Mountain Gorilla Trekking Safaris from Victoria Falls.
Are you planning a gorilla trekking safari from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe/Zambia? This means traveling from Victoria Falls to Rwanda or Uganda to see mountain gorillas, or vice versa, where you may choose to go gorilla trekking in Uganda in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, or in Nal Park.
Victoria Falls is among the 7 (seven) wonders of the world, as it is described and known as one of the largest curtain waterfalls in the world, with a width of 1,708 m (5,604 ft.)
Victoria Falls is one of the top tourist attractions in Zimbabwe and Zambia in southern Africa. Victoria Falls can be easily accessed from two great African safari countries, namely Zimbabwe and Zambia, since it lies on the border of these two countries.
Therefore, Victoria Falls tours can be arranged and done based on either Zimbabwe or Zambia in terms of where to fly in, since at the falls, one can access viewpoints from both sides of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
However, quite a number of travelers have kept wondering which country gives the greatest experience for Victoria Falls tours between Zambia and Zimbabwe with the help of a local guide.
Where is the best place to see Victoria Falls?
Zimbabwe is relatively preferred by most travelers to Victoria Falls as it hosts about two-thirds of the waterfall, and the main falls can be well seen from the Zimbabwe side, while the Zambian side provides such great views of the remaining third of the falls and also hosts the famous Livingstone Island, from where Dr. David Livingstone first viewed the falls, and is reliable for Livingstone Museum tours found in Livingstone town on the Mosi-o-Tunya Road 10km away from the falls.
Exploring Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side also gives a great opportunity for a boat cruise on the Zambezi, which hosts lots of wildlife animals and green plant species on the river banks.
How to get to Victoria Falls?
There are several options to choose from on how to get to Victoria Falls, either through Zimbabwe or Zambia, as both countries are top destinations for Victoria Falls tours. Let’s take a look at some of these options available for traveling to Victoria Falls.
Explore Victoria Falls from Zimbabwe; Zimbabwe hosts several airports, with Harare as the main international airport, and the famous Victoria Falls Airport, which is the closest airport to Victoria Falls, about 11 miles away from the falls, compared to Harare Airport, which is over 800km from Victoria Falls.
Explore Victoria Falls from Zambia; Zambia apparently is one of Africa’s top tourist destinations, famous for its breathtaking Victoria Falls tours and also popular for its magical nature walking safaris, as it’s regarded as one of Africa’s remaining destinations with outstanding natural beauty.
Zambia also hosts a number of airports to fly into for Victoria Falls tours, and some of these include: Lusaka International Airport, based in Lusaka city, the capital of Zambia, and Livingstone Airport situated in Livingstone town, known as Zambia’s second largest city.
Livingstone Airport is the closest airport to Victoria Falls from Zambia, and all travelers traveling to Victoria Falls prefer flying from Livingstone Airport to Lusaka Airport, which is a long route, transferring to Victoria Falls by road, and also a bit hectic on the flight.
Travelers visiting Victoria Falls from Zambia recommend flying into Livingstone Airport, which is about 20km away, and then transferring to Victoria Falls, approximately a 20-minute drive.
Uganda Gorilla Trekking from Victoria Falls.
Several airlines fly into Rwanda and Uganda from Zambia, Lusaka and Livingstone airports, and from Zimbabwe, Harare International Airport, and Victoria Falls Airport, and this has truly enhanced the chances of travelers willing to combine Victoria Falls safari and mountain gorilla tours in Uganda or Rwanda.
In this article, we will see in detail a number of options on the routes one can choose to fly into Uganda for gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, or Zambia.
Connecting to Uganda from Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls can be done by flying from Victoria Falls Airport to Entebbe Inte, Uganda, and later transfer to Uganda’s gorilla parks – Bwindi and Mgahinga national park.
With an option of a flying safari from Entebbe to Bwindi National Park situated in the southwest of the country, approximately a 9-hour drive by road and 1hr and a half hours flying.
However, as we have always observed from our past clients, many of them always opt for the shorter routes while traveling to Uganda from Victoria Falls, such as the option of flying into Kigali International Airport in Rwanda.
From there, they are later picked up and transferred to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on a 4x4WD crossing the Katuna border between Uganda and Rwanda, and the journey from Kigali to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is approximately 4 hours compared to 9hrs of driving from Entebbe to Bwindi.
This option of flying into Kigali Airport from Victoria Falls for the Uganda gorillas is such a big deal for most travelers, as it gives a chance of taking on a short Kigali city tour before crossing to Uganda.
In addition, it’s relatively cost-friendly, as the cost of a gorilla tracking permit in Uganda is $700 for all foreign tourists and travelers to Bwindi and Mgahinga National Park, and the same permit costs $1500 in Rwanda for tracking in Volcanoes national park.
Therefore, Uganda remains the ideal gorilla trekking destination for travelers and tourists from Victoria Falls intending to see gorillas at a relatively friendly cost by flying into Kigali airport.
In addition to how to get to Uganda for a gorilla safari from Victoria Falls, there’s also an option of flying from Victoria Falls Airport, Zimbabwe, or Livingstone Airport, Zambia, to Johannesburg International Airport, South Africa, first, where there are several airlines that fly into Uganda and Rwanda to Entebbe airport and Kigali International Airport, respectively.
This route is always active with many operational airlines that fly to and from Johannesburg daily, for example, Rwanda Air, South African Airways, and Ethiopian Airways, among others, fly to and from Entebbe Airport, and Rwanda Air with a direct flight to Kigali Airport from Johannesburg Airport.
Rwanda Gorilla Trekking from Victoria Falls.
This is simply an offer to those travelers and tourists looking for a gorilla trekking safari from Victoria Falls in Zambia or Zimbabwe. Combining Victoria Falls tours with a Rwanda gorilla trekking safari is absolutely the best African safari combo, and this safari can basically begin with traveling to Victoria Falls first and later extending the safari journey to Rwanda as you arrive at Kigali Airport, and vice versa.
It doesn’t so much matter where to start the trip as long as you check and confirm availability with the airline of your choice.
On arrival at Kigali International Airport from Victoria Falls, you’re welcomed by your safari guide in Rwanda and transferred to Volcanoes National Park situated in the northwestern side of the country, approximately a 3-hour drive from Kigali.
Mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda is done at the Volcanoes National Park, which is part of the Virunga Mountains that are shared by three major countries, namely Uganda, Rwanda, and the DR Congo.
The above-mentioned countries are the only gorilla trekking destinations in the world, as gorillas are an endangered species and can’t survive anywhere else other than their natural habitat.
Mountain gorillas are found in Volcanoes National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Mgahinga National Park in Uganda, and Virunga National Park in DR Congo.
A Gorilla trekking permit is another key note for all travelers and tourists interested in the Rwanda gorilla trekking safari tour from Victoria Falls. For everyone to see gorillas in any of the gorilla destinations stated above, they must purchase a gorilla trekking permit issued by the government of these different countries at a cost.
Let’s look at the cost of the gorilla permit in all three gorilla destinations: in Rwanda, a gorilla permit is 1500 USD per person per trek for foreign tourists/visitors, 800 USD in Uganda for every foreign traveler tracking the gorillas, and 400 USD in DR- Congo.
Therefore, a gorilla trekking permit is so important to consider when planning a gorilla trekking safari to any of these destinations.
Gorilla permits can be purchased through a ground travel agency from these countries, which will help in arranging and planning a gorilla safari. It is highly advisable to book a gorilla trekking permit quite in advance of the safari time, about 3 months ahead of the trip.
This is important as the gorilla permits normally get sold out mostly in the high seasons when there are so many looking for the gorilla trekking experience.
Why book a gorilla trekking safari from Victoria Falls with us?
Achieve Global Safaris is a reliable and reputable safari company that is locally founded and based, with a passion for showcasing the beauty of our land and sharing our cultural heritage. We have firsthand ground information and local knowledge of all the areas we operate in.
We will help you plan and book your gorilla trekking safari in Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC from Victoria Falls. Simply contact us, and we will help you through the booking process as well as purchasing your gorilla permit from reliable authorities.
We also offer various gorilla trekking safari packages ranging from budget safaris to mid-range and luxury safaris across all three gorilla trekking destinations. You may also feel free to check out our TripAdvisor page, where you’ll find all the testimonials from our previous satisfied clients. With us, you can only expect adventures with lifetime memories and moving experiences.
Experienced webmaster and copywriter with 16 years of experience in the East African tourism industry. Jerome possess excellent knowledge about gorilla trekking, wildlife safaris, chimpanzee tracking, and accommodations across major destinations in East Africa.
