Many people wonder about the best times to see the gorillas in their natural home. We attempt to answer this burning question. The travel times differ from one region to another.
Best Time to See Mountain Gorillas
In the whole world, you can only see the mountain gorillas only in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. In all these countries there is favorable climatic conditions that make it possible to track the mountain gorillas all year round.
In Rwanda, gorilla trekking is done in the Volcanoes National Park, a region that is part of the larger Virunga conservation area. There are over 8 habituated gorilla groups in Rwanda thus making it 56 gorilla permits for visitors to Rwanda available every single day since only 8 people are allowed to visit a given group to trek these endangered apes. With a gorilla permit costing US $1500 per person per trek, part of your contribution goes to conserving these mountain gorillas.
In Uganda, there are 18 gorilla groups that are habituated where only 17 are trekked every day and the remaining one is gazetted for research.
Although tracking mountain gorillas can be conducted all year round in these two countries due to the somewhat damp seasons experienced by the national parks in which these gorillas stay, the majority of tourists prefer visiting from June to September as well as from December up to February.
Can You Manage to Track the Gorillas During the Rains?
This applies to the three countries that host the mountain gorillas. Most times, the rains begin in March up to May as well as October to November. During the rains, gorilla treks can be shorter since the gorillas do not range through long distances. Some tourists utilize this opportunity and brave the rains for the exhilarating gorilla treks through the montane forests.
Certainly the rains received are not very heavy, Since the trails may become more slippery, the rains make it challenging to trek through the sheer landscape though at the end of the trek, this will be part of the experience.
Most times, the rains fall for just one to two hours in about 3 days of the week and for the rest of the days the sun is out.
However even in the dry months of Uganda, there are some little showers experienced in the nearby Bwindi Forest.
Seasonality in Rwanda
The seasonality of the trackers can as well be accredited to the overall weather back in the home countries. During summers for instance in Europe, the number of gorilla trekkers is high and then in winter it greatly lowers. You can easily book a discounted gorilla safari in Rwanda during the low season months of April, May and November.
Also there are some trekkers who take advantage of the seasonal discounts offered on the gorilla tracking permits.
A number of accommodation facilities in the areas where the gorillas are found as well will offer discounts in these months.
Best Times to Visit Rwanda
Within Rwanda, the initial rains are experienced at the end of February, March, April as well as May, and for that reason most of the tourists don’t visit during that time since it is muddy and pretty wet while tracking the mountain gorillas.
However, during these very months, since it is raining, there is a lot of food for the gorillas on the lower slopes and also the temperatures are lower on the lower slopes. Because of that, the gorillas stay on the lower slopes since food is easily accessible and it is warmer.
Therefore if you choose to track in these months, you won’t have a very long trek and actually most trackers find the gorillas just after two hours of trekking meaning by 2:00pm they are back at their lodge.
No matter what your explanation is, experience reveals that gorilla trekking can be enjoyed all year round and you will surely enjoy a great experience.