Home to the incredible mountain gorillas, Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo make it possible to experience the jungles and spend time with the gorillas in the Mist for real and not just watching in a documentary or film.

The number one reason travellers visit these three countries is to get a chance to meeting face to face with the giant apes and it is crucial to evaluate the seasonal conditions before making up your mind on when to travel to the three mentioned countries

It should also be noted that for many travellers, the starting point to undertaking gorilla safaris is first understanding the best time for the activity.

Three magnificent African countries offer visitors the chance of encountering the mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. These countries are Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo with the Parks inhabited by these giant apes being mountainous and forested.

With only two significant seasons every year-dry and rainy season, planning a gorilla safari to any of these three wonderful countries may seem easy but before you even think of booking a flight and purchasing a gorilla permit, first understand which months are dry, drier, wet and wetter.

Before you even get excited, remember that all the Parks where the mountain gorillas are found generally are mountainous, rainforest and two of the countries-Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are on the equator whereas Rwanda is close to the Equator, thus climate of the destinations don’t vary significantly over the year.

The dry season starts in June and ends in late September as well as December ending in February. Temperatures generally vary from 12 ˚C to 28 ˚C.

This is considered the peak season for gorilla safaris with gorilla permits being on high demand, thus important to book for these safaris in advance.

During these months, hiking trails are drier, forest floor is not muddy/or slippery and hiking is more comfortable across the gorilla habitats. However, travelers are advised to expect periodic daily showers but it won’t disrupt planned activities and trivialize the experience after all.

On analyzing the weather patterns, it can be concluded that the best time to go gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and experience the height of gorilla experiences is the dry season in the months of December, January, February, June, July, August and September.

However, the downside of gorilla trekking during the dry season is the long treks that travelers have to endure in trying to find the habituated mountain gorillas.

This is mainly attributed to the fact that food becomes scarce, hence requiring the Giant Apes to move far and deeper into the forest to find food.

Additionally, since most visitors prefer gorilla trekking in the dry season, expect crowds in addition to places of lodging being fully booked or higher accommodation rates. For this reason, gorilla safaris have to be booked some months in advance (3-6) to avoid last minute disappointments.

The rainy/wet season in Uganda, Congo or Rwanda is typically from March through May, with October to November also being wet months.

Average temperatures in these months go to as low as 16 degrees Celsius in the morning and evening hours as well as 28 degrees Celsius in the afternoons.

Given the fact that mountain gorillas live in higher elevations of their natural habitats, temperatures become colder, often dropping to freezing point.

Expect heavy downpours anytime of the day, wet forest floor and denser vegetation as well as increased fruiting hence mountain gorillas have more food.

The upside of this season is shorter treks, given that Giant Apes have plenty of food and less or no crowds because most visitors avoid this time of the year. The downside is that more challenging treks marked by muddy and slippery trails are expected.