Is it a must to have a permit to track gorillas?

Is it a must to have a permit to track gorillas? A gorilla permit is a legal simple card issued by gorilla destination countries through their respective authorities responsible for wildlife protection and conservation to any tourists above 15 years who intend to go for through the forests in search of habituated mountain gorilla family trekking.

Gorilla trekking in African gorilla destination countries of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo has become distinctly the top ever most safari activity that ferries people from different countries to come and explore the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural wildness.

Mountain gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi and Mgahinga national parks, Rwanda’s volcanoes national park and Congo’s  Virunga national park have for years been described as endangered by IUCN and this has caused a lot of people to travel from different countries to come to East Africa to encounter these endangered primates.

Because of the high demand of travelers for gorilla trekking in these gorillas parks, have made the gorilla trekking permits to be scarce and has made travelers to always book for permits in advance in order not to miss out on this thrilling experience in the African jungle.

On if is a must to have a permit to track gorillas, like the way you need a visa to travel to another country, it is a must that you will need to have and secure a gorilla permit in order to be allowed entry into either of the gorilla parks mentioned earlier in this article.

For conservation and the status of mountain gorillas of being endangered, the number of gorilla permits given out daily is restricted. The gorilla permit helps you to access the park and ensure that the tourism activity conducted doesn’t impact negatively on the environment from where the endangered gorillas depend. Each day only a group of 8 people is allowed to visits the habituated gorilla family and each group are allocated only on hour in the presence of gorillas.

The cost of a gorilla trekking permit depends on the country of visit. In Uganda for example, Uganda tourists purchase a gorilla permit to Bwindi and Mgahinga National parks at 700 United States dollars. Previously, it has been 600 United states but effective from July 20101 the price of gorilla trekking permit increased to 700 to ensure that you get a well-deserved gorilla trekking. In Rwanda, the costs of a gorilla permit are at 1500 united states dollars and D.R. Congo the costs go to as low as 400 united states dollars.

Specifically in Uganda, Gorilla permits can be got from Uganda Wildlife Authority on a single price basis and in case any person tells you to get them at a cheaper price then you can treat that as distrust. While in Rwanda, you can get your gorilla trekking permit from Rwanda Development Board. But always it becomes easy to obtain a gorilla permit either of the three gorilla country destinations by engaging a local tour operator. Most of the local tour operators include gorilla permits on their packages and gorilla trekking adventures.

In conclusion, therefore, it is a must that any traveler on a gorilla trekking expedition in the African Jungle must possess a gorilla trekking permit in order to or to engage in gorilla trekking activity in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.