Originally Posted by
bhrubin
How ever could you trek for gorillas without us?
Have a blast! I'll be very curious to hear how Uganda compare and contrasts with Rwanda. Four hours sounds fab.
We'll definitely be thinking of you, my friend!
After 7 nights in two Mara conservancies, we were thinking of where else to combine with Kenya. It was either Uganda or Ethiopia, and Uganda won out. It's a mere 75 minute flight from Nairobi to Entebbe, then another 90 minutes to Bwindi Forest (we don't mind multiple short-hop flights.)
From everything I've read and have been told, the treks in Uganda are more arduous than Rwanda - it's longer, more hilly and has denser vegetation, which also makes the Gorilla viewing more difficult. That said, we'll be doing both a 4-hour habituation experience (which is only with 4 guests max) as well as the standard 1-hour viewing (8 guests), so we'll be able to do an apples-to-apples comparison to Rwanda.
FWIW, we'll be staying at Clouds Gorilla Lodge, which has chalets that seem to have been designed by the same person who worked on Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge (Rwanda) - they look identical.
Btw - the Gorilla permits in Rwanda are now an eye-bleeding $1500 per person per trek(!) - double the price that you guys (and we) paid back in 2015. Uganda is still at $750, although permits for the habituation experience is the same as Rwanda's standard permit ($1500.) We'll find out if it's worth it!