best time to go gorilla trekking in Africa

Best time to go gorilla trekking in Bwindi

There has always been a debate on what is the best time to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda. There have been several arguments as well as opinions that have been voiced in different avenues including the online forums like trip advisor, lonely planet and many more. The real fact is that Uganda gorillas can be tracked throughout the year and the clients get the same satisfaction. This is mainly because the clients tend to avoid the rainy season forgetting that Bwindi forest is located in an equatorial forest where chances of rain are very high daily.

Mountain gorillas are among the most endangered species on planet earth and are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Virunga ranges that are shared amongst the three countries like Uganda(Mgahinga National Park) DRC (Virunga National Park as well as Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park. And because these primates are highly endangered, clients pay highly to view or trek them. Because of the current price of gorilla permits which are at USD750.00 in Rwanda and USD500.00 in Uganda, clients would love to maximize their experience when it comes to gorilla trekking and the best time to visit them.

Uganda being crossed by the equator and has got a adapted equatorial climate with two rainy seasons and because of this people tend to associate these rainy seasons with the best times to track the mountain gorillas. This is so true because when it rains, it becomes hard to hike and trek in the forest because of the heavy rains that make the trails too slippery. Nevertheless, some gorilla families need to drive for some time to reach at the starting of the trail heads and because of this, in case you don’t have a 4×4 wheel drive vehicle, you might not b able to make it to the gorillas. Apart from that, vegetation tends to grow something that also reduces chances of proper visibility and photography. All the above combined, the best time to visit the gorillas is to avoid the most rain seasons in Uganda.

This means that the best time is in June, July, August, September and part of October but because of the global warming, it’s even becoming very hard to predict when it’s going to rain or not. However, Bwindi Forest can be visited at any time of year and gorilla trekking can also take place throughout the year. Kindly contact us for more information about warm and wet season and the best time to trek gorillas.