Is It Possible To Block Uganda Gorilla Permits To Avoid Losing Them

Is it possible to block Uganda gorilla permits to avoid losing them? You can only block gorilla permits with payment. For every gorilla permit, you must purchase it fully or by at least making a partial payment of 30% and 70% of the total cost, according to the Uganda Wildlife Authority. As a sales rule of these bodies, gorilla permits can only be booked with payment. A first come, first served basis is used when purchasing gorilla permits. This is to give serious tourists access to the Gorilla permits.

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Uganda Gorilla permits are limited in supply, with a maximum of 8 gorilla trekking permits opened to the public booking daily per Gorilla family. Uganda has 152 gorilla trekking permits from currently 19 gorilla trekking families. Note that this number of Uganda gorilla families may change anytime as gorilla habituation is still going. Uganda also has 8 gorilla habituation experience permits open to public booking.

In Uganda, gorilla trekking is done in two national parks that is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Gorilla habituation experience at the moment is happening in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park only, and so far, two gorilla families are open for gorilla habituation experience.

Gorilla permits for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are booked according to area, and this park is subdivided into four areas because of its vast size and nature of terrain. The four gorilla trekking areas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park include Buhoma area in the north, Ruhija area in the East, Nkuringo and Rushaga area in the south.

Before securing any amenities that will support your gorilla safari in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, like accommodation and extra activities after the gorilla adventure, you must note the area where the gorilla permit is booked.

How Can I Book Uganda Gorilla Permits?

Procedure

Select a date and the number of people you hope to go gorilla trekking or habituation experience with. You need to check for gorilla permit availability. Note that Uganda offers gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation experience.

 What is the gorilla trekking?

Gorilla trekking is an adventure where tourists follow a fully habituated gorilla family and spend an hour with them. These mountain gorillas are habituated to being in human presence for just one hour to allow them to carry on with their daily activities as human presence disrupts them.

What Is Gorilla Habituation Experience?

Gorilla habituation experience is an adventure where tourists escort a team of researchers in the wilderness to have four hours with the semi-habituated mountain gorilla family. A maximum of 4 tourists are allowed to accompany the team of researchers each day. At the moment two gorilla families in the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park area open for gorilla habituation experience 

• Check for gorilla permit availability through an accredited tour operator like Encounter Africa Safaris. We can assist you to secure a gorilla permit when you enquire from us. We have access to the gorilla permit availability list of Uganda Wildlife Authority. We lift off your shoulders the burden of planning the gorilla safari and offer the best rates within your budget. We aim to give value for money and help you create everlasting memories of your African safari.

 Alternatively, you can contact the Uganda Wildlife Authority directly for gorilla permit availability, but you must do all the follow-ups on the permit yourself.

• Upon finding gorilla permit availability, you need to purchase it as soon as possible because they sell out fast. During the peak season, demand for gorilla permits is high even though supply is limited to a maximum of 8 per gorilla family. The peak tourism season of Uganda is June, July, August, September, December and January.

You can either fully pay for your gorilla permit or pay in installments of 30% and 70% respectively. To Qualify for a Gorilla permit installment purchase, you must have secured your gorilla permits at least 90 days before the gorilla trekking date and remember to top up 90 days before the Gorilla trekking day. Failure to do this may be penalized.

• Forward some personal details for identification like your full name as indicated on the passport, date of birth, Nationality, and passport expiry date. These are added to your gorilla permit card and retrieved on the day of gorilla safari for records.

How Much Is A Uganda Gorilla Permit?

At the moment the cost of Uganda gorilla trekking permit is $800 for foreign nonresidents, $700 for foreign residents and 300000shs for East African residents.

The gorilla habituation experience permit price is currently $1500 for foreign nonresidents, $1000 for foreign residents and 750000shs for East African residents. 

The gorilla permit cost covers the following:

Park entrance fees, security, mountain gorilla conservation, local community support, ranger guide fee, government tax, certificate after gorilla trekking, four hours of gorilla habituation experience or one hour of gorilla trekking, researcher fee during gorilla habituation experience, 

Exclusions of gorilla permit cost:

Porter hire, transport, tips, accommodation and any other items of personal nature

When Is The Best Time To Book a Uganda Gorilla Permit?

Gorilla permits are open to public booking anytime depending on availability status per the Uganda Wildlife Authority list. It's best to secure your gorilla permit at least 6 months to a year upfront, especially if you hope to do the gorilla safari in the peak season. It is challenging to find gorilla permit availability towards the high season as majority sell out in advance.

The low-season gorilla safari permits may be available even at the last minute but not a guarantee. You also need to secure the low-season gorilla permit in advance, as having a confirmed gorilla permit is the only assurance that you are to take part in either gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience in Uganda. The low season Uganda tourism season is normally March, April, May and November.

Can I go gorilla trekking in another area with a permit of another area of Bwindi?

No, gorilla permits for each area of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is booked according to the gorilla families in it. Since there is a cap to the number of permits allowed per gorilla family, additional person violets the rules of mountain gorilla conservation.

Conserving the mountain gorillas supersedes all activities done in the park, including gorilla safaris. To avoid overwhelming the mountain gorillas with human presence, you need to take note of where your gorilla permit is booked; otherwise, you may not do this once-in-lifetime adventure.

Is the cost of Gorilla permit worth the money?

The cost of a gorilla permit is worth the activity as you get to meet the only living mountain gorillas in the world in their natural setting, not choreographed to be before humans. A porting of the funds collected from the sale of gorilla permits is used to support mountain gorilla conservation. Sustainable mountain gorilla existence in their natural setting is the main aim of local and international gorilla conservation bodies.

Annually a portion of the proceeds accrued from the sale of gorilla permits are shared with the community to compensate for the damages these primates make on there gardens and other things. This also helps the community to appreciate the importance of protecting the mountain gorillas and their habitats. 

Hiring a porter during the gorilla safari adventure is one of the direct ways of supporting the local community. They use this money to purchase home supplies, get better health care, and more.

How Much Is the Gorilla Safari in Uganda?

Whether you do gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience, the cost of the gorilla permit is number one cost. For gorilla trekking in Uganda, the cost of gorilla permit is $800 and gorilla habituation experience permit cost is $1500 per person. 

We grade our gorilla safari packages according to luxury, mid-range and budget facilities.

Additional expenses that make up the cost of a gorilla safari package are determined by the number of people on the gorilla safari, the number of days on the safari, additional activities to combine with the gorilla safari, the time of booking the gorilla safari, and others.

Is Gorilla Safari in Uganda Safe?

Gorilla safaris in Uganda are safe as each day a team of trackers wakes up early to establish where the mountain gorillas may have spent the night and where they may be heading for the day. They monitor the environment in the forest and set free snares in case there any. These clues are what rangers use when leading tourists on gorilla trekking or habituation experience.

Mountain gorillas are first habituated for some time before allowing visitors. Even those under the gorilla habituation experience are first habituated, though only partially. They may present some odd traits but cannot get physical with you.

Each gorilla safari is led by a professional and experienced ranger, one holding a machete and another a rifle in case there is an emergency. The ranger guides carry a radio call to keep constant communication in case backup is required.

As a tourist, security must start with you by only walking into the forest with an escorting ranger guide. Stay closer to the group you are trekking mountain gorillas with so you are aware of the jungle, although the ranger follows the pace of the slowest trekker.

How Long is Gorilla Safaris in Uganda?

The duration of the gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience depends on the location of the mountain gorillas. When they feed far from the starting point of the gorilla trek, the search is prolonged if the gorilla family is nomadic, the weather conditions of the day and others. Even the pace of tourists contributes to the time of finding the mountain gorillas.

Although some tourists have located the mountain gorillas within two hours from the starting point of the trek others have spent over three-quarters of the day, and finding them is an exceptional experience. You need to be patient and instead focus on other interesting features in the forest.

Having some fitness level gives you the right momentum to use while walking in the wilderness to find the mountain gorillas.

What are the guidelines of Gorilla safaris in Uganda?

• No feeding the mountain gorillas, so when eating, do it at least 300 meters away from them. Mountain gorillas are wild animals that must not depend on human provision but the forest for survival.
• Spitting on vegetation is forbidden as you may pass germs to the mountain gorillas. Mountain gorillas are highly susceptible to human communicable infections like COVID-19, cough, flu and several others. 
• Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas to avoid passing germs to them. 
• Littering the forest is forbidden as it alters the nature of the forest where mountain gorillas thrive.
•  Only 1 hour of gorilla trekking and four hours of gorilla habituation experience are allowed with the mountain gorillas when you locate them.
• The age limit for gorilla habituation is 15 years and above, as the wilderness may be rough to a child below this age. Sometimes mountain gorillas feed from deep in the forest, which may not be easy to withstand.
• Stand in a tight group when you locate the mountain gorillas. They are highly sensitive to visitors around them as they may look suspicious. In case they come closer, stealthily retreat.
• Talk at a low tone or keep quiet during gorilla trekking and habituation experience so that you do not cause a stampede in the forest
• Use a flash-less camera to take photos, and it should be soundproof.
• Wear a clean mask during gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience and when you locate the mountain gorillas.
• Do not surround the mountain gorillas when you locate them, as you may cause them to get agitated. 
• In case you catch a communicable infection, volunteering to stay behind
• Provoking or mimicking the mountain gorillas is forbidden as you may not know what you may be communicating. Mountain gorillas are very sensitive to visitors in their presence.

To book your gorilla permit today, please contact us for more information and we will assist you right away.