Booking Uganda gorilla permits in advance
Booking Uganda gorilla permits in advance: A gorilla permit is a card or document that is issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to allow travelers to be part of the mountain gorilla trekking activity. The gorilla permits are given to travelers that are 15 years and above and the age is checked by submitting your passport details. Travelers that are interested in encountering mountain gorillas in Uganda must buy gorilla trekking permits. The gorilla permits are tickets that will allow them to be of the gorilla trekking exercise where you will be led by armed ranger guides to encounter gorillas for one hour or four hours.
There are 168 mountain gorilla trekking permits in both Bwindi and Mgahinga national park per day and these are few compared to the number of people that want to trek gorillas. Travelers are therefore asked to book their gorilla permits in advance in order not to miss out the once in a life time activity. Travelers should at least book these gorilla permits 3-4 months earlier in advance or even a year before the gorilla trekking activity to avoid last-minute booking disappointments and may be missing their favorite trekking sectors and accommodation facilities.
Gorillas in Uganda are found in two national parks which are Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga national park. The two national parks have 22 mountain gorilla families in total which are open for trekking activities at all times of the year. 21 mountain gorilla families are in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and do live in the four regions of the park namely Nkuringo, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Buhoma. One mountain gorilla family called Nyakagezi is the one settling in Mgahinga national park which covers a total area of 331 sq. km.
Mountain gorillas are endangered species of primates that require a lot of care for them, to survive in the jungle. A lot of conservation is being done in the part to make sure that the mountain gorilla population increases each and every year. Gorilla permits are sold at a fee to travelers and the money collected is used to take care of the gorillas, and pay workers which include veterinary doctors, ranger guides, and trackers.
buying gorilla permits in Uganda in advance to avoid inconveniences
Why you need to book Uganda gorilla permits in advance
Travelers should book gorilla trekking permits in advance to avoid last-minute booking disappointments especially if the safari is to happen in the dry season of June to September and December to February. During the dry months, a lot of travelers are planning to visit Uganda to enjoy the good weather after escaping the winter seasons in their home countries. During the dry season, the demand for gorilla permits is very high because every traveler is interested in trekking due to favorable weather conditions. Travelers should therefore book gorilla permits in advance in order not to miss to activity.
There is shortage of gorilla permits in Uganda and therefore you need to book them in advance. The gorilla permits for Uganda tend to sell out quickly more than those of Rwanda and DR Congo. This is because the permits for Rwanda are expensive and those of DR Congo are cheap but the park has insecurity. Uganda is a safe country and its gorilla permits are at a fair price which makes travelers love visiting its gorilla parks.
Booking Uganda gorilla permits in advance enables travelers to do enough preparation for their safari. Things that are part of preparation for a successful gorilla trekking safari include practicing exercise back home so that they be fit on the day of trekking and also shopping for all the required items for a successful safari. Some of the things to buy include waterproof hiking shoes, long-sleeved clothes, gardening gloves, drinking water bottle, and insect repellents among others.
Booking gorilla permits in advance help travelers to book accommodation facilities of their choice especially those that are visiting the Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. Bwindi gorilla permits are sold according to regions so after securing yourself a permit, you will be able to know which region you want to trek and then get to look for the accommodation of your choice.
How to book Uganda gorilla permits
Travelers can book Uganda gorilla trekking permits by themselves direct from Uganda Wildlife Authority or a trusted local tour operator. Booking Uganda gorilla permits should be done in advance of 3-4 months or even a year in order to get a spot on the dates you want to travel. To book gorilla permits you can contact Uganda Wildlife Authority or a trusted operator via email with the dates of the month and year you want to trek these apes.
The information shall be used to check for the availability of the gorilla permits and once they are available, you will be sent an email containing banking details and then the prices of the gorilla permit. You will choose the easiest banking method to send the money and thereafter send a scanned copy of the receipt to the tour operator or Uganda Wildlife Authority. When it has been confirmed that you paid money, your permits shall be booked and those that used Uganda Wildlife Authority will have to come to the office and collect the permits.
Book gorilla permits in advance by paying installments
Travelers who booking Uganda gorilla permits in advance have the advantage that they can pay the permits in installments. Travelers are now allowed to pay gorilla permits in installments as long as they complete the paying 3 months before the final trekking day. A traveler can decide to pay 30%, 50%, or even 70% for the first installment and the rest can be cleared at a later stage. Paying Uganda gorilla permits in installments favors budget travelers who don’t have a whole sum of money at once because they can always pay when they get it.
Encounter the giants of the great Ape family
How much are Uganda gorilla permits
Gorilla trekking permits which allow a person to trek a fully habituated mountain gorilla family and be around it for 1 hour are sold at $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 citizens of East Africa. The gorilla trekking permit fees include park entrance fee, ranger guide fee, trackers fee, and community development fee. Gorilla habituation permits cost $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 for foreign residents, and UGX750,000 for citizens of East Africa. The gorilla habituation permits allow travelers to be around mountain gorillas for 4 hours and they come with paid park entrance fees, ranger guide fees, and community development fees.
Best time to trek Uganda gorillas
Uganda gorillas can be trekked at any time of the year however there are months that are better than the rest. The dry months of June to September and December to February are the best to trek Uganda gorillas because during such months, there is little or no rainfall that keeps the trekking trails dry, vegetation is short with clear views of the mountain gorillas and the roads connecting to the parks are in good conditions.
Travelers can still trek Uganda gorillas in the rainy season of March to May and October to November to enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities because the lodge owners cut the price to attract the few tourists that are always in the park. Travelers should know that in the rainy season there is always plenty of rainfall that makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, the vegetation is always tall and thick with unclear views of the mountain gorillas and the roads leading to the park are in poor conditions
