Gorilla Trekking Permits in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo : Gorilla trekking in East Africa is a once in a lifetime experience which can only become possible with a visit to Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that host the only four national parks where the mountain gorillas can only be found. These are Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
To see the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, you need to have a gorilla permit.
As soon as you decided on your travel dates, ensure you start the process of booking for a permit which will give you access to the gorilla parks. These permits need to be booked five months in advance especially if you intend to travel during the peak seasons of June, July and August.
You can book the permit through a reliable tour operator which is the most convenient way, most tour operators include a gorilla permit as part of the overall cost of a gorilla safari.
Gorilla Trekking Permits in Uganda Rwanda and Congo – For each of the three countries that is Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, the gorilla permits cost different fees.
Why should one pay for a gorilla permit (Gorilla Trekking Permits in Uganda Rwanda and Congo)?
Mountain gorillas are the closest relatives to a man with a close resemblance just like the chimpanzees, their behavior and striking resemblance to humans has made them very attractive to tourists. Mountain gorillas are more gentle, peaceful and considerate of their family/groups as they exhibited by how the group jealously protect their young ones, even more than chimpanzees.
In the whole world, there are only about 1,000 mountain gorillas still existent, this calls for their protection and conservation of their natural habitat.
The three countries where gorilla trekking is done deploy 80% of the money received from the permits for the conservation of these primates and their habitats. In addition to conservation, the local communities where gorilla tracking takes place gain economically from employment opportunities that come with receiving tourists.
Gorilla trekking is carried out throughout the year, although the permits are easier to acquire during low seasons (March – April) and beginning of May or November. To avoid queuing in the peak season, book your permits months in advance.
Here is the process and requirements for booking the permits in each of the three countries.
Getting Gorilla Permits in Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo is endowed with vast biodiversity and a pristine African wilderness, however it is affected by instability which has greatly affected its tourism industry and it is advised to get prior information about the security situated before embarking on a gorilla tracking journey to Congo.
DRC’s Virunga National Park hosts 8 habituated gorilla families and gorilla trekking still takes place on a large scale despite security concerns.
A gorilla permit in DR Congo costs $ 400 per day and booking can be done through the park or a tour operator, here a mutual trust is observed between your tour operator or the park officials who make reservations and share the information among themselves to ease your access into the park. Also, it is possible to book permits to track Eastern lowland gorillas at the Kahuzi-Biega National Park.
Cost of Gorilla Permits in Uganda
Uganda hosts 21 habituated gorilla groups found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Bwindi hosts the largest group with 20 gorilla families while Mgahinga has only one large gorilla family. The cost of a gorilla permit in Uganda at the moment is $ 700 per day which has enabled the country to receive far more visitors than its counterpart Rwanda.
Note: the price gorilla permits excluded accommodation, air tickets, ground transport, meals and other expenses. The advantage with gorilla tracking in Uganda is the opportunity to take part in the gorilla habituation experience, for $ 1500 a tourist gets to spend 4 hours with the gorillas under the guidance of trackers and sometimes researchers hence giving you an in-depth study of mountain gorillas.
You get to spend four hours with the mountain gorillas as opposed to the one hour for regular trackers.
In Uganda, gorilla permits are issued and handled by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and can only be obtain through a licensed tour operator, UWA issues about 152 gorilla permits per day for both Bwindi and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Uganda Wildlife Authority issues gorilla permits according to the region within the park where the gorillas are located, this eases movements of visitors especially within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which has four regions each with different gorilla families. These regions are Buhoma, Nkuringo, Ruhija and Rushaga hence the permits are bought according to the specific location.
Of all the four regions, Buhoma has the highest concentration of gorillas and the others are distributed in the remaining 3 regions. Although Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has only one gorilla group, getting a permit there may prove to be more difficult during the low season because all tour operators tend to target it when permits have run out from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Cost of Gorilla Permits in Rwanda
Rwanda hosts the second largest number of mountain gorillas after Uganda, it boasts of 10 habituated gorilla groups which are found in Volcanoes National Park. A Gorilla Permit in Rwanda costs $ 1500 and is obtained from the Rwanda Tourism Board Offices in Kigali or Ruhengeri which is near the park.
Your tour operator can help you get the permits especially if you are using them to organize all the aspects of your tour, the fees paid gives you one hour access to a particular gorilla group and doesn’t include accommodation, ground transport or meals.
Just like Uganda, visitors to Rwanda who intend to engage in gorilla trekking are advised to book their permits online or through their preferred tour operators 6 months in advance to avoid any last-minute inconveniences.
Each gorilla permit gives you access to one gorilla family and only 8 visitors are allowed to view each gorilla family per day, this limits the number of gorilla permits to 100 per day.
Rwanda has the highest gorilla tracking fees which has caused many tourists to make Uganda and DRC their preferred destination for gorilla trekking although the Rwanda authorities explained that the fees, previously at $750 were increased to boost community developments of the people around the park.
Gorilla Permit Cancellation Penalties and Policy in Uganda
After securing your gorilla family, it is only right that you utilize it, however where circumstances do not permit you to travel. The Uganda Wildlife Authority will not refund you any money and the booking would be canceled from 0 to 8 days, to the day of tracking. If the cancellation is between four to forty -five days before the activity, a 25% refund will be given.
Should cancellation happen 46 to 90 days before gorilla trekking, a 50% will be made. If cancellation takes place 91 days beforehand, you receive a refund of 75%. The refunds only apply to those who paid the whole amount for the gorilla permit.
If you had only made a deposit, you are not liable to any refund. In extremely rare cases where the traveler fails to identify any gorillas, a complaint should be lodged with the UWA reservation office and a 75% refund will be implemented.