HOW YOU CAN BOOK A GORILLA TREKKING PERMIT
Booking Gorilla trekking permits – A Gorilla trekking permit is simply a document that allows you to spend one hour with the Gorillas and it can only be obtained through a registered Tour Company in either Uganda or Rwanda, or through Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) for the case of Uganda and Rwanda Tourism Board (RTB) for the case of Rwanda.
However, it’s much easier and faster to obtain a Gorilla trekking Permit via a Tour Company or Safari company since it tends to be quick and less tiresome. Another advantage of booking with a safari company is that they have knowledge of the various Gorilla families as well as clear knowledge of the community around and the different places of accommodation, of which they can do the accommodation booking for you. They can also give great travel recommendations in case you want to extend your trip. Therefore you can contact us at Adventure in the wild safaris, to help in booking your gorilla trekking permit / tour.
But if you want to book your Gorilla trekking permit directly through Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), especially for tourists who are out of Uganda, then you will have to E-mail the Uganda Revenue Authority’s reservation office inquiring about the availability of dates you would like to track or trek the Gorillas and if they are not available then it’s better you ask them to update you about the nearest dates.
Gorilla trekking in Uganda is done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, but however due to the unreliability of the Mountain Gorillas in Mgahinga National Park, Gorilla trekking is mostly carried out in Bwindi and therefore most of the gorilla trekking permits that are sold are for Bwindi National Park, but during your booking of a gorilla trekking permit, you can still specify which National Park you would like to visit, in either of the two.
Before you go for your gorilla trekking, you will be guided on which gorilla family to trek depending on your fitness level especially for the case of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park since it has about 14 habituated gorilla families and it’s as well divided into four regions such as Buhoma region in the North, Rujiha region in the East, Rushaga and Nkuringo region in the South and in each region, there are different habituated gorilla families.
When to Book your Gorilla trekking Permit?
Tourists are advised to book for a Gorilla trekking permit three months in advance, or six months in advance and they can also be purchased up to two years in advance, which mainly favours tourists to go for Gorilla Trekking during the Peak season or High season, in the drier months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February. Therefore the earlier you book, the quicker you get a chance for gorilla trekking since the permits tend to run out fast during this Peak season. So your delay in booking may cause you to opt for the Rwanda low season gorilla trekking permit in the months of May and November since Uganda abolished low season discounted gorilla permits in 2017.
What is the cost of a gorilla permit?
In Uganda, a Gorilla trekking permit is at $600 for foreigners that do not stay particularly in Uganda and in any of the countries in the East African Community, $500 for foreigners that stay in the partner states of the East African Community, and then Shs250,000 for the natives that stay in the East African Community. And in Rwanda, Gorilla trekking permits are at $1500 in the high season and $1050 in the low season, and all these prices are per person respectively.
You should note that you cannot be able to go for Gorilla Trekking unless you have a Gorilla trekking Permit. Therefore in order to book your gorilla trekking permit, you will have to provide your name, nationality, passport number and date of birth. And for this case, you should note that Gorilla trekking permits cannot be handled to the possession of another person so you will have to show your passport and identification documents at the pre-trekking briefing.
You will also have to provide your payments as well as the dates when you would like to go for gorilla trekking and if the dates that you have suggested are already booked, then you will have to ask whosoever is organizing your permit for the nearest dates that can act as other options for you to go for the gorilla trek.
Finally, you will then receive a scanned copy of your Gorilla trekking permit within a few days or weeks, and when you arrive into the country, the Safari Company that worked on your permit will be able to provide it for you or if you are travelling independently, you will have to collect it from the UWA office. Your permit will have a unique serial number as well as your personal details written on it.