How to buy mgahinga gorilla permits in installments.
How to buy mgahinga gorilla permits in installments.
It is very possible to buy mgahinga mountain gorilla permits in installments in order to secure your post for gorilla trekking in this tiny but beautiful mountain gorilla national park located in the Virunga ranges. You can read more about booking gorilla permits here. A gorilla permit is a must have permission for anyone intending to see mountain gorillas of Mgahinga National Park in their natural habitat. Normally, gorilla permits are secured in advance and form part of a gorilla trekking package. Mountain gorilla permits being the most crucial component of a gorilla tour yet expensive and scarce. One needs to secure them in advance upon making payment. Uganda, through its body of Uganda wildlife Authority, offers an option of paying for Mgahinga gorilla permits in installments as illustrated below.
Process by process on how to buy Mgahinga gorilla permits in installments.
To secure and confirm your space to see mountain gorillas in Mgahinga National Park, you need a gorilla permit as earlier mentioned. A gorilla permit can be paid in full or in installments at Uganda Wildlife Authority in advance. If you have limited funds but want to secure your gorilla permit in advance you are advised to pay 30% of the total price of a permit which is $700 and pay the rest three months trekking date.
How much is 30% of $700 as installment?
For those interested in buying mgahinga gorilla permits in installments, you will have to pay $210 per gorilla permit since it is the 30% of $700. You must ensure to pay the rest 70% three months to trekking date. For example, if you are planning to trek mountain gorillas next year, you will be allowed to pay 30% and the rest three months to the actual date of your gorilla trek. The 30% is confirmation that you will be trekking mountain gorillas in Mgahinga National Park on the specified dates as indicated on your gorilla permit receipt.
Where and how to buy Mgahinga gorilla permits in installments.
Whether you want to pay or buy your gorilla permits in advance, you must contact Uganda Wildlife Authority reservations in Kampala to first check availability and then confirm to you. Once there is space for your specified date/month and year, you will be allowed to reserve and later secure your gorilla permit by paying for it.
You may choose to go direct and contact Uganda Wildlife Authority, but this being a government body, you may be frustrated. It is thus recommended to use the services of a licensed tour operator in Uganda to do all the donkey work for you. When you contact our reservations department at Encounter Africa Safaris, we will take care of anything to do with checking availability, reserving as well as securing your gorilla permit after making payment at Uganda Wildlife Authority. Once the process of buying your mgahinga gorilla permit is done, we will then assist you to assemble a gorilla safari package to see mountain gorillas in Mgahinga. If you are interested in other activities such as chimpanzee trekking, mountain hiking, wildlife viewing, or cultural visits, don’t mind, our safari designers will assist you in coming up with a safari package that will suit your interest, time, and budget.
How do I pay the 30% and later 70% of permit price?
As earlier noted, all payments must be done to Uganda Wildlife Authority directly or through a registered tour operator. If you contact Encounter Africa safaris, we will send you an invoice showing what you are supposed to pay as 30% ($210 of $700) installment and the 70% balance to be cleared three months to the trekking date. Upon receiving our invoice, you will be free to pay by bank transfer or credit card much as the latter attract a 5% surcharge. We request you to send us proof of payment by email so that we go on to use our credit to secure your gorilla permits. We normally don’t wait for funds to appear on our account and prefer using our credit since it may take 2-3 working days to appear yet gorilla permits are issued on first come first serve at Uganda Wildlife Authority. After paying 30% and securing a receipt, we will send you a scanned copy as evidence and even go ahead to remind you to pay the 70% when the time is due.
What happens when I fail to pay 70% final installment in time?
It is possible for one to fail to pay the 70% in time and of course terms and conditions as set by Uganda Wildlife Authority will apply. By failing to pay 70% in time, you stand to lose your spot. If you book your permit through Encounter Africa safaris, however, you don’t have to worry about this. All you need to do is to inform us via email and we will write a formal letter to UWA asking for an extension of time and if not, we will still pay the 70% using our credit on your behalf until you are settled to pay us. In other words, Encounter Africa safaris has been allowed to secure your trip if need be.
Is it possible to reschedule my gorilla permit paid 30% deposit?
Uganda Wildlife Authority allows rescheduling of Mgahinga gorilla permits from one date to another as long as they are paid in full. If it so happens due to un avoidable circumstances and you want to change the date/month/year of your gorilla permit paid in installments, we will request you to pay the remaining 70% for us to request for a reschedule from Uganda Wildlife Authority. After topping up, UWA will give us permission to move your Mgahinga gorilla permit to another date of your choice. Due to covid 19 Pandemic, Uganda Wildlife Authority understands that anything can happen and because of this, flexibility has been allowed to enable tourists not to lose their money due to one testing positive for example. Make sure you contact Encounter Africa safaris providing reasons as to why you want to move your gorilla permit to another date and we will action accordingly.
Further note that we can do multiple reschedules on your behalf following the prevailing terms and condition of Uganda Wildlife Authority. Incase you are unable to travel for health or other reasons, Encounter Africa safaris following Uganda Wildlife Authority will process your refund or resell your gorilla permits to recover your monies. Our safari consultants and reservations team are always ready to give a hand should you need it.
Is it also possible to pay my Mgahinga gorilla tour in installments?
Paying for your Mgahinga gorilla permit is the first step in planning a gorilla trekking holiday to Mahinga National Park. Once this is done, the next important thing is to arrange other services such as accommodation in or near Mgahinga, transport to and from Mgahinga as well as Airport transfers and Covid 19 protocols. It is possible to pay your Uganda gorilla trekking safari to see mountain gorillas in installments if you contact Encounter Africa safaris. To confirm your Gorilla trekking safari with Encounter Africa Safaris, we only request you to pay either full for gorilla permits and 20% of the rest of the costs on transport and accommodation or permits only. The rest of the tour cost balance can then be paid two weeks to the start of your gorilla trekking holidays. Does this sound great? If so click on any of the below popular Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking tours and we will send you a quote or the same.
Popular Uganda or Rwanda Safaris on 20% deposit upon confirmation
3 Day Rwanda gorilla trekking safari
5 Day gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari
5 Day Uganda gorillas and white-water rafting
8 Day Uganda classic gorilla, chimps and game safari
11 Day Uganda gorilla and safari highlights
About Mgahinga National Park
Mgahinga National Park is the smallest of all Gorilla National Park in Africa and is located in the Virunga ranges shared by three African countries of Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic republic of Congo. Infact the three popular mountain gorilla national park of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Virunga National Park in Congo and Mgahinga National Park form one continuous forest only separated by colonial political boundaries leaving mgahinga in Uganda.
Mgahinga National Park located in southwestern Uganda has one habituated gorilla trekking family called Nyakagezi. This therefore means that only 8 gorilla permits are available daily for gorilla trekking. Because of the nature of vegetation, Mgahinga National Park is preferred by tourists and photographers due to clear visibility compared to the vegetation of impenetrable Bwindi National Park. On a normal day, Mgahinga gorilla permits sell out quickly and to book space, one needs to pay in advance. Encounter Africa safaris and Fixers will assist in securing your gorilla permit upon payment of 30% as initial payment or full payment for the same.
How to get to Mgahinga National Park
There two options of accessing Mgahinga National Park and this is by road and Air transport. The shortest route is to fly into Rwanda/Kigali International Airport and drive to Uganda via Chanika Boarder. The drive from Kigali to Mgahinga is approximately 4-5 hours unfortunately UGANDA AND RWANDA LAND BOARDERS ARE CLOSED UNTIL THE TWO HEADS OF STATE COME TO AN AGREEMENT.
This lives us with one option of flying into Entebbe International Airport and drive 9-10 hours southwestern Uganda by road. While the journey seems to be a long one, there is a lot to see enroute. This journey offers an opportunity have a stopover at the equator crossing for photography and coffee, meeting the Hima cattle keepers with their famous Ankole Long horned cattle exclusively to Uganda and of luck, you will spot some impalas and zebras grazing in community land. These wild animals move from Lake Mburo National Park and graze in nearby community lands a sign of human-wildlife co-existence. The journey will take you past the rolling hills of Kigezi to Kisoro town onwards to Mgahinga National Park.
The best but slightly expensive option of accessing Mgahinga National Park is by flying from Entebbe International Airport to Kisoro Airstrip. Daily charter and scheduled flights are available offered by local domestic companies. A flight from Entebbe to Kisoro may take 2-3 hours and only morning flights are available. Upon landing at Kisoro Airport, you will transfer by road to Mgahinga National Park for overnight and acclimatization as you plan for your gorilla trek the next morning. For more information about Flyin Safaris to see gorillas, please click here.
Where to stay in Mgahinga National Park
Mgahinga National Park has few options when it comes to Accommodation. Only one high end Accommodation property does exist at the park entrance (Gahinga Volcanoes Lodge). The nearby Kisoro town provide for some budget Lodges and campsites where you can book two nights accommodation for your Mgahinga gorilla trekking excursion. Please let us know your budget and we will incorporate a lodge in your package that will be inline with your interest and budget. Please note that Encounter Africa safaris prides herself in tailoring gorilla tours to suit clients’ interests and budget.
What else is there to see and do in Mgahinga National Park.
It is possible to spend up to 7 days in Mgahinga National Park alone due to the variety of activities within the small but beautiful National Park. On top of doing a gorilla trek in the bamboo forest, one is free to add on golden monkey trekking or golden monkey habituation experience, the park also provides three options for mountain climbing including Mgahinga, Muhavura and Sabinyo mountains. If interested in walks, there is an exciting trail that takes you to the park conducted by the batwa. Batwa experience is also another top activity that you can add on gorilla trekking in Mgahinga National Park. The batwa are the indigenous people who used to stay in Mgahinga and Bwindi impenetrable National Park before they were gazzatted as National Park. As soon as these forests were declared National Parks, the batwa people were moved away and resettled in the community. This has up to now not been an easy journey for them. Changing their lifestyle has been hard and they are among the most endangered ethnic groups in Uganda. By undertaking a batwa cultural walk, you have a privilege of learning about how life was before and after.
Why Encounter Africa Safaris
Since inception, Encounter Africa safaris and fixers has been one of the most reputable safari company organizing amazing holidays to Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. We have been able to do this because of the professional and dedicated team of office and field guides who ensures that booking and real experience of your safari goes on un tampered with. Reach us via info@gorilla-tracking-uganda or telephone/whatsapp at +256772197157
