A Mountain Gorilla trekking permit is a license or an authorizing card issued to travelers above the age of 15 allowing them to be guided in the gorilla jungle to find a single habituated gorilla family and spend one hour in their presence.
Mountain gorillas can surely be seen if one chooses to undertake whether a Uganda gorilla safari, gorilla safari Rwanda or Congo gorilla safari because these gentle giants only survive in their natural habitats. Here are answers to the most Mountain Gorilla trekking permit frequently asked questions;
In Uganda, a gorilla trekking permit for both Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park costs USD 600 per person per trek for foreign non-residents. Foreign residents pay USD 500 for their gorilla trekking permit and Ugandans/East Africans by UGX 250,000 for mountain gorilla trekking.
A Rwanda gorilla trekking safari permit to Volcanoes National Park costs USD 1500 per person per trek. However, if you visit 3 Rwanda safari, you get a 30% discount for your permit. For instance, if you visited Akagera National Park, Nyungwe Forest National Park and Volcanoes National Park on a single trip.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a gorilla trekking permit to Virunga National Park costs USD 400 per person per trek. Last year 2018 low season discounted gorilla trekking permits for Congo gorilla trekking safari tourists were as low as USD 200.
Gorilla permits are issued by government conservation authority bodies in the respective countries. In Uganda, you can only book gorilla permits with Uganda Wildlife Authority, at the Rwanda Development Board in Rwanda and at Volcanoes National Park Authority in Congo.
The best way of purchasing a Mountain Gorilla trekking permit is by contacting a gorilla safari tour operator in either, Uganda, Rwanda or Congo. In all of the three countries Wild Gorilla Safaris helps with permit purchase.
The good thing of contacting a gorilla safari tour operator is that they are familiar with the booking system and can do all of the booking for you.
Permit bookings requires reaching the booking offices and therefore if you are not able to get there the tour operator best helps with the whole hectic process.
No, a Mountain Gorilla trekking permit is meant for a single trek. In case you fail to trek for personal reasons the fee isn’t refundable.
Whether for a Uganda safari, Rwanda tour or Congo safari, you need to book your gorilla trekking permit early. Tourists are advised to book their gorilla permits 3-4 months prior to the actual gorilla trekking time in order to avoid short notice or last minutes frustrations. This is because during the months of June – September and December – February, permits are on a high demand and can sell out months before your safari date.
If indeed there’s need to cancel the booking, a tourist can cancel their Mountain gorilla permit booking. However, each country has their own cancellation policy as below.
Uganda Gorilla Trekking Permit Cancellation Policy
In case the tourist fails to undertake their gorilla trekking safari in Uganda because of illness, 50% trekking permit fee shall be refunded by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. This will be at recommendation of the Warden in Charge.
Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Permit Cancellation Guidelines
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) shall refund 50% of the gorilla trekking fee for any visitor showing signs of illness. Any sick visitor shall not be allowed to track the gorillas if declared unfit by the Warden in Charge.
Congo gorilla trekking permit Cancellation policy
The mountain gorilla trekking permit cancellation policy is much more similar to that of Uganda.
NOTE: This only applies to visitors who have traveled all the way to the park.
Mountain gorilla trekking safari, to any of these countries can be planned as standalone safari activities or as customized trips with other safari activities.
When planning a safari to Uganda, many tourists opt to tailor their gorilla trips with a wildlife safari in Uganda’s popular parks for more exceptional experiences.
Tourists can also tailor gorilla trekking with Rwanda wildlife safaris or Congo wildlife safaris. Lately, chartered flights have made it possible for tourists to undertake Kenya safaris and Tanzania tours alongside Mountain Gorilla trekking.
Whether for a short or long safari, planning for a mountain gorilla trekking safari can be hectic just from the choice of the best itinerary to the whole booking process.
However, for very well customized mountain gorilla trekking safari on either a gorilla tour Uganda, gorilla tour Rwanda and Congo gorilla tours these safari packages or itineraries are the popular and affordable to choose from since they offer great safari memories;
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