Gorilla permits available on a daily basis
Gorilla permits available on a daily basis: The number of gorilla permits in Bwindi gorilla park depends on the number of gorilla families in the park at that time. As of today, there are 19 fully habituated mountain gorilla families in the park and 2 are semi habituated in Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors of the park. 19 gorilla families have trekking permits while 2 gorilla families have gorilla habituation permits. Trekking permits allow travelers to be around mountain gorillas for 1 hour while habituation permits allow travelers to be around mountain gorillas for 4 hours.
What is a gorilla permit?
A gorilla permit is a document that allows any traveler to be part of the gorilla trekking or habituation activity from any where to bwindi national park. A gorilla is only issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority which is a government body in charge of all national parks in the country. A gorilla permit can be only bought at the Uganda Wildlife Authority although it can be got from a trusted local tour operator. The permit includes ranger guide fees, park entrance fees, community development fees, 1 hour around mountain gorillas in case it’s a normal gorilla trekking permit, and 4 hours in case it’s a gorilla habituation permit.
Number of gorilla permits available on a daily basis
Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has a total number of 19 fully habituated mountain gorilla families and 2 semi-habituated mountain gorilla families. Each of the fully habituated mountain gorilla families is trekked by 8 people which means 8 permits. The semi habituated gorilla families in Bwindi are 2 and each is trekked by only 4 people and this implies 4 permits per family.
With the above information, Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has 152 mountain gorilla trekking permits on a daily basis and 8 habituation permits and this makes a total of 160 permits. With 160 being the total number of permits in Bwindi gorilla park, it makes it the national park with the highest number of permits in the whole world.
How much is each available Gorilla permit in Bwindi?
A single normal gorilla trekking permit in Bwindi gorilla park costs $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 East African citizens. A gorilla habituation permit costs $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 for foreign residents, and UGX750,000 for East African citizens. A normaltrekking permit allows a traveler to be around mountain gorillas for 1 hour while a gorilla habituation permit allows a traveler to be around mountain gorillas for 4 hours.
Track Gorillas in Bwindi Forest
How to buy gorilla permits for Bwindi
Gorilla permits for Bwindi can be bought directly from the Uganda Wildlife Authority a body in charge of tourism in the country or a trusted local tour operator. The permits are sold to people above the age of 15 years old for so many reasons. To buy the permits you will have to first send them the dates of the month and year you want to trek and they check if the permits are available. Once they are available, you will be sent different banking details and you will choose which is easy for you. After sending the money, you can send a scanned copy for confirmation and your permit shall be booked.
When to buy Bwindi gorilla permits
Travelers in Bwindi are advised to book their permits in advance of 3-4 months most especially during the dry season which occurs from June to September and December to February. This is because during these months, a lot of travelers are willing to come into the country and trek mountain gorillas and since the permits are sold on a first come first serve basis, you might be left out.
Can Uganda sell all the gorilla permits available in a single day?
Uganda can sell all the gorilla habituation permits in a single day but it might be hard for it to sell all normal gorilla trekking permits. This is because of competition from the national parks and countries. Gorilla habituation is only done in Bwindi gorilla park but the trekking activity is done in other national parks such as Mgahinga national park, Volcanoes national park, and Virunga national park.
Is it possible to cancel gorilla permits after buying?
It’s possible to cancel the gorilla permits in Bwindi permits however, you won’t get paid all the total fees back. Travelers that had paid a deposit on the permits won’t receive any refund on cancellation. Travelers that had paid full price for the gorilla permits will get no refund if they cancel 0-8 days before the trek. 25% is refunded if you cancel 9-45 days before the trek, 50% is refunded if you cancel 46-90 days before the trek and 75% is refunded if you cancel the permit 91 days and above before the trek. Travelers that are not allowed to trek on the final day due to illness will be refunded back 50% of the money.
