Cost of gorilla trekking permits for Mgahinga national park

Cost of gorilla trekking permits for Mgahinga national park: Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga national park is once again on a rise after a drop during the covid 19 pandemic. What is the cost of the gorilla trekking permit for Mgahinga national park? We are going to tell you how much the gorilla permit costs at Uganda Wildlife Authority. Mountain gorilla trekking permits in Mgahinga national park are legal documents from Uganda Wildlife Authority allowing a traveler to encounter gorillas in their natural habitats.

No single traveler is allowed to enter into the jungle of Mgahinga national park and search for endangered mountain gorillas without a gorilla trekking permit. Travelers should have gorilla trekking permits issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority at Ntebeko on the morning of the briefing.

Cost of gorilla trekking permits for Mgahinga national park

How much does Mgahinga gorilla trekking permit cost?

Mgahinga national park has very affordable gorilla trekking permits compared to volcanoes national park Rwanda. A gorilla trekking permit in Mgahinga national park currently the cost of gorilla trekking permits is $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 East African citizens.

The gorilla trekking permit of Mgahinga national park comes with 1 hour around gorillas in their natural habitats. Travelers that want to spend more hours with mountain gorillas in their natural habitats will have to visit Bwindi impenetrable forest national park where mountain gorilla habituation activities do take place.

Why does Mgahinga gorilla trekking cost that much?

Gorilla trekking permits for Mgahinga national park are very affordable but they are expensive. The reason as to why gorilla trekking permits in Mgahinga national park are sold at that price is that conservation is not a cheap exercise. The amount of money paid for a gorilla permit is high because some of it goes to the ranges of the park, research, veterinary, and patrols that keep moving around the park.

The other money for gorilla permits goes to the local communities around the park like Bakiga, and Batwa people. They are given park of the money collected from gorilla tourism to show them that the mountain gorillas and other wildlife species are of great importance to the people and to the government. This in return helps to prevent the locals from carrying out poaching activities within the park.

When must you book gorilla trekking permits?

Tourists that are intending to visit Mgahinga for gorilla trekking need to book their gorilla trekking permits in advance to be assured of gorilla trekking and avoid last minute booking disappointments. There are only 8 gorilla trekking permits in Mgahinga and booking must be done 3-4 months or more in advance when they are still available.

Uganda wildlife authority does sell gorilla trekking permits for Mgahinga national park on a first come first serve basis so the earlier the booking the better. Tourists that are visiting Mgahinga during the rainy season can get even get last-minute booking gorilla permits because it’s a low season but you don’t have to be assured.

How do you book gorilla trekking permits for Mgahinga national park?

Travelers can book permits for Mgahinga national park using a local tour operator or directly from the Uganda Wildlife Authority which is the only government body responsible for issuing gorilla permits. The price of the gorilla permits remains the same when booking with any of the two but the only difference is that when you book with UWA you pick permits at their offices but local tour operators pick them on your behalf.

Booking with Uganda wildlife authority

This method is normally used by travelers that are organizing a gorilla trip to Mgahinga by themselves. To book with UWA, you need the dates of the month and year you want to travel and then send them to the reservations office. Once they have gotten your email, they will check for the availability of the permits and if found still available you will be sent an email containing the different banking details and prices.

You will choose the price to pay based on your nationality and after sending the money you will send them a scanned copy of the receipt of payment. Your gorilla trekking permit shall be booked and on arrival into the country you will pick it up at the Uganda Wildlife Authority offices in Kamuwokya. If you are a traveler intending to use a local tour operator for your booking then this option is not for you because local tour operators can do this work.

Booking with a local tour operator.

This is the best method of booking gorilla trekking permits for Mgahinga. There are so many local tour operators in the tourism business but you need to look at those that are licensed by Uganda Tourism Board. Africa Adventure Vacation is a local tour operator you need to use when booking your gorilla trekking permits for Mgahinga

To book your gorilla trekking permit, you need the dates of the month and year you want to travel and then send them to us via email. We shall use this information to check for the availability of the gorilla permits with the reservations office at UWA. When the permits are available, we shall ask you to make a deposit, and then we shall use that money to book and secure you a gorilla permit.