How to Book Uganda Gorilla Permits

To track/ trek the endangered Mountain Gorillas, you need to obtain a valid gorilla permit as a pass to trek the Gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National park. Prior, the Uganda Wildlife Authority used to allocate gorilla permits on a first come first served basis and her one had a choice to buy permits which belonged to any Gorilla family of his/her preference. In case you wanted to track the Rushaga and the Rushegura family located in Buhoma region of Bwindi Impenetrable national park, you he would go to Uganda Wildlife Authority and purchase a gorilla permit for that particular Gorilla family.

Allocation of Gorilla Permits/ Gorilla Permit allocation

During the time 2014 to Uganda Wildlife Authority began issuing out Gorilla permits not on a basis of gorilla families. The National park of Bwindi  has four regions and each region has got different gorilla families which include; Buhoma in the North of Bwindi, Ruhija in the East of Bwindi, Rushaga and Nkuringo in the south of Bwindi Impenetrable National park. You will need to choose the region and you will be given a permit.

What happens at Bwindi during Gorilla trekking

After you have arrived at Bwindi Impenetrable National park on the day of gorilla trekking, you will be allocated to a gorilla family depending on your physical fitness and interest. The interests include trekking a given gorilla family of your choice and if there is space, they will have you in that group. You may wish to trek your friends on families whom you came with. This is possible if there is space and you may wish to have, medium or hard trek and depending on availability they will allocate you accordingly.

Some of the regions to track/trek gorillas

Some  of the most interesting regions to tack gorillas are Bwindi in the North of Bwindi Impenetrable National park and this is the most  preferred  region that has three gorilla families which include;  Mubare Gorilla group which has the first gorilla family to be habituated, Rushegura Family and the Habinyanja, Ruhija Region of Bwindi National Park and has three families which include  Butura,Oruzongo and Kyaguriro, Rushaga region in the south of Bwindi, Kahungye gorilla family, Nshongi Gorilla group, Mishaya gorilla family, Busingye Gorilla group and the Bweza gorilla family. Nkuringo region in the south still has one of the gorilla family called Nkuringo. Most genuine tour companies will book for our clients, advice on availability of permits and which region one should choose depending on your interest.

Food of the mountain Gorillas

The food of the endangered mountain Gorillas usually depends on their habitat during the time of the year. They mainly usually feed on green plants as opposed to the low land Gorillas which eat a lot of fruit.  In the dry seasons only a few juicy fruits are available and so the animals have to eat more seeds and tree bark instead. Usually the fruits grow on trees; gorillas of all ages climb these trees to harvest them. Although western Gorillas eat a higher percentage of fruit than leaves, stems, pith and shoots; they still eat markedly less fruit than do chimpanzees and orangutans. However the food range of the western gorillas is a broad since they eat about 200 plant species and they particularly like plants belonging to the ginger and arrowroot families. In the contrast, the mountain Gorillas in the Virunga Volcanoes eat only 38 different species mainly Gallium, thistles, celery and nettles. Gorillas do not kill big animals; they just regularly eat small animals which constitutes far less than 0.1% of their food.

Benefits Of Hiring a Car In Uganda

In line with any other places in Africa, the Pearl of Africa too is a very popular safari destination with quiet a variety of adventurous and cultural attractions within the country. In case you do have a car within the country you will definitely enjoy your holiday and safari at your own pace. However using public means or public transport, it may seem to be cheaper   though one of the most inconvenient ways to explore the country as you have to forget about comfort which perhaps is really an important factor in case you need to enjoy your road trip in Uganda. Demand for car hiring in the country is increasing and so is the number of car rental companies with each offering a variety of cars and special  offers for customers and this attributed due to;

Some of the companies within the country offer a wide range of rental cars to choose from, whether you want a small 4X4 car of a luxurious car for very special occasions or much larger vehicle like a bus. You will be required to rent a car of your choice and this can be accessed online or by visiting the office and get check it out personally.

During your safari, you can choose whether you want to drive a manual car or an automatic transmission car and this will offer you both models thus limiting you.  Most of the clients prefer hiring automatic cars and this is because they are very easy to control and also very good in economizing fuel for example Toyota Rav 4 which is most popular car for self drive in Uganda. You can also get specialized offers in case you return a customer and reduced price if the company offers you an older model of the vehicle and this will mean that if you are low on cash, you can always be guaranteed that it will still get a car with or without a driver.

When you rent a car in Uganda, you will get chance of a self drive on a safari and you might also get a guide to drive you around the destinations you may wish to explore. Most of the clients will prefer driving themselves to these attractions since its more private and cheaper option and so convenient and the safest way to travel. After you have hired a car from any company, you be assured of road assistance in case of break down or any accident and in case of any problem, you can call the rental company and mechanic will be sent to the destination to fix that problem and will offer a replacement car in case it is a big problem making sure that you continue with your road trip.

In Uganda, most companies offer extra gadgets and documents to make sure that you do not get lost or caught up by the traffic police and in case you are travelling to a destination for the first time, you can rent a GPS guide through the routes thus hiring a car in a foreign country is always the best way to go if you prefer to travel.

Dis advantages of public transport

Public Mini-bus taxis and Private Special Hire Taxis. The  capital city of Kampala which is a small sized city  makes the getting around easy and much affordable whether you  want to visit tourist attraction, shopping or spend time in a night club or just hanging up with friends and family at a restaurant. You will definitely need transportation to explore the city from private and public transportation. From the public transportation to the more luxury and convenient private rental cars, one will get where you are going no matter what transportation option you choose and you may prefer to use.

Experience the Unique Culture of Uganda

Uganda as commonly referred to as the pearl of Africa is a land locked country on the equator and surrounded by the great lakes of central Africa, Uganda was one of the last parts that the foreigners reached, these where Arabs who came first spreading the gossip of Islam, slaves and ivory in the 1840s. These were followed by white’s British nationals who came to meet the Kabaka by then Muteesa the King of Buganda.

The existence of the Kingdoms in Uganda had a great impact on tradition. All the ruling was done the old way from food, clothes, trade and behaviors’ and lot is still in place and preserved as we could. Given the fact that Uganda was scrambled in the 1880 not only Uganda but Africa at large. The existence of these wars and new behaviors in Uganda brought too much change that up to date Uganda has taken up the western life style as their daily life but embrace tradition as much as they can.

Categorized into the batwa and Nilotic ethnic groups, who are believed to have originated from west Africa in Cameroon. Migrated, divided and settled in Uganda, the batwa who are the “twa” speaking people settled in West, central, south and East of Uganda. It is of great surprise that the divided ethnic groups scattered around the country speak up to over 40 different languages.

For your visit whether on a self drive car hire in Uganda or guided trips with Auto Rental Uganda, you can be able to see how we lived, the ancient life style and behavior and more interesting when with one of our resourceful driver guides. Uganda is still privileged to have people who like tradition much and live it as their life style every single day. Be sure to enjoy Uganda’s tradition to the fullest in real life not only in the museum. In the northern Uganda lives and settles a tribe the Karamajong who decided to stay as our great grand fathers typically. Rarely will you find them here in the central but many will be in the villages who are the Batwa and Bagishu.

On your guided trip to Uganda you can ask your resourceful driver guide at Auto Rental Uganda to not only schedule for you the wild life but also the ancient Uganda. It can be seen in many ways around Uganda in museums and in real life style, food in all delicacies highlighting the ancient Uganda like we used not cook in saucepans but clay made pots that are still in place up to-date, traditional dance and attires, kingdoms and the process they go through to be a king, where they are buried. The ancient Uganda is better than the modern Uganda, for comparison you must visit Uganda. For some reason the Kampala city tour that takes you through the biggest tribe of the Buganda, highlights the long history of Buganda and the long chain of the kings. This doesn’t stop here but proceeds to the tombs where they were buried and also the first of its kind in Africa huge grass thatched huts. Unfortunately that was brought down by arsonists and still no trace of the criminals has been found.

In Uganda everything is a must see, just mention it and it will be served to you on a silver plate with that mouth-dropping dessert of course; this is the time you should plan your trip to Uganda. It’s one of the few places in Africa where you have value for your money to the maximum with a bonus.

As they say traveling is discovering the wrong perception others have about the others. Lets travel and take away the perceptions.

Uganda Offers Discount Gorilla Permits for May 2016

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) revised the rates for discount gorilla permits for 2016. In this promotion, the price for gorilla permits have been lowered to $450 (a discount of $150 off the regular price) for foreign nonresidents. These permits are available for use during the months of November, April and May 2016.

These gorilla permits allow entry to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda, a Unesco site protecting almost half of the remaining population of mountain gorillas. The park protects an estimate of over 460 mountain gorillas that inhabit the hilly ranges. To observe the gorillas, visitors need a seasoned guide and a permit secured well in advance, usually by local tour operators. To take advantage of these discount gorilla trekking permits you can contact Go Gorilla Trekking, one of the local tour operators, specializing in arranging gorilla tours in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the most popular of Ugandan parks and the most visited. The park has 15 habituated gorilla groups that can be visited by only 8 tourists per group. The park has also recently introduced gorilla habituation as a new adventure activity costing USD1500 for a permit. On this activity only 4 tourists visit a gorilla group and follow the gorillas for up to four hours.

The park also protects a population of non-habituated chimpanzees that visitors occasionally see in Buhoma, more than 100 other species of mammals including elephants, 346 species of birds, and 163 species.

Planning a Road Trip in Uganda

In order to have a breathtaking road trip safari to Uganda here are some of the tips you must put under consideration in order to have a wonderful safari.

Always draft an itinerary

This is very important on any safari whether on self-drive or with a driver, know the number of days you will be on the safari and the destination you want to visit. Drafting the itinerary will help you to know which routes to use and when to stop for lunch or to have stopovers for sightseeing. It’s also very important to figure out the duration from point A to B, this will help you to avoid over straining yourself plus the people you are driving andit will help you to plan for your fuel estimations.

Book your room(s)in advance.

This is also very vital as road trip is very tiring so you will be tired and need abed every night. Due to this it is always advised to book your room in advance before even traveling to Uganda to avoid inconveniences. Many lodges/hotels and safari camps are located inside or close to all national parks and local attraction and at times especially during the high season they get fully booked very fast, so to avoid all these figure out which destinations you will be visiting and book your accommodation in time at least one month before arrival to avoid disappointments like missing out on your preferred accommodation, if you’ve made reservation, it’s also very important to make a phone call to those responsible for your accommodation ensuring them your dates of arrival.

Try to research about local attractions along the way

It’s not good to drive for a long journey without stopovers on the way to have a look at the local attractions. Before traveling try to search through Google and Travel guide books among others to get to know some of the attraction you will be visiting before arrival to your visit destination, however you can decide to visit the less popularly known attraction to have great experience on your safari to Uganda. Visit our website to get more information about parks, accommodation, routes and cars to rent. It’s recommended to purchase a travel map to avoid getting lost or you can download the Google maps app to help you determine your location no matter which place you are in at that particular time.

Packing list

Before travelling it’s also of important to know the packing list of the vital things needed for the safari. Always pack what is needed to avoid the big size of the luggage. Unless you are going to embark on a camping or hiking trip, it is suitable to pack light clothes and a few gadgets to get that extra room in the car boot. For those coming on a gorilla safari don’t forget to pack sturdy pair of walking shoes/boots, long sleeved shirts or blouses, insect repellent, jacket. Most safari lodges and hotels in Uganda offer laundry services so you can always be assured of putting fresh clothes.

Don’t fear locals, ask them

Uganda is known as a country with friendly people, so in case of anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask them in any destination you will be traveling, in case you need to find where you are going, or looking for a cheap place to get food, the local people are always more than willing to help you out, many are even more eager to teach you their language, this will add fun to your whole experience in Africa.

Take Pictures

Take as many photos as you can at the site you visited, as photos are the only thing that can make your safari memorable, pose and take photos with the people you came with. It’s advisable to come with good cameras plus back-up batteries & film to ensure you don’t miss out any nice scenes.

In case you need to know more about planning a road trip or booking with us contact us at 4×4 Uganda Car Hire or call +256-751552950

Meet the Gorillas & Chimpanzees in Uganda

As far as tourism is concerned, whenever one hears Uganda, what comes in any foreigners mind is the primate excursions that are always carried out in this country. And not only that, but what also rings a bell to them is the gorilla tracking as well as chimpanzee trekking. However, there are distinctive features that separate these two primates in the way they are tracked and how best one can prepare for both to have an ultimate experience.

Where they are both found in Uganda;

Chimpanzees in Uganda are located in different places but habituated chimpanzees only exist in Kibale National Park located in western Uganda, Kyambura Gorge located in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kalinzu forest located closer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park located in Northern Uganda. We also have orphaned chimpanzees in Ngamba Island which is approximately 23 km in Lake Victoria and can be accessed by boats.

On the other hand, habituated gorillas are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. According to the 2013 mountain gorilla census, it was discovered that Bwindi Impenetrable National park has almost half the number of mountain gorillas in the whole while the other population of gorillas are in the Virunga Ranges shared between Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic republic of Congo. Today Bwindi is one of the most popular parks for gorilla safaris on the African continent.

Gorilla and chimp trekking experience compared

When compared, gorilla tracking is a more organized activity both in Uganda and Rwanda and chances of seeing gorillas is above 90%. This is because gorillas live in families each headed by a dominant silver back. In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the activity is so organized in such a way that early in the morning, there is an advanced team that goes to the forest to look for where the gorillas would have slept and once they find them, then they communicate to the park head quarters to inform the guides where gorillas are. It’s from here that tourists plus their guide will start the trek to look for gorillas starting from where they slept the previous night until they find them. Once they have found them, they are given one hour to observe and take photographs.

Chimpanzee trekking on the other hand is not as organized as gorilla trekking and chances are high in Kibale National Park and Budongo forest to other places such as Kyambura Gorge and Kalinzu forest. The same process of having an advanced team applies to chimps but chimpanzees on the other hand live in communities of around 100 individuals or more and during the day, these communities breakup into small parties to reduce on food competition. Each party is therefore tracked by 6 people. Once you have found the chimpanzees, you are allowed only one hour to view and photograph them.

Family composition

A family of habituated gorillas is trekked by a maximum of 8 people in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga while Chimpanzee parties in Kibale National Park is restricted to only 6 people. While a habituated gorilla family can only be seen by a maximum of 8 people PER DAY, chimpanzee parties are trekked twice in a day (morning and afternoon). Taking a close look at chimp trekking in Kibale National Park, a maximum of 18 people do trek chimps both in the morning and in the afternoon. It is arranged in such a way that each chimpanzee party is trekked by 6 people thus 3 parties for 18 people. The fact that chimpanzees keep on breaking into small parties and regrouping, at a given point, you might find yourselves trekking the same party (18 people) they can join together. This tends to cause confusion amongst tourists if not briefed very well. This sometimes leads to congestion and kills the whole Eco- experience as expected by clients. Mountain gorillas tend to be on ground in most cases and depending on the height of the vegetation, they are better seen compared to chimpanzees which are in most cases up in the trees (Not all the time though as so many people have found them on ground).

What to pack for gorilla or chimp trekking

Both gorilla and chimp trekking requires one to have hiking boots, garden gloves, long sleeved trousers and shirts, rain jackets, sun glasses, huts, a hiking stick and some energy giving foods to give you that extra strength when needed. You might not need a porter for chimp trekking in Kibale but we highly recommend one for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for your gorilla trek.

Gorilla and Chimp permits

In Uganda, you require a permit to either trek gorillas or chimpanzees. Gorilla tracking permit for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park costs USD600.00 which normally goes down from that in low seasons (Feb-may) to the tune of USD350.00. enabling you to save USD150.00. The above includes trekking gorillas, a guide for the trek and park entrance fees. Chimpanzee trekking permits in Uganda vary according to where you will be trekking them. In Kibale, a permit is USD150 while in Kyambura is at USD50.00 per person and includes guide, park entrance and viewing chimps.

Distances compared

Gorilla trekking is done in Bwindi and Mgahinga and they are approximately 8-9 hours from Kampala while driving and it also depends on which side of Bwindi you are going to. If you are flying, then it might take you around about one and half hours to Bwindi or Kisoro. Kibale National Park is about 5-6 hours from Kampala; Kyambura Gorge is approximately 7-8 hours drive from Kampala while Budongo is also approximately 5-6 hours drive to northern Uganda.