Why are passport details required when booking Uganda and Rwanda gorilla permits?
Why are passport details required when booking Uganda and Rwanda gorilla permits?
When doing gorilla trekking in Uganda or Rwanda, you must provide some passport details to obtain the gorilla permits.
A Gorilla permit is the entry ticket to enjoy an adventurous encounter with fully habituated mountain gorillas in the wilderness. In Uganda, there are 19 gorilla families open for tourists, and two gorilla families are open habituation. The Uganda Wildlife Authority is the gorilla permit-selling body for Uganda.
Rwanda has so far 12 fully habituated gorilla families open for trekking. Therefore, acquiring a gorilla permit from Rwanda Development Board for gorilla trekking would be best.
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How To Book Gorilla Trekking Permits in Uganda And Rwanda
You must have a confirmed or tentative date when you wish to do gorilla trekking in Uganda. Even the number of people you hope to travel with to do gorilla trekking.
When you send us, an inquiry or safari consultant checks the availability status per your date from the Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board gorilla permit listing.
If gorilla permits are available, we request you purchase them as soon as possible because they quickly get sold out. Yet, they are limited to 8 permits per gorilla family daily. Therefore, the demand for these permits is very high, especially in the peak season of June to September and December to January.
Some personal details are required by Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board later to issue the gorilla permit, including names on the Passport, Nationality, date of birth, and passport expiry date.
Why I Need To Present Passport Details When Booking A Gorilla Permit
For Record Keeping
The Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board uses passport details for record purposes. Annually, they analyze which Nationalities toured the mountain gorillas most and why they visited. In addition, the mountain gorillas to be conserved require funding, so the nationals that contribute to the survival of mountain gorillas are also kept in the records of these bodies.
Advertising Scope Of Gorilla Trekking Safaris
By obtaining passport details, Uganda and Rwanda know where to advertise the gorilla trekking safaris most. According to the current census, only about 1000 mountain gorillas are living in the world.
To know where to advertise the mountain gorillas, these records have to be visited by the marketing teams.
To Know The Age Of A Gorilla Trekking Tourist
The age limit for gorilla trekking is 15 years and above, so to check for this, some passport details have to be presented. No child below this age can do gorilla trekking because the time of locating the mountain gorillas is unknown. Children below the age of 15 may not be patient when they are in the wilderness.
The terrain of the areas where mountain gorillas live is ragged because of volcanic action, so expect to hike some ridges and plateaus to get to the mountain gorillas at times. It may be hard for a child below this age to withstand steep and slippery slopes to get to the mountain gorillas.
To know when the Passport May expire.
Presenting the date when the Passport may expire makes it easier to advise you about when to do gorilla trekking best. If your Passport expires before the date of gorilla trekking, we recommend you renew it so that your travel plans are only antagonized once the date is set.
For Easy Identification of Clients on Gorilla Trekking Safari
Some of these details are presented on the day of gorilla trekking so that tourists can easily be identified during the briefing. Even when allocating them to gorilla families, the age is considered according to the records presented.
Some Details To Be Added On Gorilla Trekking Accomplishment Certificate
After returning from the gorilla trek, each person is awarded a certificate of accomplishment. This is one of the souvenirs to carry with you and remind you of your generous contribution to the survival of the mountain gorillas while on safari.
How Much Can I Pay For a Gorilla Trekking Permit in Uganda And Rwanda?
A Rwanda gorilla permit costs $1500 per person, and a Uganda gorilla permit costs $700 per person per trek.
This includes one hour with the mountain gorillas, park entrance fees, ranger guide feed, security, gorilla medication, local community support, and others.
The Gorilla permit cost excludes transport to the destination, tipping, porter cost, drinks, and other items of personal nature.
Can I Reschedule The Gorilla Trekking Permit?
Gorilla permit rescheduling is possible as long as you write to Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Boards stating a standing reason for you not attending the booked date for gorilla trekking.
Suppose they respond and give you the go-ahead. Your gorilla permit must be fully paid for if you have paid it in installments. Top up so that it can be rescheduled to a future date. Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rwanda Development Board allow paying for a gorilla permit in an installment of 30% and 70% of the total cost. However, bearing in installments for the gorilla trekking permit is only allowed 90 days before the date. Therefore, top-up must be done at least 90 days before the trekking date.
Our safari consultant has to check the availability of the gorilla permits for the date of your choice before rescheduling is done.
Where To Go Gorilla Trekking In Uganda And Rwanda
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
This park lies in southwestern Uganda and is a thick old forest that has survived several years. Amongst the four only habitats for mountain gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park hosts almost half the total number that the world is celebrating. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is hosting 18 gorilla families open for tourism.
Four gorilla trekking areas make up Bwindi Impenetrable National Park because of its vast size. It was so significant to be under a single administration. These four areas include Buhoma, Ruhujah, Rushaga, and Nkuringo.
You must book accommodation closer to these areas so you do not have to panic when crossing from one area to another to catch up with the briefing. The roads connecting these areas are sometimes impassable because of the slippery roads, especially during the rainy seasons.
Mgahinga National Park
Mgahinga National Park lies in the far southwestern corner of Uganda. Currently, only one gorilla family is open for tourism. The Nyakagezi gorilla family used to move to Rwanda because, in the wilderness, the gorillas did not understand political boundaries.
The topography of Mgahinga National Park comprises mountains you may hike within 8 hours of the return trip. These mountains include Mountain Gahinga, Mountain Muhavura, and Mountain Sabyinyo.
The park is one of the renowned birding destinations for more than 115 bird species, including Albertine Rift endemics.
Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park is a gorilla trekking destination in Rwanda. The astounding view of Volcanoes National Park makes it a great wildlife destination of Rwanda with a backdrop of five mountains: Mountain Sabyinyo Mountain.
Gahinga, Mountain Muhabura, Mountain Karisimbi and Mountain Bisoke.
You must purchase a gorilla permit to visit the mountain gorillas in Rwanda. At the moment, 12 gorilla families make up Volcanoes National Park.
How Can I Behave During Gorilla Trekking?
Before going gorilla trekking, you must attend a briefing because the ranger guides talk about a lot. So even if you read the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking, ensure you follow the briefing as more details about that particular family you are trekking are discussed.
You must not make noise in the forest while trekking to locate the mountain gorillas because they are very sensitive to unfamiliar noise in their presence. Even noise may cause a stampede in the forest, disrupting other gorilla families or forest dwellers.
Volunteer to stay behind if you catch an infectious disease like cholera, cough, flu, etc.
Feeding mountain gorillas or other forest dwellers is highly forbidden, as wild animals must search for food.
Keep a distance of about 8 meters from the mountain gorillas when you locate them. They are highly susceptible to human infections, so keep some space from you to them. This is a disease control measure.
Provoking the mountain gorillas is forbidden because it may agitate them and push the family into hiding, yet only a maximum of one hour is allowed.
Spitting on vegetation or the soil is forbidden, as this is where mountain gorillas and other forest dwellers pick their food. By spitting on it, you may spread germs to these survived primates.
Wearing a facemask is a must for every trekker, and sanitize your shoes too.
How Much Is A Gorilla Trekking Safari in Uganda And Rwanda
The gorilla trekking safari packages are graded according to luxury, midrange, and Budget packages.
You must first purchase a gorilla permit, the standard cost for all packages in Uganda or Rwanda.
Other factors to consider for gorilla trekking safari packages include
The number of people paying for the gorilla safari.
The more people added to the gorilla trekking safari, the less the cost per person. You get to share some expenses: fuel cost, vehicle hire, and others. Solo tourists on gorilla trekking safari carry the entire safari cost.
The booking time For the gorilla trekking Tour
The peak season usually attracts high costs for most services because of the high demand worldwide. But, on the other hand, the low seasons have chances of discounted offers for some services like accommodation, driver guide fees, and others.
Additional activities Combined with Gorilla trekking
The more activities combined with gorilla trekking, the higher the safari package price because each activity is charged differently.
The number of days to take on gorilla trekking safari
The more days you spend on the gorilla trekking tour, the higher the safari package, as service providers charge per day’s costs.
Booking your gorilla trekking tour at least six months earlier allows you to select a wide range of service options.
Is Gorilla Trekking Difficult in Uganda Or Rwanda?
Uganda and Rwanda gorilla trekking destinations have volcanic topography full of ragged mountains. Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda has steeper trails because of the mountains that make up the topography of this park. Therefore, the gorilla trekking experience in Rwanda is steeper but very interesting too.
Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park gorilla trekking experience is similar to Rwanda’s because Mgahinga National Park lies on the southern part of three Volcanoes that the Rwanda side shares. These volcanoes include Mountain Gahinga, Mountain Sabyinyo, and Mountain Muhavura.
Having some fitness level to be comfortable while trekking to locate the mountain gorillas. If you have a physical impairment, sedan chairs are available in each National park to use in the forest.
You need to hire porters to assist you with moving to where the mountain gorillas may be lounging or feeding. A porter is a person you can hire to help you carry your gear and other belongings before gorilla trekking. You pay a small cost for every porter they use to support the re families. Most of the porters are local people from the surrounding community. By hiring a porter, you contribute to the conservation of the mountain gorillas. The community needs to appreciate the presence of the mountain gorillas and other forest dwellers in their vicinity.
Although selecting which gorilla family is easier to locate, you need patience because mountain gorillas are mobile animals. They stay in a particular area for specific reasons like the presence of food and the wish of the Dominant Silverback, especially for adventurous people.
Contact us for more information.
