There are only 1050 mountain gorillas surviving in the world making these apes one of the most endangered species on planet earth. The Virunga ranges and Bwindi forest are the two homes of the gorillas in Africa with over half the population in Uganda’s Bwindi national park. The Virunga Mountains are shared by Rwanda forming the Parc Nationale des Volcans spreading to Uganda where Mgahinga Gorilla Park is located and then proceeding through to DR Congo where they are reserved at the Virunga national park. Among all the national parks mentioned, only two have more visitors than the others looking for gorilla trekking safaris and these two are Bwindi & Volcanoes park also known as Parc Nationale des Volcan’ and both have their pros and cons a tourist should examine before making the final decision on which destination to visit.
Below are 4 factors to consider helping you decide whether to do a gorilla safari in Uganda or Rwanda.
Gorilla Permits
Tracking permits in Uganda cost US$ 600 per person and 350 during the off season as compared to the more expensive Rwanda gorilla permit which costs US$ 700 per person. When it comes to African safaris, most travellers prefer something affordable and if they can find some activity cheaper but still give them the same satisfaction, then they will jump for it and that’s why I would recommend Uganda highly when it comes to minimizing travel expenditure.
Distance
Almost everyone dreads seating in car for long hours, the boredom and discomfort will make you hate the whole road trip and that’s why many prefer short distances to whichever place or attraction they will be visiting. Bwindi is situated 478 km from Kampala city taking nearly 9 hours to get there on road which is pretty distant compared to the Volcano park which is only 2 hours drive from Kigali city making it easy to track gorillas and go back to town on the same day. In terms of distance to park, Rwanda comes out the winner here.
Gorilla Groups
The number of habituated gorillas in each park differs and here Bwindi forest gets the upper hand since it contains over half the population of the endangered species but both parks have over 9 families ready for tracking. Bwindi park is home to 14 gorilla families / groups including Nshongi which is the largest containing 36 members and 5 silverbacks, Mubare, Bitukura, Nkuringo, Habinyaja, Rushegura, Busingye among others. Rwanda’s Parc Nationale des Volcans’ is home to 10 gorilla groups including Titus, Susa, Amahoro, Kwitonda, Ugenda, Karisimbi, Umubano, Sabinyo among others. Whichever park you visit, be assured of a 95% chance of encountering a family or two.
Safari Activities
After you have finishing your gorilla trekking adventure, you have to ask yourself this question; what’s next? This is where Uganda wins the race given the fact it has up to 10 national parks and variety of local attractions and tribes as compared to only 3 parks in Rwanda. There are plenty of other exciting tourist activities to do when in Uganda and these include game drives, boat trips, bird watching, water sports, horseback riding, bungee jumping, quad biking, mountain hiking, chimpanzee tracking, nature walks, community visits, cultural excursions, slum tours to mention but a few. Rwanda on the other hand is limited to a few activities given its small size and number of parks.
So if you a planning a gorilla safari in Rwanda or Uganda this season and still haven’t yet decided on which park to visit, then you should consider the above factors to get the best experience that fits your budget and personal needs. To inquire about availability of trip and permits, simply get in touch with us through info@gorillasafaritrek.com or call us now on +256-777887173.
