How To book A Gorilla Trekking Permit

Booking a gorilla trekking permit for Uganda and Rwanda

When booking the gorilla trekking permit for Uganda and Rwanda, you must have the date when you wish to do gorilla trekking and the number of people or times you hope to do gorilla trekking.

In the entire world mountain gorillas are only living in Volcanoes National park Rwanda, Virunga National Park D.R.Congo Bwindi Impenetrable national park and Mgahinga National Park Uganda.

How Can I Buy a Gorilla Permit For Uganda Or Rwanda?

Identify a date for your gorilla trekking activity, the number of permits you hope to purchase and enquire from a tour operator like Arch Safaris And Tours or Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda development Board. ENQUIRE NOW

Our safari consultant checks availability from the gorilla trekking list of Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda development Board. The gorilla permits are limited in number as only maximum 8 permits are allowed per day per gorilla family.

Uganda has only so far 19 gorilla families opened for tourism while Rwanda currently has 12 gorilla families.

In case availability per your preferred date of gorilla trekking is positive, we appeal to our clients to purchase theirs as soon as possible. The permits are sold on first come first served basis yet limited in number and demand is extremely high especially for the peak season which is June to September and December to mid-January

Provide some personal details later which include your full names as indicated in the passport, nationality, date of birth, passport expiry date and others.

What Is a Gorilla Trekking Permit?

A gorilla trekking permit is ticket or document or card issued to allow you entry into the natural habitats of the mountain gorillas and spend an hour with a family of mountain gorillas. These mountain gorillas are first fully habituated to be in the presence of humans. The habituation process takes about 2 years or more depending on how the family copes.

What is Gorilla habituation?

This is the process of helping wild mountain gorillas used to the presence of humans without altering there nature. Habituating a wild gorilla family is done by professional habituators and researchers each day for an unknown period. In Uganda, only 4 tourists are allowed to take part in the process of gorilla habituation for 4 hours but at the semi habituation stage.

How Much Can I Buy A Gorilla Permit For Uganda or Rwanda

A Gorilla trekking permit in Uganda currently costs

$700for foreign nonresidents

$600 for resident foreigners

250000shs for east Africans starting July 2020

In Rwanda, a gorilla trekking permit currently costs

$1500 per person per trek for foreign nonresidents

$500 per person per trek for foreign residents

$200 per person per trek for East African citizens

You have to send an inquiry about the number of days you wish to do your Gorilla trekking safari.

What is Included in the Gorilla Permit Cost

The cost of gorilla trekking permit includes:

The ranger guide fee

A ranger is a person who leads you inti the forest to start searching for the mountain gorillas. A minimum of Two rangers escort a party of trekkers in the forest explaining in detail about the life of the mountain gorillas and there families. Follow the advise given by the ranger guide so as to succeed in locating the mountain gorillas.

Park Entrance fees

Each person is required to pay park fees before entering in to any national Park but with gorilla trekking, this is included in the permit cost.

Park entrance fees for each day last 24 hours

Gorilla Conservation Fund Support

The need for conserving mountain gorillas that were at the rim of extinction by 1980s is the reason for starting gorilla trekking. Some financial support is required to protect the mountain gorillas and create more gorilla families.

Even some mountain gorilla researchers are supported from this fund and these primates keep evolving with time.

The gorilla doctors that help in treating the mountain gorillas in case they fall ill beyond there control are financed from the sell of gorilla permits. The doctors also do routine random check-ups on the wild mountain gorillas to establish the status of there health. Mountain gorilla are wild animals that must care for there needs but at times they fail to and gorilla doctors come in to assist.

One Precious Hour with the Mountain gorillas

Only one hours is allowed with the mountain gorillas because they are habituated to be in the presence of humans for just that time. After gorilla trekking, you slowly retreat so that you allow them carry on with there day today activities like feeding, grooming, reproducing and so much more

Security during gorilla trekking

The gorilla trekking area requires protection from security bodies. Every tourists would like to return home in one piece. A group of rangers often wakes up earlier than others to follow gorilla families each day. The report to the ranger station of where the families may be spending the day.

Its these clues that rangers escorting tourists use to lead a gorilla trekking group.

The rangers also collaborate with other security agencies for uganda and Rwanda to maintain law and order in this region.

A certificate Of Gorilla Trek Accomplishment

After gorilla trekking, each trekker is awarded a certificate of accomplishment. It bares your names, date of trekking and others.

What Is Excluded in The Gorilla Permit Cost

Drinks like water for quenching thirst, first aid treatment, transport to the destination, tipping, souvenirs, porter cost and others items of personal nature.

Can I purchase the gorilla permits in Instalment?

Yes you can purchase the gorilla permits Instalment that is to say 30% and 70% as long as it is before 90 days to the date of trekking.

You must also top before the 90 days to the date of gorilla trekking or else stand chance of losing the gorilla permit.

Can I receive Refund For A Gorilla permit ?

Refunding a gorilla permits is only possible when following the gorilla permit refund policy of Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board.

You can also reschedule the gorilla permit date instead

For you to reschedule the gorilla permits date, you have to write to Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board stating a reason or reasons for wishing to move your dates. State the date to which you wish to reschedule too.

Attach some undoubtable evidence in case you have it to back-up your request. When you are allowed to move your gorilla permits, you can state to which date you wish to move to. In Rwanda, rescheduling a gorilla permit date attracts a surcharge.

On the date of gorilla trekking in case you fall ill and report to the ranger station in advance, you may be given a refund abased on the policy of Uganda wildlife Authority or Rwanda Developments Board.

What Is The cost Of Gorilla trekking Tour

Gorilla trekking packages are bases on one’s budget that is to say High-end packages, Mid-range safari packages and budget gorilla tracking packages.

You need to hire a 4×4 wheel safari vehicle in case you are to use road transport while those who are travelling by air should book a ticket from the domestic flight operators so that you case secure a seat either on the morning flight or the afternoon flight to Bwindi forest.

The driver guide must be booked in advance so that you can have the company of a knowledgeable safari guide who will help you while you travel in the jungle.

All activities in the wilderness are paid for so that you are allowed to be part of this fun.

Accommodation is like cheery on top of an ice cream corn. You must secure where to spent the night closer to the gorilla tracking briefing point. This is to give you the chance not to get tired before gorilla trekking when you drive long distances from one area to another in order to meet your gorilla trekking day. This is so disturbing and inconveniencing

Others factors to consider For the gross Cost Of Gorilla Trekking Safari Include

The number of people on gorilla trekking tour

The more people joining the gorilla trekking safari, the less the cost per person because you get to share some costs like vehicle hire, gas, driver guide fees and others.

The timing For Gorilla Trekking Safari

During the peak season which is June to September and December to January, process are high because demand is high too for Africa safaris.

The low season may attract some discounts on services like accommodation, driver guide fees others therefore lowering the gross cost.

The number of days on gorilla trekking safari

When you take more days on gorilla trekking safari, the cost also becomes higher. Most of the service providers charge per day costs.

Additional activities combined with gorilla trekking

When you add gorilla trekking with other activities like chimpanzee trekking, game drives, boat trips, birding, the total cost of safari also increases.

You can do 3 days gorilla trekking

5 day gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari

6 day gorilla trekking and wildlife safari

7 day gorilla, chimpanzee and wildlife Tour

8 day gorilla, chimpanzee and wildlife Safari

Number of Gorilla Trekking times

When you take more than one gorilla trekking day or do gorilla habituation, your gross safari cost increases.

What To Pack For Gorilla Trekking Safari

Atleast 4 masks as the world is trying to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. A mask is number one priority as you start your gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda. Gorillas easily get infected by human viruses which may lead to there death.

A flash-less camera will keep memories of your experience with the mountain gorillas fresh and interesting. It must be sound proof too as gorillas are easily agitated by noise which may send them into hiding.

Tracking boots to help you go through the boggy ground with a dense network of rivers. The wilderness also has sharp surfaces that you have to walk over.

Safari long sleeved shirt and trousers are good protection for your skin as you go through Volcanoes National Park.

Garden gloves offer more warmth and protection when you need a secure and tighter grip when you slide as you move in the Volcanoes Forest.

Insect repellant as the forest is home to different insects like biting nettles. Yu need to secure skin from stinging insects.

A hand sanitizer that is friendly to your skin although public sanitisers are provided by most hotels or lodges even at the briefing point of Uganda wildlife Authority center.

An extra battery and memory card for your camera will give you comfort as you take photos of the mountain gorillas and other forest occupants that you pass by.

Rain coat or poncho to wear when it rains in Volcanoes Park Rwanda as this area receives down pours at any time without warning. Rwanda being generally a cold country and Volcanoes Park being dense with limited sun rays penetrating to warm you, you need a rain gear.

A pair of binoculars will give you a clearer view of the mountain gorillas as they are very shy primates. Sometimes they move into the deeper areas of Volcanoes Park.

Some hard cash to change into local Rwandese Franks as this is the local currency of Rwanda. Credit cards are not commonly used as the process of using them is lengthy.

A water bottle will keep your water to drink when in the forest and in need to quench thirst.

Carry deodorant wipes to apply as you move in the forest to wipe off dirt or when you over sweat as you move.

Flashlight torch for you to use when lights are out in the night while in your room.

Travel Insurance must be purchased so that in case of any unforeseen situation, you are covered up.

A first aid box to use in case of any injuries or in case you need to take some medication

.First Aid kit with items that you can use for emergency treatment in the forest or after gorilla trekking.

Warm Pajamas to wear in the night because this area is very cold especially during the severe wet season.

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