Uganda gorilla permit cancellation penalties and policy
Uganda gorilla permit cancellation penalties and policy: A gorilla permit is a major document required by those that want to trek mountain gorillas in any Uganda gorilla park. A gorilla permit for Uganda is a ticket that allows a traveler to access Bwindi impenetrable forest national park or Mgahinga national park and encounter mountain gorillas. Bwindi and Mgahinga are the only parks where one can meet mountain gorillas in their natural habitats.
Uganda gorilla permit cancellation penalties and policy
These tow national parks are a home to 22 mountain gorilla families that are fully habituated for trekking and others semi habituated and open for habituation. 21 mountain gorilla families are in bwindi of which 2 in Rushaga and Nkuringo are open for habituation while1 gorilla family is found in Mgahinga national park
To encounter mountain gorillas, you would need a gorilla permit which comes at a fee. A gorilla permit can be booked at any time of the year as long as they are still available. There are few gorilla permits in Bwindi and since travelers love to encounter mountain gorillas they decide to book them even 6 years in advance. The fact that no one can predict what is going to happen in the future situations come up and they end up canceling their permits.
A gorilla permit comes with the date of the month and year you will trek mountain gorillas in a given region of the park. This means you are expected to show up on that day for gorilla trekking but however due to different reasons there could be a change in programs and then you fail to show up for gorilla trekking. Some of the things that make people fail to show up for gorilla trekking include the death of a family member, illness, an outbreak of a disease, and much more.
Well travelers who have already paid full amount of gorilla permits and would wish to cancel the permits due to different reasons like sickness or death can always talk to the tour operators that helped to book the gorilla permits or the Uganda Wildlife Authority for cancelation of the gorilla permit. There are gorilla cancelation policies at the Uganda Wildlife Authority for the refunds.
Regarding the gorilla cancellation policy at Uganda Wildlife Authority, the following percentage is retained and refunded in case you are planning to cancel your gorilla trekking permit.
0-8 days to the gorilla trekking day, Uganda Wildlife Authority won’t refund amount of money
9-45 days to the gorilla trekking day, Uganda Wildlife Authority returns 25% and retains 75% of the gorilla permit fee.
46-90 days to the gorilla trekking day, Uganda Wildlife Authority returns 50% and retains 50% of the gorilla permit fee.
91 days and above to the gorilla trekking day, Uganda Wildlife Authority returns 75% and retains 25% of the gorilla permit fee.
Travelers that pay gorilla permits in installments and would love to cancel the gorilla trekking safari should note that there is no amount of fees that will be returned and therefore only travelers that had paid the full amount of money qualify for the above percentages. The gorilla permit cancellation policies above are for the Uganda Wildlife Authority but not the local tour operators.
Uganda Gorilla Permits are issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority
Can a traveler reschedule gorilla trekking permits to another date?
Some travelers who had bought their gorilla permits to encounter mountain gorillas might get sick or programs on the day of trekking but that shouldn’t stop them from creating another day to trek the endangered mountain gorillas. Travelers who had paid for the gorilla permits but won’t be able to make it on the trekking can always reschedule the permits to another date. This should be done 3 months before the gorilla trekking date and you should be able to give reasons as to why.
Gorilla permit price in Uganda
Gorilla trekking permits which apply in Mgahinga and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park are sold at a fee of $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 foreign residents, and UGX250,000 East African citizens. Uganda has gorilla habituation permits for Bwindi and these do cost 1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 for foreign residents, and UGX750,000 for East African citizens.
How much gorilla trekking is expensive compared to any other activity in Uganda, travelers in big numbers demand for gorilla permits each day at Uganda Wildlife Authority. There are about 160 gorilla permits in Uganda and this number is small compared to the number of people that want to trek. A traveler is therefore advised to book their permit in advance of 3-4 months to avoid missing out on gorilla trekking in Bwindi or Mgahinga national park.
Where to buy Uganda gorilla permits
Uganda gorilla permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority which is a government body in charge of tourism. Travelers can buy gorilla permits from the Uganda Wildlife Authority or a trusted local tour operator at the same fee. For travelers to book and buy the gorilla permit, they will need dates of the month and year they want to trek mountain gorillas.
The dates shall be sent to the Uganda Wildlife Authority or a trusted local tour operator to check for the availability of the gorilla permits. Once the permits are available, a traveler will be sent different banking details which they will use to send the money. After sending the money, they will be asked to send the receipt of payment for proof together with their passport details and the permits shall be booked.
