What Country is Safer for Gorilla Trekking, Uganda or Rwanda?

Both are safe countries for gorilla trekking. But they offer different gorilla trekking experiences. Based on visitor’s expectations, you can enjoy the activity in either country. In both countries, gorilla trekking is highly regulated using professional approaches. These are implemented by government bodies, Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Rwanda Development Board. They make sure that visitors are protected from the moment they arrive to when they complete their tours. Each of them ensures that every visitor enjoys their experience with armed rangers, experienced ranger guide and in a trekking group. Tourism police also exist to ensure enhance protection against criminals.

Safety in Rwanda Vs Uganda

Rangers normally track habituated gorilla families before visitors do in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Therefore, they are quite aware of the families’ location even before the trek begins. Doing this helps to avoid security risks and fear of not encountering the gorillas on the day. They also follow rules such as allowing a maximum of 8 visitors per group to track a gorilla family. Each group is led by armed rangers to boost security of the visitors. Also, each visitor is advised to maintain a safe distance of 7 meters away from the gorillas to avoid aggression. It is also an approach to prevent spread of contagious diseases to the gorillas.

Accessibility in Rwanda Vs Uganda

Accessing Volcanoes National Park from Kigali is 115 kilometers on the road. To reach there you drive for 2-3 hours only. Meanwhile, Uganda’s Bwindi and Mgahinga national parks are 501km and 498km respectively from Kampala. This suggests that it is quicker to access Volcanoes National Park from the capital city than it is to Bwindi and Mgahinga. However, Bwindi and Mgahinga can also be accessed from Rwanda, to cut the duration of the transfer. By air, Volcanoes is accessed using helicopter flights from Kigali Airport to Musanze in 30 minutes. In Uganda, flights from Entebbe to Bwindi or Mgahinga take 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Booking Gorilla Permit in Rwanda Vs Uganda?

When it comes to booking or buying a Uganda gorilla permit, all foreign nonresidents should do so through a tour operator. This is the only way of doing so. Meanwhile, in Rwanda, both tour operators and Rwanda Development Board offer gorilla permits to visitors. With Rwanda Development Board, this is done through the Irembo platform. However, in Rwanda, the specific gorilla family to trek is not indicated. On the Uganda gorilla permit, the gorilla family to track is indicated.

Trekking Difficulty in Rwanda Vs Uganda?

Trekking gorillas in Volcanoes National Park is generally less challenging because most of the habitats comprise bamboo. This vegetation creates a less dense canopy. However, over longer treks, you might find yourself climbing on higher terrain to offer some difficulty. On the other hand, Bwindi offers more challenging gorilla treks. Its terrain is more steep compared to Volcanoes and Mgahinga. When it rains the trails are also so muddy thus caution should be taken during the tour. Bwindi Forest is also dense and the vegetation may require to be cleared using a machete by the guide. All in all, gorilla trekking in Uganda requires you to be physically fit for success.

Gorilla numbers in Rwanda Vs Uganda?

Throughout the world mountain gorillas are 1,063 individuals in the wild, and all living in Rwanda, Congo and Uganda. Uganda alone houses 459 of those. The rest (604) are in the Virunga area—Virunga, Volcanoes and Mgahinga national parks. Therefore, Uganda has a half of all mountain gorillas currently in existence. For visitors, this is good news because a variety of mountain gorilla groups are available to be seen in Uganda than in Rwanda. However, Rwanda offers luxury experiences, therefore you are fewer visitors who experience intimate encounters with the apes.

Gorilla Families in Rwanda Vs Uganda

Rwanda has 12 habituated gorilla families living in Volcanoes National Park. Among them, visitors can trek gorilla families like Karisimbi, Agashya, Igisha, Amahoro, Susa, Kwisanga, Noheli, Kigoma and Sabyinyo etc. On the other hand, Uganda has 23 habituated gorilla families in Bwindi and Mgahinga. In the latter, it is only the Nyakagezi family that is habituated and available for trekking. Majority of habituated gorilla families are available for trekking in Bwindi. This implies that there is a better chance you can do a gorilla trek in Uganda compared to Rwanda.

Cost of Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda Vs Uganda?

Foreign nonresidents in Uganda need to have $800 per person to do a gorilla trek. Visitors who are either foreign residents or from the Rest of Africa, $700 and $500 is required from each person respectively. A Ugandan or visitor from a country within the East African community pays only 300,000 Uganda shillings. Gorilla trekking costs are much higher for foreign nonresidents in Rwanda, $1,500 per person. The foreign residents and African citizens are asked to pay $500 per person. Rwandans and citizens from countries belonging to the East African Community are required to pay $200 per person.

Best Time for Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda Vs Uganda?

Whether you opt to trek gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda, it is in the dry season which offers the finest experiences. It is often a dry season in both countries from June to September and from December to February. Conditions during these periods include low rainfall, low humidity, and cooler atmospheric temperatures. The jungles are less muddy than ever, plus vegetation whose density is also reduced than usual. Trekking becomes much easier because you walk steadily in a forest whose less dense vegetation makes gorillas more visible.

Why Do Gorilla Trekking with us in Rwanda and Uganda?

Premier gorilla trekking tours in both Rwanda and Uganda are offered by Standard Safaris. These are led by the company team including expert, highly knowledgeable driver guides. They possess deep insight into the top gorilla destinations of the 2 countries thus guaranteeing your safety. On your behalf we also help during the process of securing the highly demanded gorilla permits promptly. This saves you from the stress and expenses involved if you are not conversant with the procedures followed.

Regarding car hire, we have our own premium fleet of well-maintained safari cars for precisely this purpose. An exceptional driver is dedicated for each trip to ensure a safe, comfortable and perfect journey through mostly challenging terrains. Our unmatched dedication to service is fully reflected in the stellar reputation and five-star reviews from past travelers on TripAdvisor.

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!!

G L

Everything was great Amanya and Ian the drivers are amazing they take good care of us i highly recommended this tour

Jennifer Johns

Denis is such a fun ball of energy. He was always on time and nothing was too much work or a hassle for him. He takes everything as a learning opportunity and has an eternal optimism that is infectious. Organising our different tours etc through Coleb was also seamless. He responds so quickly and always has great advice on how to best travel in Uganda

Niklas Freese

We booked a very last minute gorilla trekking tour from Kigali with Standard Safaris, and everything was perfectly organized from start to finish. The booking process via WhatsApp was incredibly easy, fast, and uncomplicated. Our guide, Ian, picked us up right on time at our hotel in Kigali. The entire tour was an amazing experience, but Ian truly made it unforgettable. From the beginning, he told us to let him know anytime we wanted to stop for photos, which made the drive much more enjoyable. He also introduced us to traditional Ugandan food along the way and shared interesting information about the country and its culture. Ian is genuinely one of the kindest and warmest people we have met. His friendliness, enthusiasm, and care made us feel welcome throughout the whole trip. Thank you, Ian, for making this experience so special:)

Vanessa Paola Varsallona

I had a fantastic experience on this tour and would highly recommend it. Everything was very well organised, and the highlight was, of course, the unforgettable gorilla trekking experience. Ian was my driver and Frank was my guide. They were both incredibly helpful, professional, and friendly throughout the trip. Ian was always punctual and reliable, making every transfer smooth and stress-free, while Frank was an excellent guide who made sure everything went perfectly. They went above and beyond to accommodate all my requests and helped me secure a gorilla family with babies, which made the experience even more special. Their kindness, flexibility, and dedication truly made a difference, and I couldn't have asked for a better team. I highly recommend both Ian and Frank!