Uganda Gorilla permits are an equivalent of, let’s say (for explanation purpose) an air ticket. For one to take a flight to a destination of their choice, they need to have purchased an air ticket. Equally, a Uganda gorilla permit is a document authorizing one to participate in a gorilla trekking tour in a given gorilla national park. Mountain gorillas inhabit only two destinations in Uganda – Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Both parks are located in South Western Uganda. They have lush rainforest cover and giant successive ranges of the Virunga massif. Unlike Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is part of the Virunga Conservation area. Mountain gorillas in Uganda make up half of the entire population in the whole world and are therefore worth trekking.
Visitors are assigned Uganda Wildlife Authority tour guide and ranger to accompany them into the jungles. A gorilla trekking permit grants visitors an hour of viewing and interacting with mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. However, the trekking time may range between one hour and seven hours depending on distance traveled by a mountain gorilla family assigned to the group. Gorilla trekking in Uganda involves hiking through rugged highlands on which the rainforests have grown for hundreds of years. Besides trekking, there’s also gorilla habituation. Distinguished from trekking, gorilla habituation offers visitors more time to interact with a semi-habituated gorilla family. It also offers a tourist a closer experience with gorillas, since habituated ones are regarded as more human friendly. Mountain gorilla habituation goes on for up to 4 hours.
How much do Uganda Gorilla Permits cost?
Gorilla trekking permit acquisition in Uganda has distinct rates assigned to different visitor categories – East Africa nationals, foreign residents and foreign non-residents. An East Africa national is charged UGX 300,000/=. A foreign resident is charged $700, a foreign non-resident is charged $800 and Rest of Africa $500. These rates are for each single day a tourist spends trekking the mountain gorillas. The tourist is however advised to always look out for possible discounts that are given from time to time by tour operators. Nevertheless, Uganda Wildlife Authority has introduced discounted low season gorilla trekking permits. In the months of April, May and November, foreign residents can pay $500 while foreign nonresidents can pay &600 per person.
Booking Uganda Gorilla Permits
Booking Uganda gorilla permits is recommended to be done at the earliest. The justification is to avoid being pushed to undesirable periods of the year, since the peak season is always engaged with a high influx of trekkers. Uganda gorilla permits are purchased from Uganda Wildlife Authority. However, tourists are advised to contract local tour operators like Standard Safaris for that since it’s faster and more effective. It saves their time from the tedious processes involved in gorilla permit bookings.
What the Uganda gorilla permits include?
The Uganda gorilla trekking permit is inclusive of entry fees into Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Acquisition of a gorilla trekking permit equally has an add-on of 2 armed rangers, guides and trackers. These accord security while trekkers are in the jungles searching for mountain gorillas. They also track the mountain gorillas which eases the trekking experience.
Rules and regulations of acquiring a Uganda Gorilla Permit.
Apart from the fees, age is an important factor for whoever seeks purchasing the gorilla permit. The trekker should be 15 years old or above. Foreign non-residents should also tag along with their passports. The details are important for record purposes by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. A tourist who opts to contract a tour operator for the permit booking will be required to avail their passport details to the operator.
Find out more about the gorilla trekking rules and regulations here
Comparing Uganda Gorilla Permits with Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo permits.
In comparison to Rwanda and D.R. Congo, Uganda’s gorilla trekking permit costs are quite fair. Rates for Rwanda gorilla permits are the highest, with each costing $1,500. D.R. Congo gorilla permits go for $400 each. However, compared to the services offered by Uganda in contrast with the charged fee, and Uganda’s political stable environment, any person would opt for gorilla trekking in Uganda. To acquire a gorilla permit in any of the 3 countries, you can contact us anytime, anywhere. Check out our clients’ reviews on TripAdvisor for testimonies about their gorilla treks in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo.
