March 29, 2024

Best Time to Do Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

Mountain gorilla trekking is one of the must do things while on a visit to Uganda. Uganda is blessed with half of the world’s fascinating gorillas which are found in Bwindi Impenetrable national park. Mgahinga gorilla national park is another place where gorillas can be found. Though gorilla tracking can be done throughout the year, there are specific seasons that are best for taking on this activity.
The two dry seasons of December-February and June-September are more suitable for going gorilla trekking because the terrain in the parks are easier to hike. You should however be in good health and quite fit before attempting to go mountain gorilla trekking because no matter the season, the hike is a bit strenuous as you go up and down hills in the Bwindi forest and clearing vegetation out of your way.
Although the dry season is the most suitable time to do a gorilla safari, you can still do it during the rainy season because Uganda being a tropical climate country, the sun will still come out during the wet seasons. Also, it can still rain in the parks even during the dry season due to the unpredictable weather in the parks since Bwindi and Mgahinga are made up of a rain forests. The advantage to taking on this adventure trek during the wet seasons of March-May and October-November is that permits are discounted to $450 from $600. It’s also easier to find the mountain gorillas since food is in abundance and they don’t have to move a lot. For those who don’t enjoy crowds, the parks are less populated during these seasons which also means that the gorilla tracking group maybe less than the usual 8 people per visit.
Other activities that can incorporated in your gorilla trekking safari itinerary are chimpanzee tracking and view of other primates like the endangered golden monkey and baboons, birding, and enjoy a cultural experience with the Batwa pygmies.