Mountain gorillas can be visited at any time of the year. The dry seasons between the months of May and early October, and between December and January are often the best time to visit gorillas when forest grounds are less slippery and muddy. However, in recent years the weather has become unpredictable so it’s better to follow the climate prediction of a given year. Note also that the high-altitude rainforest habitats of the mountain gorillas has frequent, almost daily, rainfall.
Historically, the low seasons of February to April and November have the advantage of some gorilla destinations, lodges, and hotels giving discounted room rates.
Gorilla trekking permits vary depending on the country. In Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the gorilla permit prices for 2020 are as follows:
| Tourist type | UGANDA | RWANDA | CONGO |
| Foreign non-residents | $700 | $1500 | $400 |
| Foreign residents | $600 | $1500 | $400 |
| East African citizens | UGX 250,000 | $1500 | $400 |
| Congolese citizens | $200 |
Mountain gorillas live in the jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the Virunga Conservation Area shared by Mgahinga Gorilla, Volcanoes and Virunga National Parks in Uganda, Rwanda and the DR Congo respectively.
A combined gorilla safari to both areas offers you an exceptional experience. Each area is different from the other in terms of location, access and the number of habituated gorilla families.
Bwindi has the highest number of mountain gorillas with 18 families habituated for trekking. Volcanoes National Park has 12 gorilla families and Mgahinga has one gorilla family. In late 2019 Hirwa, one of the gorilla families from Volcanoes National Park crossed into Mgahinga, meaning Mgahinga has one resident and one non-resident habituated gorilla family. Virunga National Park has habituated for trekking.
Gorilla permit booking should be made at least 4 months in advance. The high demand for gorilla permits requires travelers to book and pay for them as early as possible in order to secure then in good time. Early booking is particularly advisable for groups or for people who want to travel during peak seasons.
The rules state that you have to be a minimum of 15 years old to track the gorillas (or chimpanzees) in Uganda, Rwanda or the Congo. This age limit is in place to ensure the safety of travellers and mountain gorillas.
However, if a child is nearing their 15th birthday, his/her parent can sign an agreement confirming that they will take full responsibility for anything that may happen to the child during the tracking. This letter can be submitted to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Rwanda Development Board (RDB)
In order to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience to the full, here is our recommended packing list for gorilla tracking:
Plenty of drinking water. We recommend 2 L per person.
Eight people visit one gorilla family every day meaning only eight permits are available for each gorilla group in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The hiking abilities of travellers dictate which gorilla family they are allocated. Some gorilla families are close by, in other cases you may have to track for several hours before you encounter the gorillas. It is therefore important that you communicate how far you are prepared to walk.
The actual time spent with the gorillas is strictly one hour. This starts from the time travelers meet the allocated gorilla family. However, you may spend several hours in the jungle before reaching the gorillas. The hike can be as short as 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the location of the gorilla family and whether they are moving, feeding or sleeping. During that hour you may take photos, capture videos, watch their social behaviour and embrace the human-like characters of mountain gorillas.
Some of the dos and don'ts of gorilla trekking include:
The Gorilla Habituation experience in Rushaga allows you to spend up to 4 hours in the presence of the primates and their researchers and park rangers.
A maximum of four visitors are allowed to take part in this experience everyday. Visitors are not mere observers but an active participant in the habituation process. In addition to the four hours spent with the gorillas, you are likely to spend several hours tracking to find the gorillas and to return to base afterwards, making it an all-day activity.
The cost to take part in the Gorilla Habituation Experience is $1500 per person.
Yes, you can trek Uganda’s mountain gorillas from Kigali in Rwanda. The advantage of this is that you take advantage of Uganda’s comparably cheap permits and Kigali’s good infrastructure.
To track Ugandans gorillas from Rwanda, you fly into Kigali International Airport. Travelers doing one day gorilla trek from Rwanda need to leave Kigali by 3:30 am to reach Bwindi / Mgahinga by 7:00 am to take part in the pre-trekking briefing.
It is approximately four hours drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park / Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks through Cyanika border in Kisoro District.
After trekking, travelers drive back to Kigali for their return flights.
In the highly unusual case where travelers fail to see mountain gorillas, respective park management will give a second chance to trek the gorillas the next day without paying. However, if a traveler fails to see gorillas due to his/her physical unfitness or sickness, he or she will not be refunded anything.
Although sightings are not guaranteed, the chances of seeing mountain gorillas are almost 100%. At Into Africa Safaris we have never experienced a tour in which clients fail to spot the magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.
Cancellation of gorilla tracking permits by travelers is occasionally inevitable owing to unavoidable circumstances. Note the cancellation period and refunds available below:
| Number of days before cancellation | Percentage of permit value refunded |
| 91 | 75% |
| 45 – 90 | 50% |
| 8 - 45 | 25% |
| 0 - 8 | 0% |
In case of a traveller wishing to reschedule the gorilla trekking date, an extra $150 will be charged by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) . Do note that this is subject to availability of alternative dates.
NOTE: If the initial deposit is only equivalent to the value of the gorilla permit, expect no refund
