7-Day Gorilla Expidition & Big Game Photo Safari in Uganda

Uganda tourist visas

The latest advice from the Uganda immigration service is the following:

Nationals of the USA, the European Union, and Japan require a tourist visa and should apply in advance of travel to Uganda. The visa fee of $50 is payable upon arrival at any Uganda entry point.

Uganda tourist visas are NOT required by nationals of Ireland, the East Africa community, COMESA. Other nationals should check the Uganda immigration website.

Applications for all Ugandan visas should be made online on the Uganda immigration website.

A single entry visa to Uganda costs US$ 50, and is valid for between two weeks and three months.

For more information about Uganda tourist visas, contact:

In the UK, the Ugandan Embassy is located at Uganda House, 58/59 Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DX. Telephone: +44 (0)20 7839 5783.

In the USA, the Uganda Embassy is located at 5811 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20011. Telephone: +1 202 726 7100.

Please visit the Uganda immigration website for more information on different visa types.

List of Ugandan diplomatic missions around the world.

Please note that immigration rules and visa costs are subject to change at late notice.

Gorilla Parks and Gorilla Families

The Mountain gorilla lives in four parks in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In Uganda, the gorillas can be trekked in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga National Park.

In Rwanda, the Gorillas can be tracked in the Parc National des Volcans (PNV) where the famous Primatologist Dian Fossey conducted her ground-breaking research.

Virunga National Park in the DRC also has a number of habituated gorilla families but A.T. Adventures International does not currently take clients there.

UGANDA

Uganda has twelve habituated gorilla families with eight permits available daily for each family group.

Eleven of the twelve habituated gorilla families live in the thick tropical forest of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Bwindi’s steep hillsides make tracking more challenging than Mgahinga National Park in Uganda and PNV in Rwanda. Trekking the mountain gorillas in Bwindi can take 3-10 hours after leaving the Park headquarters.

Five of Bwindi’s Gorilla families (Mubare, Habinyanja, Oruzogo, Bitukura and Rushegura) are accessed from Buhoma in the north, for guests staying at Bwindi Lodge. An additional six families can be tracked from Southern Bwindi, which is accessed from Kisoro, for guests staying at  Mount Gahinga Lodge. These gorilla families are Nkuringo, Nshongi, Kahunje, Busigye, Bikingi and Bweza.

The Mubare Family: 12 members including 1 silverback.
Mubare is the oldest habituated gorilla group in Bwindi. The group is named after the Mubare Hills, where the family was first spotted and was habituated between 1991 and 1993. The family is led by silverback Kanyonyi.
15-30 minutes from Bwindi Lodge.

The Habinyanja Family: 17 members with 1 silverbacks.
Habinyanja means ‘body of water.’ This family was habituated in 1997. It was a massive family group that split into two families, the other being the Rushegura family.
1 hour drive from Bwindi Lodge.

The Oruzogo Family: 17 members including 3 silverbacks.
The group was named after the local name of a common plant in this gorilla family’s home range.
2 hour drive from Bwindi Lodge.

The Bitukura Family: 13 members including 4 silverbacks
The family is one of the newer groups in the Impenetrable Forest and was named after the Bitukura river. Their habituation started in 2007 and tracking began in 2008.
2 hour drive from Bwindi Lodge.

The Rushegura Family: 16 members with 1 silverback
The family was habituated in 2000. It is named after the place where this group separated from the larger family of Habinyanja. Their name is taken from a tree species that grows in their home area, ‘Ebishegura’. They are a calm group and often visit the Bwindi Lodge gardens.
15 minutes or less from Bwindi Lodge (It is the nearest group to the lodge).

The Nkuringo Family: 12 members with 2 silverbacks
The family was named after the Nkuringo Hill where the group was first spotted. They were originally habituated in 2004 because of difficulties caused by their destroying crops of local farmers. Now farmers benefit from the tourism they provide.
2 hours from Mount Gahinga Lodge.

The Nshongi Family: 7 members with 1 silverback.
The group was named after the river close to where this gorilla family was first sighted. Nshongi was the largest group to be habituated and were first tracked in 2009.
2 hour drive from Mount Gahinga Lodge.

The Kahungye Family: 18 members including 4 silverbacks.
The group was named after the Kahungye Hill. Visitors have been tracking this family since 2011.
2 hours from Mount Gahinga Lodge.

The Busigye Family: 9 members including 1 silverback.

2 hour drive from Mount Gahinga Lodge.

The Bikingi Family: 15 members including 1 silverback.

2 hour drive from Mount Gahinga Lodge.

The Bweza Family: 12 members including 2 silverbacks.

2 hour drive from Mount Gahinga Lodge.

UGANDA

Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park is home to one habituated gorilla family.

Tracking in Mgahinga (and Rwanda) is usually easier than Bwindi as the afromontane forest is lighter and easier to navigate.

The Nyakagezi Family: 10 members, including 5 silverbacks.
Although this group gained a reputation for being nomadic (crossing the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC) they have been resident in Uganda for nearly three years. They are the oldest habituated mountain gorilla group in Uganda.
5 minutes from Mount Gahinga Lodge (the group tends to move frequently and distance to the group itself varies).

RWANDA

Parc National des Volcans (PNV) in Rwanda has twelve habituated gorilla families with 8 permits available daily for each group. These include Susa, Karisimbi, Sabyinyo, Amahoro, Umubano, Kwitonda, Hirwa, Agashya, Bwenge and Ugyenda. Most groups are half-day walks but Susa can take around 7 hours. Tracking in PNV is usually easier than tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda as the afromontane forest is lighter.

The Susa group: 28 members including 3 silverbacks.
Susa was the largest gorilla group before it split into two and was named after the Susa river. It was the group originally studied by Dian Fossey and is popular because of a pair of twins, Byishimo and Impano.
40 minutes from Virunga Lodge.

The Karisimbi group: 15 members including 3 silverbacks.
This is the family that split from the original Susa family. It has 15 members and it always stays in the lower slopes of Karisimbi Volcano.
40 minutes from Virunga Lodge.

The Sabyinyo group: 12 members including 2 silverbacks.
The group was named after the rugged Sabyinyo Volcano. Sabyinyo means ‘old man’s teeth’ and the group is known to stay between the mountains Sabyinyo and Gahinga, enjoying the gentle slopes and easy terrain.
40 minutes from Virunga Lodge.

The Amahoro group: 17 members including 1 silverback.
Amahoro means ‘peaceful’ and the group is usually extraordinarily gentle and peaceful, which is why they were given the name. It is a tougher climb to reach them, though.
40 minutes from Virunga Lodge.

The Umubano group: 11 members including 1 silverback.
Umubano means ‘live together’ as the group originally formed when it split from the Amahoro group. They still share much of the same territory and there is a peaceful relationship between them.
40 minutes from Virunga Lodge.

The Kwitonda group: 18 members including 2 silverbacks.
Kwitonda means ‘humble one’, a name given to the group after the name of their dominant silverback. They generally stay on the lower slopes of Mount Muhavura but are one of the more difficult tracking experiences.
40 minutes from Virunga Lodge.

The Hirwa group: 12 members including 1 silverback.
Hirwa means ‘lucky one’. Hirwa is a new group that was formed when splinters from Sabyinyo group and Group 13 merged. They have twins and are usually on Mount Sabyinyo.
40 minutes from Virunga Lodge.

The Agasha group: 25 members including 2 silverbacks.
Agasha means ‘the news’. The Agasha group was previously known as Group 13 but was renamed when Agasha challenged the dominant silverback by leading the group away from him and assimilating other individuals from groups or solitary wandering.
40 minutes from Virunga Lodge.

The Bwenge group: 10 members including 1 silverback.
Bwenge means ‘brightness’ and shares much of their territory with the Ugyenda group on Mount Visoke.
40 minutes from Virunga Lodge.

The Ugyenda group: 11 members including 1 silverback.
Ugyenda means ‘departure’. The group usually stays around the Mount Visoke region and the tracking is not too difficult.
40 minutes from Virunga Lodge.

Flights

A.T. Adventures International does not organize or sell international flights.

Flights to Uganda are available from Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Brussels Airlines, KLM, Egyptair, Ethiopian Airlines, African Express, South Africa Airways and Kenya Airways.

Flights within Uganda are offered by Aerolink which operates twice daily flights between Murchison Falls, Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Kidepo. Fly Uganda also offers scheduled flights to Murchison Falls, Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Kidepo.

Flights to Rwanda are available from Rwandair, KLM, Kenya Airways, Brussels Airlines, Qatar Aiways, Turkish Airlines, South Africa Airways and Ethiopian Airlines.

Helicopter transfers within Rwanda can be arranged daily to Virunga Lodge and other destinations.

Flights within East Africa are operated by Kenya Airways, Precision, Coastal Aviation, Air Uganda and Rwandair, making the connection between Uganda, Rwanda and the savannah plains of Kenya and Tanzania easier than ever before!

Please note that A.T. Adventures International does not handle international flights. The airlines operating to the region are subject to change so please check with the airline concerned. Please also be sure that the timings of your flights connect with the beginning and end times of your safari.