In some cases instead of tourists choosing what destination to visit for gorilla trekking, they ask what time is the best for gorilla trekking in Uganda. Uganda is situated astride the Equator and experiences a tropical climate with very little temperature variation throughout the year. The main factor that determines your visit to Bwindi Gorillas will be the rainfall patterns despite the low rates for Gorilla permits in the low season.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is globally famous for hosting the largest number of mountain Gorillas. There are four sectors where gorilla safaris are conducted and they include Buhoma sector, Nkuringo sector, Rushaga Sector and Ruhija sector. It is found on high mountainous altitude with deep valleys. Bwindi forest is the last piece of primary forest in the area.
WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT BWINDI GORILLAS?
Bwindi Forest is annually open for wildlife viewing and above all Gorilla trekking. However, the best time to visit Bwindi Forest is from June to August and December to February. During that time, there is less rain received in the forest and the trails are not bushy and slippery.
The drier month include January, February, June, July, August, September, October and December. March to April and September to November are usually very wet month, although they make the best bird watching period.
The best time to come for gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable forest is during the two dry seasons
December to March
The period of December to February is characterized with low rains. During this period the the trails are drier and gorilla trekking is easier within the park though the forest may be moist.
June to September
In drier season, the trails are clear and not slippery for the trekkers to go through the experience. Endeavor to carry warm clothing it sometimes gets very cold, especially at night. There are fewer mosquitoes so chances of getting malaria are much lower during the drier months.
Peak Seasons
Peak season occurs in the month of June to September. Low season is March, April, May, October and November (it is the rainy season and some camps and lodges are closed). In peak season, there are more chances of viewing other animals like forest elephants, forest lions, forest leopards and more birds. Expect to get company since the park is visited by many tourists during the peak season. You can interact at the Lodge, on the way or in the park during Gorilla tracking. It is amazing exercises since a maximum of eight people are allowed to visit each group.
Worst Weather conditions: March to May and September to November (there is heavy rainfall and trails become hard to travel)
Rainy Seasons
In a rainy season, it is usually misty and wet characterized by dense under growth. It can also rain any time of the day. These are the best month for bird watching because there are migratory birds in the park during this time. Gorillas can also be tracked during this time although the access roads may be hard to travel and the trails become slippery making the tracking quite difficult. Some camps and lodges might be closed especially between March and May. Warm clothing is very necessary during this season.
Low Season Discounts
You can opt to trek gorillas in the low season since the gorilla permits are cut from $ 600. Visiting in this season also makes you enjoy the jungle with relatively low crowds. More so the accommodation facilities are not so crowded at this time.
Gorilla trekking is also possible in the months of March to Mid May though the southern sector of Bwindi generally receives more rains compared to other sectors of Bwindi. You can avoid these months if you are to trek the southern gorilla groups. However the other gorilla groups can be tracked.
Despite the weather changes in Uganda, gorilla trekking can be enjoyed all year round however the best times to go are from June to August and December to February. At these times the forest trails are drier and movement is not with a lot of difficulties
Because Forested areas normally receive rain fall most of the time, in Bwindi, even the so called drier months do get some rains though not as heavy as the wetter seasons. The choice is yours to chose when to visit Bwindi gorillas.