Bwindi Vs Volcanoes: Which Is Better For Gorilla Trekking?

Are you prepared and have an interest in traveling to Africa for gorilla trekking and you are having trouble choosing either from Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park or Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park? Below is the comparison of gorilla trekking in Bwindi’s impenetrable forest vs Volcanoes National Park. Based on the comparison below, you will easily make a choice and decision on where to go for a gorilla trekking experience.

Truth be told both Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Volcanoes National Park have mountain gorillas and there is no enormous difference about the experience acquired at the end of the gorilla trek. Nevertheless, you can base some things to make comparisons between the gorilla trekking experience of Bwindi and that of Volcanoes National Park and these include the following;

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Bwindi Vs Volcanoes

In terms of Vegetation and trekking experience;

The mountain gorillas of Volcanoes National Park are in the Virunga/hills mainly with bamboo as the major vegetation while in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, these mountain gorillas are in a tropical rainforest with a diversity of trees and plants.

It is rumored that Volcanoes National Park gorillas are very easy to see because of the kind of vegetation, hence ease in taking clear photographs compared to Bwindi given the fact that gorillas here are found in the thick forest.

In terms of accessibility;

Volcanoes National Park is a greater alternative than Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Reasons to support this is that the transfer from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park takes 2 hours and 30 minutes hence you can do a one-day gorilla trekking safari from Kigali. This is very true, and not a single person can run away from it. So many travelers used to stay away from gorilla trekking in Bwindi because of the 9-10 hours drive from Entebbe International Airport to Bwindi. To cut the long driving distance, clients are advised to arrive from Kigali Rwanda instead of Entebbe in Uganda. The driving time and distance from Kigali to Bwindi impenetrable forest is shorter. If you land at Kigali International Airport, you will only need 4 hours to cross to either Mgahinga or Bwindi.

Another solution for the long driving distance is to reserve a local chattered flight from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi airstrip to Bwindi. Your local tour operator can then wait for you at the airstrip to take you to the park. The local flights are expensive but the reward I to reach the park in only one hour.

In terms of Gorilla families;

There are more gorilla families at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and those gorilla families are open for trekking than Volcanoes National Park. Bwindi impenetrable national park has 16 habituated gorilla families hence128 Gorilla permits are available for trekking daily. There are only 12 gorilla families at Volcanoes National Park hence only 96 Gorilla permits are available for trekking every day. This makes it easier to acquire gorilla trekking permits in Bwindi than in Volcanoes National Park, especially during the high season.

In terms of the best gorilla trekking experience;

The complete honesty is that both Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are homes of mountain gorillas and there is no big difference in regards to the experience acquired at the end of your trek. In both Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the chance of sighting the mountain gorillas is 98%. If you visit any of the 2 gorilla national parks, you will be able to see these beautiful great apes in their natural habitat. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi also grants you an alternative to spending more time with the mountain gorillas through the Gorilla habituation experience. Gorilla habituation can only be done at Bwindi impenetrable national park and a single habituation permit costs $1500. Gorilla habituation grants you an opportunity to spend 4 hours with the semi-habituated mountain gorillas under the guidance of trackers and researchers as opposed to one hour for normal trekking.

In terms of affordability;

It is much more affordable to see gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park than in Volcanoes National Park. This topic of price difference is primarily out of policy differences between these two countries Uganda and Rwanda. Rwanda desires to promote herself as a luxurious destination while Uganda wants to maintain affordability and she has managed to do so by pricing the lodges reasonably. The gorilla trekking experience and time spent with gorillas are still the same in both Bwindi and Volcanoes. One would rather book Uganda’s gorilla habituation experience at the same price of USD1500 and spend up to four hours with mountain gorillas than wasting $1500 in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park for just one hour.

A single gorilla trekking permit in Uganda costs $800 for Foreign nonresidents, $700 for residents, and Ugx 300,000 East African Citizens. This grants you a golden opportunity to spend one hour with the mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

A single gorilla trekking permit in Rwanda Costs $1500 for Foreign nonresidents, $500 for foreign residents, and $200 for East African Citizens. This grants you a golden opportunity to spend one hour with the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.

In terms of distance to see Gorillas;

In both Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the issue of walking longer or shorter distances is dependent on the gorilla family allocated to you on the gorilla trekking day. In both Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park gorilla families are assigned depending on the physical fitness of a given individual. If you want a shorter trek, you will inform the park authorities on the gorilla trekking day so that you are allocated such a family.

If you want a medium or longer trek, then you do the same. It is important that even when they try to give you a family that is closer to the briefing point, the behavior of gorillas might affect the experience.

Why book your Gorilla trek with Jimjam Safaris?

JimJam Safaris takes pride in customizing tailor-made safaris. It has a very hardworking and trustworthy team. Your questions are answered within 30 minutes by our team of professional tour consultants. These consultants will organize your itinerary, answer all your questions, and also ensure that all your services are booked in advance to avoid inconveniences. We have gorilla trekking packages to both Volcanoes National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Feel free to contact us about Gorilla trekking in Bwindi vs Volcanoes National Park

Gorillas at a Glance: All You Need To Know.

Gallery Bwindi Vs Volcanoes

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