How and where to buy gorilla permits for Bwindi
Planning to trek mountain gorillas and now thinking of how and where to buy gorilla permits for Bwindi gorilla park? Gorilla permits for Bwindi gorilla park are bought directly from the Uganda Wildlife Authority or through a licensed tour operator. It’s very good to buy a gorilla permit for Bwindi gorilla park to avoid last-minute booking disappointments especially in the high season.
Bwindi gorilla park is the most visited destination in Uganda located in the southwestern part of the country. The park harbors the highest population of mountain gorillas in the whole world and the number keeps on increasing each year. There are 4 sectors in Bwindi gorilla park where different mountain gorilla families have been habituated for tourism and these are Nkuringo, Ruhija, Buhoma, and Rushaga sectors.
Gorilla permits for Bwindi gorilla park- These are documents issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority to enable a person to trek or habituate mountain gorillas. The gorilla permits are sold to children that are above 15 years of age and there is no maximum age for trekkers for there are sedan chairs in the park for the elderly and those that cannot move.
Travelers that have valid gorilla permits are the only ones that can trek mountain gorillas. The wardens first check each person’s permit at the briefing center to see if they are valid from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. After checking, the trekkers are taught about the rules and regulations of the trekking and thereafter armed ranger guides lead the trekkers into the jungle.
Where to buy gorilla permits for Bwindi?
The gorilla permits for Bwindi gorilla park are bought at the Uganda wildlife authority a government body that manages and controls all the national parks in Uganda. Travelers intending to trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi gorilla park can buy gorilla trekking permits from Uganda wildlife authority offices in Kamwokya or use a trusted local tour operator to buy them since they are always on the ground.
The tour operators do buy for you the gorilla trekking permits at the same fee Uganda Wildlife Authority would sell you the permit. Although the gorilla trekking permits are sold at the Uganda Wildlife Authority, you should buy them using a trusted local tour operator for they respond and book the permits for you faster. Africa Adventure Vacations is one of the local tour operators you need to trust and book gorilla permits with.
How to buy gorilla permits for Bwindi gorilla park?
Travelers are lucky now that they can buy gorilla permits for Bwindi national park online. After making up your mind to trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi gorilla park, you will go on your phone or computer and search for a trusted local tour operator or the Uganda Wildlife Authority website. You will send any of the two an email containing the dates of the month and year you want to travel.
The information will be used to check for the availability of the gorilla trekking permits and if they are available, you will be sent an email containing banking details. You will use any of the banks that are convenient for you and once the money has been received, they will book the gorilla permits for you and thereafter send you a scanned copy for confirmation.
When to buy gorilla permits?
Travelers can buy gorilla trekking permits for Bwindi gorilla park at any time before coming for the safari. The gorilla trekking permits can be bought directly from the Uganda Wildlife Authority or using a licensed local tour operator. During the rainy season, travelers can buy gorilla permits even 1 week before the trekking day but in the dry season which is called the high season, travelers must buy the gorilla permits in advance of 3-4 months to avoid last minute booking disappointments.
How many gorilla permits are in Bwindi gorilla park?
Bwindi gorilla park has the highest number of gorilla permits in the whole world for it harbors the highest population of mountain gorillas and has the highest number of habituated mountain gorillas. The national park has 21 mountain gorilla families of which 2 are for habituation purposes. 19 of the gorilla families can be trekked by a maximum of 8 people and 2 gorilla families are trekked by 4 people since they are going through habituation. Bwindi gorilla park has 152 trekking permits and 8 habituation permits all sold at the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
How much are gorilla permits for Bwindi gorilla park?
Gorilla habituation permits for Bwindi cost $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 foreign residents and UGX750,000 East African citizens. The habituation permits allow trekkers to be around mountain gorillas for 4 hours making them get used to the human presence around them. The gorilla permits cost $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 for East African citizens. Trekking permits allow trekkers to be around mountain gorillas for only 1 hour.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi gorilla park
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi gorilla park is done in the four sectors of the park which are Nkuringo and Rushaga in the south, Ruhija in the east, and Buhoma in the north. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi gorilla park starts early in the morning at the different sector offices with a briefing from the park wardens that teach about the rules and regulations. The trekkers are grouped not exceeding 8 people and armed ranger guides lead the trekkers into the jungle to look for mountain gorillas.
Trekking in Bwindi gorilla par can take 2-7 hours of going through different trails. The trekkers get opportunities to meet different animals such as bushpigs, golden cats, duikers, giant forest hogs, jackals, elephants, buffaloes, and birds among others. The time taken to locate mountain gorillas in Bwindi gorilla park depends on the speed of trekkers, and the location of mountain gorillas.
The moment you locate mountain gorillas, you are given 1 hour to be around them and watch them do daily activities like hunting, nesting, climbing, breastfeeding, eating, coupling, and much more. You will also be able to learn about their behaviors and you will take photos. Tourists doing habituation in Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors spend 4 hours with mountain gorillas.