Budget Gorilla Trekking Safaris in Uganda, Rwanda & Congo

Find low budget gorilla trekking safaris and tours to Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo. Our lowland and mountain gorilla safaris are very cheap and affordable with permit discounts. Please note that there is a big difference between cheap gorilla safaris and affordable gorilla trekking. Cheap gorilla safaris are usually very cheap whereas affordable gorilla trekking might be slightly expensive.

Budget gorilla trekking is awesome. Trekking mountain gorillas is the most expensive tourist activity in Africa with a gorilla permit costing $800 for trekking and $1500 for gorilla habituation in Uganda, $400 in Democratic republic of Congo and $1500 in Rwanda. Our company offers very comfortable Uganda budget safaris, Rwanda budget safaris and DR Congo budget safaris in Africa.

One of the cheapest ways for seeing mountain gorillas is by booking budget gorilla safaris instead of mid range or luxurious safaris. You can also use road transport to gorilla national parks instead of using air transport though use of road transport will take more time compared to air transport that takes less time.

You can also visit during the low season, although its not convenient due to muddy and slippery trails. Lodges in gorilla national parks give discounted rates for their accommodation compared to peak season. Want to book a budget gorilla tour to Uganda, Rwanda or DR Congo in Africa? See some of our trip ideas above.

2025/2026 Budget Gorilla Safaris in Uganda, Rwanda & Congo in Africa

Gorilla trekking is one of the most sought tourist’s activities and the most expensive in Africa meaning for some people who can’t afford to buy a gorilla permit won’t be able to see the endangered mountain gorillas.

Rwanda mountain gorilla permits are the most expensive costing $1500 per person followed by Uganda offering $700 per person per trekking and Democratic Republic of Congo offering the lowest price at $400 per person per trekking.

All the above prices don’t include a ticket to the country, transport to gorilla national parks and accommodation hence trekking gorilla expensive.

The cheapest ways to see mountain gorillas in Uganda is by doing a budget gorilla trekking trip but the cost for gorilla permits is the same for both luxury, mid range and budget travelers.

Below are some ways you can do cheapest gorilla trekking while in Uganda.

There are a lot of accommodation options both in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park ranging from luxury, mid range and budget.

You can check prices for budget hotels and book one you can afford.

Bwindi impenetrable forest and Mgahinga gorilla national park are located in the south western part of Uganda that can be accessed by road or air transport.

Road transport is less cheaper than air transport, you can even hire self drive cars to cut costs of paying a driver per day though its not recommended for foreigners in the country.

One of the cheapest ways of seeing mountain gorillas in Uganda is by flying to Rwanda, reason being the gorilla national parks are close to Rwanda; about 4 hours drive from Kigali international airport, than Entebbe international airport which is 9-10 hours drive.

You can do a 1 to 2 day gorilla trip if you fly to Rwanda, you spend less time travelling and if you’re doing self drive you will spend less fuel.

Another way of doing a cheap gorilla safari is by traveling during low seasons of March, April, May, October and November.

During this wet seasons most hotels reduce prices for their accommodation giving a low season discount to travelers.

One of the cheapest ways to see gorillas in Uganda is by doing gorilla trekking other than gorilla habituation.

The cost of gorilla trekking is $700 per person while gorilla habituation is $1500 hence trekking would be a better option than habituation.
Budget gorilla trekking in Uganda vs budget gorilla safaris in Rwanda vs budget gorilla tours in DR Congo

Uganda offers the best budget gorilla trekking experiences in its gorilla parks; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Uganda gorilla permits cost USD 700 each all year round and can be bought for any of the four gorilla trekking sectors of Bwindi or Mgahinga.

The affordability of gorilla trekking permits in Uganda is what has made Uganda an awesome budget gorilla safari destination.

Rwanda may not be the perfect destination for budget gorilla tours unless you badly want to visit it. Rwanda gorilla permits cost USD 1500 each, about USD 800 higher than the normal price for Uganda gorilla permits.

Each Rwanda gorilla permit can actually run an entire 3-day gorilla trip in Uganda. However, the advantage Rwanda has over Uganda is the short distance from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park, about 2 hours, compared to the 9 hours’ drive from Entebbe/Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.

Congo gorilla permits cost USD 400 and USD 200 each for the high and low seasons respectively.

Congo is another great budget gorilla safari destination, only that there is very little diversity in their tourism industry. There is not much to do after visiting gorillas and hiking Mount Nyiragongo Volcano.
Cheap gorilla safaris vs affordable gorilla trekking

Most tourists often confuse cheap gorilla safaris with affordable gorilla trekking. There are two terms with different meanings. We shall try to differentiate them here so that you get the exact differences and know what to expect when you book either of them.

Cheap gorilla safaris usually include very cheap facilities and services, so long as they accommodate you to finish up your gorilla trekking experience. The accommodation facilities usually used in cheap gorilla safaris are extremely cheap.

Affordable gorilla trekking on the other hand means offering the best services at affordable rates. You can actually have an affordable luxury gorilla safari, but you cannot have a cheap luxury gorilla safari.

We organize both cheap gorilla safaris and affordable gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo. However, we do not compromise quality.

We have bargained with several accommodation facilities for very good discounted rates so that we can make our safaris very affordable to our clients. In return, we have to try hard to meet the targeted bookings to keep these rates.

So booking your gorilla safaris with us helps us make it even more affordable for future clients you might recommend.

Whether you book cheap gorilla tours or affordable gorilla safaris with us, you will still have the best quality of services.
When to choose Rwanda over Uganda

The biggest advantage Rwanda has over Uganda is the short distance from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park.

Accessing Rwanda gorillas from the main entry point; Kigali International Airport is just 2 hours away, making it very possible to have shorter gorilla trips in Rwanda that can even last for a day or two.

The road to Volcanoes National Park is also very well tarmacked, so you are guaranteed to have a smooth ride regardless of the weather condition.

This is not the case with Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the primary gorilla trekking park in Uganda is about 8-9 hours away from Entebbe and Kampala. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is even further; about 9-10 hours away from Entebbe and Kampala.

This is what discourages most tourists from taking on Uganda gorilla trips. Most of them add a stopover at Lake Mburo National Park to cut the journey in half.

The roads that go to the national parks are not tarmacked and on rare occasions, cars get stuck on their way to the headquarters.

However, many tourists enjoy the countryside drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park because they get to explore many districts en-route.

Besides this, the Volcanoes National Park terrain is much clearer compared to the thick forests in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park & Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.

In Rwanda, it is much easier to spot a gorilla in the wild as the terrain is clear. In Uganda, gorillas might hide in thick vegetation.

Despite all the comparisons, Uganda still stands out as the best mountain gorilla trekking destination in the whole world, followed by Rwanda and DR Congo respectively.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park alone is home to over half the remaining population of mountain gorillas in the world.

The other half roams around the Virunga Conservation Area, an area that is shared by Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in DR Congo.

The 8 Virunga Volcano Mountains are also found in this area.
Best time to go budget gorilla trekking in Africa

The best time to book budget gorilla trekking safaris is during the low season months of March, April, May, October and November. During this time, accommodation facilities give huge discounts on their facilities. It is also much easier to chance a discounted gorilla permit.

Please note that you can still have your budget gorilla trekking safaris during the other months of the year, only that your safaris might be slightly expensive.

The challenge with traveling during the low season months is, chances of rainfall are much higher. If you are to have the best gorilla trekking experience, it ought to be under the best weather possible; so we still recommend the high season months for budget gorilla safari experiences in Africa.
Can you have a budget gorilla safari on the last minute?

Booking gorilla safaris on the last minute can sometimes come with very huge discounts, especially if you are traveling in the low season.

So yes, you can have a budget gorilla safari in Uganda, Rwanda or DR Congo on the last minute, so long as there is availability for gorilla trekking permits.

The best time to have your last minute gorilla trekking safaris should be in the low season. Most high season months usually get booked out in advance and it turns out very hard to get gorilla permit or accommodation availability.

Why book your budget gorilla tour with us?

Our budget is very comfortable. We give you the best bargain on accommodation facilities and services, so you have to enjoy a very comfortable safari at affordable rates.

As mentioned earlier, we bargain with lodges and come up with contracts that enable us get more for less. The less is what we extend to you. With such an arrangement, you can have a very comfortable mid-range safari in a budget setting.