Uganda is home to mountain gorillas, that is Bwindi Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, hence offering the highest number of gorilla permits, gorilla habituation experience. For visitor planning to go gorilla tours in the wild, Uganda offers cheaper gorilla permits compared to Rwanda with a great chance to spot the gorillas on a single trek to the gorillas in Bwindi or Mgahinga forest.

It also boosts so much wildlife in over 10 Uganda national parks and reserves offering so much wildlife for safari. Atypical safari in Uganda includes; chimpanzees, mountain gorillas, over 1000 bird species, lions, elephants, hippos, giraffes, rhinos, zebras, golden monkeys and many more.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest has 17 gorilla groups making it the best place or park where you can see the gorillas in the wild. Bwindi tours gives you access to 90 mammal species, 11 primates including the black and white colobus monkey.

Get yourself a gorilla permit in advance at $700 for you to track. The permit offers you one hour with the mountain gorillas in a group of 8 people. In case you are threatened by the price look at it in this point of view that you are contributing to the conservation of mountain gorillas and as a form of thank you, you will be rewarded with an hour in the midst observing and enjoying their company.

Keep in mind that just 80 people are allowed to see the gorillas in their natural habitat each day. Because their habitat is very fragile, every time you walk in this forest you leave a footprint.

On the day of your trek, expect to leave your comfortable bed early enough, am move to the briefing point by 7:30am. After briefing, tourists will be allocated different tracking routes, each 8 tourists. Head to the forest accompanied by guides and rangers as you begin you search for gorillas.

In the forest, you may see monkey species, butterfly species, mammals and so much more. Sometimes the forest is challenging and a good level of fitness will be required. At the end of the day, expect to be muddy and sweaty.

Once you see the gorillas, it’s okay to take photos with your camera or iPhone but avoid flash or else the gorillas might charge. You will spend between 40 minutes and 1 hour in company of these gentle giants. It will be such a life changing experience. After the trek, head back to you accommodation or opt for a cultural village experience of the Batwa pygmies.

For those interested in spending 4hours with the gorillas, habituation is the solution. Only 4 visitors are allowed. This makes it special. The cost of gorilla habituation is $1500 per person per day. The most exciting reality about this experience is that you actively engage in the gorilla habituation!

Besides the mountain gorillas, you can track the Chimpanzee in Kibale Forest National Park or the golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga National Park and a number of other monkey species in Uganda. After your gorilla safari, you can visit the tree climbing lions of Ishasha, Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park and Pian Upe Reserve for the very best of wildlife safaris in Uganda.

Visit Kyambura Gorge to see the chimpanzees. 16 permits are issued every day. There trekking here is more challenging than in Kibale. The excursion takes about 3 hours depending on the location of the chimpanzees and your physical fitness. The cost is $50 per person per trek. Minimum age is 12yrs. Other primates here include the baboons, colobus monkey, vervet monkeys and red-tailed monkey. Queen Elizabeth National Park has other wildlife including the tree climbing lions, hippos, buffaloes, leopards, elephants, antelopes, bird species and more.

Go for the golden monkeys the third best primate trekking activity just after the chimpanzee. Golden monkeys are found in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park Uganda.

Golden monkey trekking is an active tour compared to Chimpanzee trekking and gorilla trekking in certain instances because it is done in the mountainous area and they are continuously moving which requires you to follow them, they are small and fast in their movements. They prefer to rummage through the bamboo sections of the forest because eating the young bamboo shoots.

They live in groups of about 30 individuals or more roaming over a large territory. You will obtain a golden monkey trekking permit in advance from your tour agency, specify the date for which you would like to trek the golden monkeys.

The golden monkey trekking starts early morning with briefing at 7 am at the park headquarters before trekkers can start the trip into the park. You spend an hour with the golden monkeys after spotting them. The trekking generally takes about 2 hours depending on where they nested the previous night and how far it is from the starting point.