distance.
In Rwanda, you are able to go for a one-day gorilla trek making it very affordable for gorilla trekking in such a luxury destination. Here you will arrive very early in the morning and upon arrival, you will be transferred to the park headquarters a two hours’ drive from the airport and go for briefing where you will present all the documentation required including the gorilla permit. In groups of 8 people, you will track one family. The search will take 30mins to 7hrs and once you locate them, you will take one hour with them taking photos of your choice as well as learning more about their behaviour.
Descend for your trekking certificate, take lunch and drive back to the airport for your flight back home. This can not happen in Uganda; you need a minimum of 3 days to do gorilla trekking.
You will need 8hrs from Entebbe to Bwindi then trek the next day. driving is the cheaper option, especially as part of a tour group. Some who want to go to Bwindi or Mgahinga for gorilla trekking actually choose to fly into Kigali. They then drive north across the border; Mgahinga can be reached in around three hours from Kigali, and Bwindi in about four hours.
In you Uganda, there is chance to spend more time with gorillas at the same cost as the one-hour cost in Rwanda. This makes it very affordable in Uganda to do gorillas for more than one hour. This option is only in Uganda. This permit allows the visitor to spend four hours with a mountain gorilla troop in the south of Bwindi. A habituation permits costs US$1,500, which is the same price as the one-hour gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda.
Two gorilla troops have been set aside for these habituation experiences. And only about eight habituation permits are issued per day, so you have to book well in advance if you want one. Visitors who do the four-hour gorilla habituation trek get to take part in activities like mimicking the gorillas’ vocalization to help find the troop, collecting specimens, and even sometimes naming the individual gorillas. It’s a truly standout adventure.
Uganda becomes more affordable by offering more to do after gorilla trekking than Rwanda. Uganda has more variety. Uganda is nine times bigger than Rwanda, so this is to be expected. This is why Winston Churchill was so blown away by the beautiful and varied landscapes, wildlife and cultures of Uganda that he dubbed it the Pearl of Africa.
You can also do a variety of incredible forest hikes in Bwindi, but they’re nature walks and not summit hikes. Incidentally, the wildlife and birds that you can spot in both the Virunga and Bwindi are absolutely sublime. Bwindi in particular is one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems in the world.
