BEST GORILLA TREKKING TOURS FOR FIRST-TIME TRAVELERS FROM THE UNITED STATES

Choosing the best gorilla trekking tours as a first-time traveler can be complex. Gorilla trekking is one of the exceptional adventures that require adequate time for you to carefully plan and ensure everything is sorted. It is more than just taking a flight from the United States to Africa and continuing with a forest walk.

As you plan to book the best gorilla trekking tour, ensure that key factors have been covered. These include entry requirements, valid gorilla permits, accommodation, destination, and means to reach the gorilla sector of choice. This ultimate guide is perfect for first-time travelers from the United States or any part of the world who would like to choose the best gorilla trekking tours.

Recommended gorilla trekking tours for first-time travelers from the United States

The 8 days Uganda gorilla tour is a perfect start for any primate adventure seeker from the USA. It is ideal for you to traverse Uganda and also enjoy a myriad of experiences beyond gorilla trekking. Here is a breakdown of an 8-day gorilla tour in Uganda.

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe & recover from the long flight from the USA.

After landing at Entebbe International Airport, meet your Uganda driver-guide for pick-up and transfer to the hotel in Kampala. Today’s evening is just for rejuvenating from the long-haul journey and also for you to get a quick orientation on the itinerary from the company representative.

Day 2: Proceed to Jinja for a half-day white water rafting adventure

A hearty breakfast will be followed by a 2-3 hour drive to Jinja. At Jinja, expect to engage mainly in a whitewater rafting excursion, then return to Kampala for relaxation.

Day 3: Transfer to Kibale Forest National Park

The day begins with a hearty breakfast, and then you can drive to Kibale National Park in a 4×4 vehicle. Kibale is a signature destination for travelers in need to see chimpanzees in the natural setting. This park alone holds over 2,000 chimpanzees plus 12 other species of primates.

Day 4: Morning trek with chimpanzees & drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Begin your day with a delicious breakfast, then continue to Kanyanchu Visitor Centre to get orientation regarding regulations for chimpanzee trekking. Today’s chimp trek will extend for 2-4 hours. This also includes an hour for you to enjoy a close interaction with a chimpanzee community.

Get back from seeing chimpanzees and have lunch before you drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Day 5: Game drive & Kazinga Channel boat tour

Catch up with the sunrise game drive via the vast Kasenyi plains. Expect to track a diversity of mammal species as they become active for the day, including African elephants, lions, Uganda Kobs, buffaloes, and warthogs, etc. In the afternoon, have lunch and later, proceed with the memorable Kazinga Channel boat excursion.

Day 6: Visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After a hearty breakfast, you will continue to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Today’s journey includes traveling through the Ishasha circuit. The Ishasha region is most popular for its unusual tree-climbing lions, topis, and diverse birds.

Day 7: Gorilla trekking tour

It is on this day that you will embark on the actual search for mountain gorillas. An experienced park guide takes the lead after you have been briefed and assigned a gorilla group. Gorilla trekking allows you to encounter and spend over an hour in the presence of the gorillas.

Day 8: Bwindi to Kampala (Entebbe)

Enjoy an early morning breakfast and then get on the road back to Kampala/Entebbe. En route, you have a chance to take photos at the Kayabwe Equator site.

10 Days Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Tour

The 10-day gorilla trekking tour in Rwanda is an ideal way to explore the country’s iconic primates and wildlife. It also covers cultural encounters at Iby’Iwacu Village and breathtaking views of Lake Kivu.

Choosing where to go to see mountain gorillas

Choosing the right destination is part of planning the best gorilla trekking tour. When it comes to gorilla safari destinations, visitor choices often revolve around Uganda and Rwanda.

If you consider visiting Uganda to see mountain gorillas, then you can choose between Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Gorilla trekking in either park offers deep penetration into the natural forest while you look out for the endangered mountain gorillas. Over half of the current 1,063 mountain gorillas are all surviving in Uganda’s Bwindi and Mgahinga.

Rwanda is a perfect destination to enjoy high-end gorilla trekking adventures in Africa. Signature luxury gorilla experiences in Rwanda are enjoyable in the scenic Volcanoes National Park in the northwestern part. Kinigi is the ideal starting spot for you to embark on an adventure to encounter Rwanda’s gorillas.

Cost of gorilla trekking permits

Gorilla permit rates vary. US travelers on a gorilla tour in Uganda can secure a permit at USD 800 per person. US travelers to Rwanda can book gorilla permits at the current rate of USD 1,500 per person.

Decide when to go for a gorilla trekking tour for the first time

When planning your first gorilla trekking tour, choose between the dry and wet seasons. The dry season is the most recommended for gorilla trekking in Uganda or Rwanda. It covers the months of June, July, August, September, December, January, and February. The wet season comes with long rains, and visitors’ adventures often get disrupted. But it is ideal for visitors in search of discounted offers and intimate travel.

Soledad Gomez

Fun Safari. Loved it. Godwin was an amazing guide! He was informative, funny and took us around well. He was able to find so many animals and the weather was amazing. He allowed us to take time at each spot when we saw an animal we were looking forward to seeing. All our lodges were carefully chosen by Coleb and we all loved them. We booked the 6 days safari and highly recommend it to everyone visiting Uganda. We had a wonderful time!. 10/10 recommended!!

Maria Torondel

We rated this experience top of everything, because it truly was outstanding in every way! From our pickup which was punctual, quick and comfortable to our Safari in Murchison falls, Kibale and Bwindi NP, Standard safaris delivered to the dot. Our guide was a very Kind, punctual and extremely knowledgeable person who could tell us many facts about each and every animal we encountered. Due to his insights we were able to spot 4 of the Big Five, the Rhinos, buffaloes, lions and Elephants multiple times, as well as Hippos, Crocodiles, Giraffes and many more. Thanks to his calm and patience we were even able to watch an elephant fight right in front of us without any safety concerns. It was truly a very memorable day with a lot of fun and also good food.This is truly an experience for everyone, from solo travellers to big groups! Great tour company with a great guide!!!!!!!

Alexis F

This was an amazing experience organised by Standard Safaris through Coleb. During the tour itself, we got a chance to see so many animals and we learned a lot of interesting facts from our tour guide Godwin. He was funny and made sure we all got a chance to speak and see the full beauty of Uganda. We had an excellent time and a good tour for the whole family.

Elena Hoya

It was my first time in Uganda and honestly it was an amazing tour. Our pick up and drop off were comfortable. Our guide throughout the safari was excellent at his job. He was attentive with everyone and was very knowledgeable about all the cultures and landscapes of the country. During planning, Coleb did his best in tailoring our itinerary to fit our travel needs. I'm so glad we booked this tour. It was one of a kind.

E A

My wife and I had the trip of a lifetime, an unforgettable experience from start to finish. From gorilla trekking to game drives, every moment was magical and the wildlife encounters were simply breathtaking. Our guide Godwin was knowledgeable and attentive, and every detail of the trip was perfectly organized. Uganda’s beauty exceeded all our expectations, and the team took wonderful care of us throughout. Thank you for showing us the Pearl of Africa, we’ll cherish these memories forever. Highly recommended

KLAU conde

I LOVE MY SAFARI WE DID GORILLA TREKING AND WE WERE LOOKING FOR THE BIG FIVES, Everything was phenomenal the drivers the lodges my favorite one was Acacia Lodge, where you open the door of your lodge and you have the Elephants and hippos there . we also went to the Ecuatorian line very cool

Elisa Peralta

We spent a WONDERFUL time in Rwanda, thanks to Standard Safaris and especially thanks to our amazing driver George. If you plan to go on safari in Rwanda with Standard Safaris, ask him as your driver guide. He will share all his knowledge and experience about animals, nature, people, food etc… He drives very safely and is friendly. Thanks to him we saw a lot of animals ( especially the big 5😃 in Akagera NP) and Know so much more about Rwanda. We were travelling with our 2 children (7 and 11 years old), and they were delighted. We feel very lucky and we are grateful for this wonderful safari in East Africa.

Susana Lara Valenciano

We booked a 9-Days safari in Uganda with Standard Safaris, all-inclusive with a driver guide, all tour activities, permits and lodges. Honestly, we were very happy to have George as our guide. He drove us safely around the country and explained many things along the way. Thanks to him, we were able to spot many animals in the national parks, and we always stayed on track with our itinerary. The jeep was new and well maintained, however, the seats in the back were quite high with small windows, which made it difficult to look outside. But nevertheless, we still had a 10/10 safari experience in Uganda. We look forward to returning for another safari next year and telling our friends about Standard Safaris.

Pablo Sanchez Rubio

My wife and I had a gorilla safari of a lifetime in Uganda late last month. Our driver/guide Denis was incredible. He gave us so much information about Uganda and was so knowledgeable about the wildlife, cultures, people, politics, the geography, etc. By the end of the week we considered him a friend and we will recommend him and Standard Safaris to anyone looking to go to East Africa. Thank you so much guys!

Salome Ochando

If there were 10 stars I would give them. From my first "Hello" with Coleb to our last set of selfies on the equator with Denis, this tour company out-did themselves!! Absolutely professional and helpful from beginning to end. We're already booking another trip for next year! They had organised everything- gorilla permits, chimpanzee permits, all national park entrance fees, lodgings, every meal included. It was so easy I didn't even know where we were going until we were there! Pure relaxation. We had a few extra free days at the end so Coleb suggested adding on Mabamba Wetland and this was a wonderful experience with the shoebill and all these beautiful birds. Denis is the best tour guide I've ever met. 100% knowledgeable and professional and accommodating and..a new friend😊.. Thank you Standard Safaris!!