Gorilla permit overbooking in Uganda and Rwanda

Gorilla permit overbooking in Uganda and Rwanda. A Gorilla permit is a document or card issued and printed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA)in Uganda and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in Rwanda, allowing tourists to have access to the Mountain gorillas in the National parks by tracking and being able to spend time with them. The gorilla permit has details of the trekker, including name of origin and passport number, and that is why the permit can only be used by one person and not exchanged.

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Many times, the governing bodies (UWA and RDB) experience overbooking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga National Park and Volcanoes National Park. According to the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking, permit overbooking is not allowed and accepted because this can result in more people gorilla trekking other than the maximum eight people that are to trek a gorilla family per day. When overbooking takes place, it can lead to overcrowding of the national parks and the already endangered Mountain gorillas which might harm them.

Why there is a gorilla permit overbooking

The reasons for overbooking the gorilla permits are unpredictable and when you read the booking guidelines, it shows the number of permits that are sold per day meaning that there shouldn’t be any permit overbooking given the fact that the permits are issued and printed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority in Uganda and Rwanda Development Board in Rwanda. There are, however, instances where authorities at the park wished and wanted to have more than 8 people on a single gorilla trek. There are many things that can lead to overbooking of the gorilla permits and these include:

The unexpected movement of gorillas in the national park sometimes leads to permit overbooking. Sometimes, when gorilla families move deeper into the forest where there are no rangers, trackers, or no guides can access the allocated gorilla family, tourists are allocated another gorilla family that is accessible and available, and when this happens, it is referred to as a permit overbook.

Another reason as to why there is permit overbooking is because of the mistakes made by tourists and guides on the trek day. For example, mistakes can be made when a guide drives you to the Rushaga sector when, in actual sense, you are to be trekking gorillas in the Nkuringo sector and upon realizing it is too late to drive back to Nkuringo for gorilla trekking. UWA will then accommodate you in the Rushaga sector causing overbooking in the Rushaga sector.

There are also instances where tourists, especially those that are doing a DIY (Do it yourself), forget that Bwindi has four sectors and might end up going to the wrong sector, for example, trekking in the Rushaga sector and booking accommodation in a different sector.

A change in the reservation system at the Rwanda Development Board and Uganda Wildlife Authority can lead to overbooking. This can happen when the gorilla permits in the older system are not captured when transferring the data and the new system ends up showing that the permits are available on already booked dates. Note that this is not intentional on the part of the governing bodies.

Overbooking is a complex issue and while it usually does not happen, the Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rwanda Development Board have come up with measures and policies to ensure that they accommodate anyone who has experienced overbooking so that every tourist gets to have the best gorilla trekking experience.

If you are considering a gorilla trekking safari trip to Uganda and Rwanda, Encounter Africa Safaris can help you plan a personalized tour that meets all your budget, interests and schedule. Encounter offers a range of options from a 3-day gorilla trekking trip to a 5-day gorilla and chimp tracking safari. Get in touch with us today at Encounter Africa to start planning your dream trip to Uganda and Rwanda.

Requirements needed  for a gorilla permit in Uganda and Rwanda

First, you will need a Passport that has every detail from a photo, passport number, name and country of origin. This is one of the first requirements that will be required to pre-book the gorilla permits from UWA and RDB. The passport is used to identify the person applying for the gorilla permit and to verify the right age of the tourists because the age limit in Uganda is 12 years and 15 years in Rwanda. If it is discovered that the person applying for the permit is below the required age, the permit will not be issued.

Genuine tour operators will ask for your passport details, and you will also be asked to provide the dates you wish to trek; we advise that you provide at least  2 or 3 different dates in case the one you wanted is already booked. The tour operator will then check for the availability of the permits on the dates provided, and once it is proven that the gorilla permits are available, you will be informed, and an invoice will be sent with the bank details where you will be requested to make payments for the permits. No permits will be purchased if the payments are not fully made. When the payments are made and confirmed by the tour operator, the permit purchase will proceed and for record purposes, a copy of the purchased permit will be sent to you.

The cost of the gorilla tracking permit in Uganda and Rwanda

Gorilla permits in Uganda are more affordable as compared to Rwanda. The cost varies depending on the category of tourists that you belong to. Foreign non-residents pay $800, foreign residents pay $700, African citizens from other countries pay $500, and East African citizens pay UGX300,000 per person. Bwindi in Uganda offers the habituation experience and the cost is a bit high since you get to spend 4 hours instead of one with the Mountain gorillas. The cost of the gorilla habituation permit for foreign non-residents is $1500, foreign residents pay $1000. African citizens from other countries pay $1000 and East African citizens pay UGX750, 000 per person.

In Rwanda, gorilla permits are more expensive; foreign non-residents pay $1500, foreign residents pay $500, African citizens from other countries pay $500, and East African citizens pay $200 per person. Rwanda, however, offers gorilla permit discounts during the low season, but this only works for tourists who have booked to spend two nights at either Nyungwe Forest National Park or Akagera National Park, and the discount also applies to companies that have purchased more than 30 gorilla permits (the discount is $1050 per person).

The best time to book/purchase gorilla permits in Uganda and Rwanda

Reserving and purchasing gorilla permits in advance is the best and guarantees your gorilla trekking safari. The gorilla permits need to be booked 3 to 6 months before the trek date because the permits are always in high demand, most especially during the dry/peak season. This is also the best time to start booking for other services like transport and accommodation.

The peak season (June to September and December to February) comes with high demand for not only the gorilla permits but also accommodation facilities, and therefore, to be able to get the best accommodation facilities, you need to book the permit in advance to get the best deals.

What happens to the permit after purchase?

The gorilla permit in Uganda and Rwanda does not belong to the tourist but is the property of the individual countries where you are going to trek gorillas. After the purchase of the gorilla permit, the copy that is sent to you is to be kept at all times because it will have your details including passport number, date of trekking and name. Upon arrival to Uganda and Rwanda, you will be given your permit, and when you get to the national park after signing in, the permit will be collected by the park authorities (wardens) and these will be returned to the officials at the head office of UWA.

Are the gorilla permits refundable?

Gorilla permit refunds are carried out by the Uganda Wildlife Authority in Uganda but following the guidelines that govern permit refunds so tour operators have no say when it comes to refunds of permits in Uganda and Rwanda. And no, you cannot reschedule a gorilla permit if you have only paid the booking fee. The different guidelines that are followed when it comes to permit refunds are:

• 75% will be refunded if you cancel 91 days or more before the trekking date
• 46 to 90 days- 50% refund
• 25% will be refunded if you cancel 91 to 45 days
• Zero refunds will be made if you cancel 8 days before the trek date.

These guidelines are followed strictly, and tourists have to know them before requesting a refund on the permits. There are so many reasons as to why one can ask for a permit refund and these are falling sick, losing a loved one, failure to board because of bad weather and many more others. Note that even though the governing bodies refund a percentage of the cost of the gorilla permit, the money paid for services in booking the permit to the tour operators will not be refunded.

Rescheduling gorilla permits

Yes, you can reschedule a gorilla permit if you have paid the entire cost of the gorilla permit. There are so many reasons that one needs to look at before making a reschedule, and for it to be approved, you need to first give evidence and valid reasons why you are requesting a permit reschedule.

The first two reschedules are free but after the second one, a surcharge of 25% will be added to the original cost of the gorilla permit. Before a reschedule is approved, you have to write a formal letter to the Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rwanda Development Board giving a reason as to why you are requesting a reschedule and attach the necessary paperwork with evidence showing why you need a reschedule. In most cases, a reschedule is possible if you missed your flight due to bad weather, got sick or any other valid reason.

After writing and sending the letter, you have to keep on checking to see if there is any positive feedback. The letter will be scrutinized, and if the reasons are found to be valid, new dates will be provided, and an official email will be sent for record purposes. The Executive Director of UWA is in charge of reschedules.

Best safari destination to go for gorilla tracking in Uganda and Rwanda

Bwindi Forest Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park are where gorilla trekking is carried out in Uganda. These are the only safari destinations where gorilla trekking takes place in Uganda with Mgahinga having one habituated gorilla family and Bwindi 21 habituated gorilla permits. These are the only two destinations in Uganda where gorilla tracking takes place and without a gorilla permit, you will not be able to track them in their natural habitat.

Volcanoes National Park is the only safari destination in Rwanda where gorilla takes place. It has 12 habituated gorilla families in Volcanoes, and these are tracked all year round.

What else to do after gorilla trekking

There are so many activities that can be carried out after gorilla trekking in both Rwanda and Uganda and some of these can easily be combined with gorilla trekking. In Uganda, the activities that can be carried out after gorilla trekking include chimpanzee tracking, game drives, golden monkey tracking, bird watching, boat rides, walking safaris, mountain climbing and hiking among others.

Rwanda has a lot to offer when it comes to other activities besides gorilla tracking, and these are chimpanzee tracking, canopy walks, game drives in Akagera, bird watching, mountain climbing, hikes, cycling and boat rides, among others.

For more information about gorilla trekking and gorilla permit overbooking, get in touch with us at Encounter Africa Safaris to help you with any questions that you might have and help you plan a gorilla trekking safari.