WHY GORILLA TRACKING IN UGANDA?

Uganda is located in the East Africa covering an area of about 236,580sq.km, it neighbors’ countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, Kenya to the East, Sudan to the north and the united republic of Tanzania and Rwanda to the South. Uganda is known as a gifted country when it comes to tourist attractions; it houses incredible species of wildlife some of which can’t be seen elsewhere in the world. Many safari activities can be done in Uganda including wildlife viewing, primate safaris, mountaineering, white water rafting and birding safaris among many others; all these safari activities are enjoyed by visitors who make it to Uganda. However the key safari activity to Uganda is an encounter with the endangered mountain gorilla in their natural habitat. Uganda is one of the few countries in the world to host the endangered mountain gorillas and its known for housing the highest percentage of these remaining mountain apes almost half of these apes live in Uganda over 480 individuals live in Bwindi impenetrable national park and mgahinga gorilla forest national park. 

 

Many safari activities in Uganda are just a supplement on mountain gorilla safari and perhaps the most done adventurous activity done on earth.  Over 70% of travelers to Uganda go gorilla tracking, tourists spend at least one-two days in the wild with these giant apes while studding as well as taking photography. Uganda hosts 12 gorilla families with Bwindi impenetrable N.P hosting 11 gorilla families and one gorilla family live in Mgahinga national park, this means that over 96 member visit mountain gorillas on a daily basis hence a lot of revenue is being collected by the government and the standards of the local most especially those surrounding the park have been improved as a small percentage go directly to the locals to improve on their welfare. However many trackers prefer to track in Bwindi national park since the one gorilla family called Nyakagezi that exist in Mgahinga is known as adventurous most of the time migrate to neighboring countries in Rwanda and DRC, so making tracking in this family very difficult and if interested in tracking in this family, you should first consult with your tour operator before booking to ensure group availability.

Bwindi and Mgahinga national park are located in the south western part of Uganda and the parks can be reached in just about 8-9 hours with beautiful views and stopovers at any interesting places like at the equator crossing, Lake Mburo national park among many others, so for those who are interested in adventure, a Uganda gorilla safaris are the best. Bwindi national park offers the best sights of these animals, you can also spot them feeding on the ground just meters from the lodge Buhoma making photography and viewing superb this’s why gorilla tracking in Uganda. It’s really a magnificent moment to sit among these apes listening to them grumble and cheer at a dominant male silverback. Only one hour is allowed to stay with these apes while studding their behaviors as well as taking photography. Gorilla tracking is the most expensive safari activity, however the most done activity. A gorilla permit costs usd 600 in the high season and usd 450 in the low season.  Permits are sold at the Uganda Wildlife Authority headquarters in Kamwokya Kampala. We are always at your disposal to book for you the whole safari at friendly price, book with us a gorilla safaris in Uganda and enjoy a long life experience that comes ounce in a life time.You can also opt for a Uganda self Drive and we shall provide you with the best car for the trip

Why travel with us?

Traveling has never been so wonderful like one when you use the right tour operator. Some people end up losing their money in the process of selecting which company they should use to organize their safaris. It’s always important for someone to make a thorough survey of a specific company he/she has chosen to travel with before making any transaction with them. It should be noted that there are some illegal companies in Uganda which are put in place by con-men who want to take advantage of foreigners and rob off their money in pretense of organizing for them Uganda Safari Tours. Even some car hire companies are not registered and before one makes any deal with any of them, he/she should first ensure that it’s a well established and registered company. Here at Uganda Self Drive, we always advise our clients to trust us after inquiring about us from other people and also testing our credibility be reading our reviews on the different tourism portals. It’s always a good thing to put the trust in our clients before making any transaction with us and we always tell them to first read about us and also talk to us in person.

Our services are the best in Uganda and our cars are always in the best conditions for use and a tourist should not have any worry about safety. Our goal is to provide our customers with incomparable services so that we create an understanding between us and the customers. But there are some reasons why one should use our company and below are some of them;-

We offer the best prices to our customers and our prices are pocket-friendly to everyone. If you are to compare our prices with those of other companies, ours are better because they try to accommodate everyone irrespective of their financial status. We always put our clients in mind while coming up with a pricing strategy so that they get the best value for their money.

Reliability;-  Our company is the most reliable company in this field of tourism and car hire and therefore one should travel with us knowing that he/she is moving with the best in Uganda. We have dealt with many people from different countries and all of them have given an excellent review of their experience with us.

We ensure safety for our clients. As mentioned above, safety is priority while selecting which company to travel with. Here in our company, we always make sure that safety comes first before other things. We always service our vehicles and expose off the old ones so that we don’t put the lives of our customers in danger. No one would want to travel with a company which does not take care of its clients’ safety. Therefore, book with us and we shall give you the best services you require.

We have been in business for several years and we are experienced. Our company was registered in 2008 and since then we have been operating successfully in Uganda. Therefore we have the utmost exposure and experience when it comes to service delivery. Plan your Uganda safari with us or hire a car from us and we shall be ready to give you the best you deserve.

The Road Trip in Uganda was amazing

On my visit to Uganda in January, I decided to travel by road and in this case, I decided to go for a Uganda self drive where by a drove myself. This was splendid as I controlled my safari and managed my time. All I needed was a well trained guide to help me locate where some places are but in most cases my map was helpful on this. So how did everything start? I was in Denmark, my home country and I picked interest in visiting Africa for a tour. I wanted to see the wildlife and in my mind, I wanted to choose a destination which had all the big five wild animals. I had been in Africa several times especially in Uganda and therefore I fancied going back there because of the thrilling adventure I had while there. Offcourse I didn’t over stress when it came to selecting which company to use because I had been using Maranatha Toursand Travel Ltd and enjoyed their company whenever in Uganda. All I had to was to inform them about my trip and the dates. Just as I had sent the inquiry, I got an immediate reply from them and they sent me the costing of the whole safari. I went on and confirmed the trip because their price was within my range. What was unique this time was that I was to drive myself while on a Uganda safari

I arrived in Uganda on 5^th January at Entebbe international Airport. I was welcomed by the company guide who drove me to my booked hotel in Kampala. I enjoyed every bit of it as we drove past eye-catching spots in Kampala city.The next day was for transfer from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Am the one who drove but I had a guide by me who gave me company and also helped me locate certain places I didn’t know. The trip was magnificent and it was actually different from those I had before. We arrived in the evening and checked in our lodge for dinner and overnight.

The next day was the actual day for the safari as we went for a thrilling game drive through Queen Elizabeth National Park. I had a chance to view all the big five wild animals but what I enjoyed most was the lions which we found in the fields of Queen playing. That day was the best of my life and I enjoyed every bit of it. We later returned to the lodge for lunch and relaxation before going for an evening nature walk. We returned to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

The last day of the safari was all about transferring from Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kampala. I drove part of the journey and left the rest to my guide to drive because I didn’t want to get so tires as I had to catch a flight at 7:00 Pm. I left for Denmark that same day and travel safely.

The experience I had on that trip was remarkably rewarding and I thank the Uganda Self drive team for the love and good services.

GO FOR A BOAT CRUISE ON THE KAZINGA CHANNEL

The boat cruise at the kazinga channel is one of the most done tourist activities at Queen Elizabeth national park which is located in the southwestern part of Uganda about 5-7 hours’ drive from the capital Kampala. The kazinga channel is located just about 3 km from the Mweya safari lodge, about one hour’s drive through the park from most of the lodges around the park. The channel is 32 kilometers long and it links lakes Edward and George. The channel is very rich with a wide biodiversity of wildlife species that live and feed on the lakes especially during the drier months. Here visitor are fortunate to view various species of wildlife, which come down at the channel to drink water. Some of the mammal species and birds attracted at the channel including the African crocodiles, hippos, elephant, buffaloes, lions and leopard can also sometime be spotted drinking from the shoreline.

Birders are also gifted with a chance to view various species of birds that move along the Albertine Rift, over 70 plus different birds can be seen to mention some include the king fisher, stork, white-faced whistling, African fish eagle, great and long- tailed cormorants and lucky visitor may also spot the shoebill stork just to mention but a few.

The boat trip lasts for one hour and normally begins from 2pm, the boat provide great chance to photography as many species of  animals, which come to feed or cool off at the waters’ edge. Ounce you are at this magnificent park, don’t miss to visit the Kazinga channel it’s so rewarding. Book a Uganda Safari to Queen Elizabeth national park with us for a thrilling life-changing adventure. The park not only offers boat cruise, however many other safari activities can be enjoyed like the chimpanzee tracking/trekking in the Kyabura Gorge, game drive through the Kasenyi area of the park, birding, cultural heritage and nature trail, wildlife research tour  among others.  Queen Elizabeth national park is also known as one of the few parks in the world that host the tree climbing lions, visit the southern sector of the park known as Ishasha area , you will spot them sited on fig trees or tree branches.

COMPARING GORILLA TRACKING EXPERIENCE IN DRC, UGANDA AND RWANDA

The democratic republic of Congo houses the lists number of these endangered apes and they live in the Virunga volcanoes national park, the park has 6 gorilla families although many trackers prefer tracking in four gorilla families. In DRC, only four people are allowed to track in each gorilla family, sighting gorillas in Congo is at 5/5 however infrastructures is still problem although it’s steadily becoming politically stable. DRC also houses the western low land gorillas where two of the seven groups have been habituated for guests to track. In Rwanda and Uganda gorilla tracking is limited to eight members per day and arrangements to meet these giants is done every sighting is superb in both countries and a very a big percentage of these remaining mountain gorillas live in Uganda then followed by Rwanda .This is why most of the Uganda Safaris recorded involve trekking these rare primates in their natural habitats.

In Uganda (Bwindi impenetrable national park) and Rwanda (volcanoes national park) you find mountain gorillas. Uganda has over 11 habituated gorilla families ready for tracking each day and two gorilla families for research purpose and you are allocated to a group each day, this means that 88 people can track in Bwindi national park every day in a group of eight members per gorilla group. Rwanda has ten habituated gorilla groups and 80 members are allowed to track in volcanoes national park each.

 Rwanda’s generally regarded as the best destination for gorilla tracking to some trackers who have experienced gorilla tracking in both countries  as gorillasof Rwanda are a bit easy to find and photography is good as compared to the impenetrable forest of Uganda and the Virunga ranges in Congo. for a quick two or three day gorilla trek Rwanda takes it all even a one day gorilla safari Rwanda can be arranged, one has to depart Kigali very early in the morning and arrive at the park headquarters in Kinigi before 7.00am to receive briefings from the park warden, then after proceed to the forest to meet these endangered apes, after the one hour with these apes, depart back to Kigali or airport for a departure flight back home. A one day gorilla safari in Uganda is impossible, from Kampala to Bwindi national park is a drive of about 7-9 hours those who need experience prefer Uganda.

  

Gorillas of Uganda are scattered across different areas of the park, tracking can be done either in the north western side of the forest (Buhoma), North east in (Ruhija) south western part (Nkuringo) and the south west of the forest (Rushaga). Your permit is for a particular area of the park each houses at least 3-4 gorilla families and accommodation is determined depending on which side you’re going to track. Don’t worry; we shall advise you on where to sleep and on permits. For those interested in long tours Uganda is generally the best.

Gorilla permits  in Democratic republic of Congo costs usd$450 and in Uganda gorilla permits are sold according to seasons, in the high seasons gorilla permits costs usd$600 and in the low seasons of April, May and September gorilla permits are at a fee of usd$350 per person per tracking. Tracking in Rwanda is considered the most expensive as permits costs $750 per person per tracking all these cots is inclusive of the ranger guide and a park entry fee. In terms of costs, Gorilla tracking is the most expensive tourist activity in all these three countries, but its regarded as the most done tourist activity, a lot of revenue is collected as many tourists come and have a close encounter with these endangered apes in their natural habitat, this has improved on the wellbeing of the people particularly those who live near the parks.

Uganda's Tourism not shaken by Terror threats, says Minister

Following numerous terror threats from well known enemy group of terrorist called Al-shabab,the minister of Uganda Hon. Maria Mutagamba said that Uganda as a country is not shaken and more so the tourism sector as more security is buffed within the country and along its boarders.Many tour operators were worried especially after the terrorists launched attacks on Uganda and many of them thought that this could care away tourists including those who had already booked their safaris for this year.However,they gained hope after the minister issued a report stating that there was nothing to worry about after the government came out and boosted its security organs to make sure that both the local people and visitors are well protected together with their properties.

Uganda is the leading tourism destination in Africa and it receives the highest number of visitors annually simply because of its numerous tourism fraternities which are hard to find in other countries.One of the interesting tourism activity Uganda has is gorilla tracking and this is the reason why 50% of its visitors are trackers.These mountain gorillas are mainly found in the areas of Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga National Parks.

However,there are other adventurous activities a visitor can enjoy on a Uganda safari like chimpanzee trekking, culture tours, hiking, wildlife viewing, boat rides, nature walks, kayaking, village walks, bird watching and many more.All these can be enjoyed freely within the country without any interruption and any worry.

You might probably have visited Uganda either on a safari or on a business trip and you realized how peaceful you are while in the country compared to other countries where tourist go back cursing after loosing their properties.

Why walk through Kampala on Your Uganda safari

As most tourists on their safari to Uganda prefer being driven in vehicles,they miss out on some of the breathtaking moments in Kampala,Uganda's capital city.A walk through this busy city is a lifetime experience as you get to meet people from different cultural settings.The city is estimated to have over 6 million people and these include both business men and residents.

Many tourists on their safari to Uganda just pass through or spend a night in Kampala and end up leaving the country without exploring more about the adventure found in it.The rich cultural sites in the city are some of the adventurous attractions which a visitor can tour while in Kampala.Apart from the sites,there are wonderful views of different buildings including old fashioned buildings which portray the ancient style of building.

Have you ever seen a city where motorcycles are more than the people?Well,Kampala is the answer to that because the number of Motorcycles locally called "bodabodas" are seen to be more than the passengers.Using a Bodaboda in Kampala is seen as the best way to beat traffic jam since these motorcycles can penetrate through vehicles and end up reaching their destinations before the cars.Many tourists are fond of this mode of transport with some just interested in experiencing a this unique-quick mode of transport and others use them as a way of avoiding traffic jam.

However,there is nothing more interesting than walking on foot through Kampala.This gives a visitor a chance to critically view the different attractions in the city without any disturbances.The walk is a guided city walk with a well trained guide who is well versed with the city.The walk can take more than one day since the city is big and it is a bit tiresome calling for physically fit tourists.