How much is a gorilla trekking permit?

How much is the gorilla trekking permit? A gorilla trekking permit is a tiny card that every tourist who wishes to participate in gorilla trekking in Uganda must present as a gate pass. A gorilla trekking permit is valid for 24 hours and visitors with gorilla permits are supposed to spend only one hour with the gorillas in their natural habitat.

Visitors for mountain gorilla trekking are grouped into 8 people per group for each gorilla family to have trekked. This means that 8 gorilla trekking permits are issued to each group visiting a gorilla family. As part of regulating the number of visitors, only 8 visitors are assigned to a single gorilla family per day for only 1 hour.

The question of how much is a gorilla permit is a frequently asked question by numerous tourists scheduling for gorilla trekking in Uganda parks. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is carried out in two national parks of Bwindi and Mgahinga both located in western Uganda.

The price for the gorilla  permit in Uganda is fixed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and other conservation agencies. For the year  2020 to 2022, the gorilla trekking permit has been fixed at 700 united states dollars per visitor especially those that are foreign nonresidents, 600 United States dollars for foreign residents per person, and Uganda shillings 250,000 per person to Uganda citizens and all those from East African Community states.

According to the Uganda wildlife Authority, this gorilla permit fee is in place from 1^st July 2020 up to 2022. This has been done to enable travelers who intent to trek gorillas in Uganda the pearl of Africa to do so at ease. In other gorilla trekking destinations like in Rwanda, the cost of gorilla trekking permits cost 1500 United States dollars per person which is expensive as compared to Uganda’s destination. This makes Uganda gorilla trekking safaris cheaper and ideal for all categories of travelers.

However, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the cost of a gorilla trekking permit depends on the season of the year in terms of travelers. During the peak season, the cost of a gorilla trekking permit in Congo is at 400 United States dollars and it can go as low as 200 United States dollars during the low season. This makes D.R.Congo be the cheapest gorilla trekking destination in Africa, then Uganda at 700 United States dollars and Rwanda the most expensive at 1500 United States dollars.

After completing payment for the mountain gorilla permit, there are some services that you will have paid for as well on the same gorilla permit cost. For example, the cost of a gorilla trekking permit in Uganda will cover park entrance fees, the guide ranger fee, safety, and security as well as the conservation fund. Once the gorilla trekking permit is paid, I am sure that you will not be asked again to pay for park entrance fees. What you will need just will be to present a gorilla trekking permit at the park entrance at Bwindi and Mgahinga to access the endangered gorillas.

On the other hand, the cost of a gorilla trekking permit in Uganda does not include transportation, accommodation fees, and porter’s charge. As a trekker, you can hire the services of a porter if you need it at an additional cost. It is advisable to have porters as they are influential in assisting you to carry the bags, and aid in the jungle especially when trials become so mud and slippery .you can carry snacks and refreshing water since trekking could take some long hours.

Conclusion: You need to book your gorilla permit in advance to avoid rush hour inconveniences especially during the peak season.  During the peak season, gorilla trekking in Uganda is on high demand and all tickets might be sold off once bot booked in advance you might miss this experience. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is carried in two prime parks of Bwindi impenetrable park and Mgahinga National Park. These parks harbor 50% of the world’s remaining population of mountain Gorillas.