Mountain gorillas

With about 1004 mountain gorillas that thrive on earth today, most of them are distributed within the Virunga Conservation Area and the other section thrive within the jungles of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. This makes this area an ideal area for gorilla trekking. In order for you to track mountain gorillas, you will need a permit and in Rwanda Volcanoes National Park permits cost $1500 per person, in Uganda-you need $600 to track mountain gorillas in Bwindi or Mgahinga National Park and in the DR Congo permits goes at $400 per visitor. In Mgahinga, visitors have only one habituated family to track and that is Nyakagezi while in Rwanda, there are 10 groups that have been habituated and readily set for visitor experience and in the Virunga National Park, about 8 groups have been habituated.

Golden monkeys

These are rare creatures that are worth exploring while you are on safari in this region. The golden monkeys thrive within Mgahinga National Park where you can embark on golden monkey tracking and also golden monkey habituation experience. In DRC and Rwanda, these creatures live within Virunga National Park and Volcanoes National Park respectively.

The magical Virunga Mountain ranges

Aside from wildlife, a visit to this region is also ideal for hiking experiences. The Virunga Conservation Area inhabits the 8 Virunga Mountains ranges. Two of these straddle within the Congo Virunga National Park and they include the most powerful volcanoes-Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira while others include Gahinga, Sabyinyo, Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura and Mikeno.

The Batwa pygmies

The Batwa are renowned forest dwellers and believed to have lived in the forest for over 500000 years. Unfortunately, due to need to conserve the forest, they were displaced and now they vulnerable group around Bwindi and Mgahinga National Park.

The Dian Fossey tomb site

While on safari in Rwanda, the Dian Fossey tomb site is that one incredible places you to need to pay a visit to learn more about the Dian Fossey conservation legacy. She was a great primatologist and popular for her conservation work and efforts to save mountain gorillas. She conducted research on gorillas for about 18 years till she was unfortunately murdered by unknown people. However, her legacy still remains.

In summary, the Virunga Conservation Area is exceptionally one of the incredible touristic sites that you shouldn’t miss to explore while on safari in Africa. While on safari in this region, there is a lot in offer right from mountain gorilla adventures, golden monkey trekking to hiking experiences a mention but a few.

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However recently, Gorilla Trekking Fares in Uganda were increased from $600 to $700 each per person. The new pricing will be taking effect right from 1^st July 2020 and was confirmed by the responsible body for wildlife conservation in the country, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).

The new prices were decided after a meeting held by Uganda Wildlife Authority, Uganda Tourism Board and Association of Uganda Tour Operators and they all agreed that it will still be affordable to even the lowest budget travelers when compared to that of Rwanda, which currently costs $1500 USD per person.

Reasons why the prices were increased

According to sources from UWA and one of the members of AUTO that attended the meeting, the main motive for the increment in the prices for Uganda’s Gorilla trekking permits is to foster conservation efforts and protection of Mountain Gorillas that were once endangered. The current number of Gorillas remaining on earth is approximated to 1004 individuals as of the most recent census that was conducted last year in June.

Part of the funds collected from Gorilla permit sales are used to support numerous conservation organizations like Gorilla doctors that ensure good health of Gorillas.

A small portion is diverted to salaries for park ranger guides or trackers, tourism police and other workers. Purchase of Gorilla permits or the moment you book for one, means a lot to the lives of Gorillas.

What’s more interesting, 20% of the revenue goes back to the local communities that are set adjacent to the Gorilla National Parks. This is meant to shows them how Gorillas are a valuable to their everyday life, thus a drive to ensure the conservation of these creatures right from these local communities around. There are always the first conservationists before other organizations come in.

Meanwhile, Chimpanzee Tracking, one of the other top trending tour activities in Uganda was also increased from $150 to $200 for the ordinary permit and $200 to $250 for the Habituation permit from Kibale Forest National Park.

Benefits expected in the Price Increment

All in all the benefit is that, Uganda will still receive high numbers of Gorilla trekkers despite the increase in the price of the permits. This will generate more funds to support multiple conservation projects, marketing campaigns by Uganda Tourism Board as well as the locals living near the parks.

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For climbers, you should fear not! There is a mountain in Kisoro district to take a hike and is also easily accessible by car. Mount Muhabura is the country’s 3^rd tallest mountain at around 4,127 meters. Muhabura provides hikers with a challenging ascent with its own rewards that include fantastic views of the surrounding countryside as well as wildlife including birds, Primates and Buffalos. Though most travelers hike the mountain after a gorilla tour in Mgahinga National Park, independent hikes are also possible.

Getting There

Getting there is pretty simple. Take a car or bus and head toward Kisoro (south west). Your destination is the town of Kisoro, which is about an hour and a half outside of Kabale town. If you’re going by bus once you arrive in Kisoro just ask any moto-taxi to take you to Mgahinga national park head quarters. They’re quite accustomed to trekkers coming out for a day hike. It’s quite important that you get the moto driver’s name and phone number so you can call him to come and pick you up when you’re finished, unless you want to make the long walk back to Kisoro to catch the bus, which your legs are unlikely to enjoy after hours of traversing steep terrain.

If you’re travelling by car from Kisoro town make sure you’re paying attention to the small village towns you pass as it’s one of those small towns that you could easily drive right through without realizing it. Turn left on what is pretty much the only wide dirt road after travelers’ inn hotel that intersects the main road. Just look for the sign that directs you to the road to Mgahinga national park and take it. Continue down this road for about 40 minutes. It will begin to narrow, but don’t worry, you’re on the right path. Eventually you will come to the head office. Here is where you should park your car. From the top of the volcano one can enjoy fantastic views over the other five volcanoes and the “twin lakes”. There is a crater lake near the summit and the vegetation is usually drier than in other areas of the Volcanoes National Park, with giant heather thriving on the volcano’s slopes.

When You Arrive

You will be spotted soon enough after reaching by Uganda wildlife authority guides who will come running out to you. You will be taken to the visitor center and assisted as requested. After paying for the activity, you will be given a guide to take you up to the peak of Mt. Muhabura and if you have a back packs then request for a porter who will help you carry your luggage. Enjoy the scenic views of DRC, Rwanda as well as Uganda. The climb can be physically demanding and the slopes are very steep.

The name Muhabura means sentinel in Kinyarwanda (the local dialect) and its typically shaped silhouette can be seen from many parts of the country. The hike will typically take a full day. The Park fees for the climb are currently USD$ 75 per person which includes the park guide. The trek starts at 07:00am from the park headquarters in Kinigi, from where visitors will have to drive / be driven to the base of the volcano. Permits can be purchased on the day of the climb, no advance booking is necessary and porters can also be hired for the trek. Mount Muhabura may not be as glamorous as other better-known tourist stops, but it certainly offers outdoor enthusiasts a fun, day long activity that’s near Kisoro and, best of all, it’s pretty darn cheap.

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