To enquire about availability and to make a booking for your Uganda gorilla permits or Rwanda gorilla permits , please email us at tours@tourseastafrica.com or telephone/watsapp +44790.863.9450.
People also ask
What is a gorilla permit?
A gorilla permit is a document or smart card issued by the Rwanda Development Board or Uganda Wildlife Authority respectively that permits one above 15 years of age to track the rare mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda or Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. One must be over 15 years of age to be able to trek the mountain gorillas. Gorilla permits sell out months in advance especially gorilla permits applicable for peak high season gorilla tracking months of July, August, September, December and January.
We thus recommend that you contact us months in advance with your preferred gorilla tracking date to enable us establish availability of gorilla permits so that we can purchase and secure the gorilla permits for you as soon as possible. One is able, to pay a deposit of US$200 in Uganda to secure the gorilla permits, with the balance payable at least 90 days prior to the gorilla trekking date.
It is not unusual for especially Uganda gorilla permits to be fully booked, over 6 months in advance. There are various gorilla groups/ gorilla families in several sectors in Bwindi. It would thus be preferable and imperative that you secure your gorilla permits first, before you can book your Bwindi accommodation as some gorilla tracking trailheads can be sometimes 4 hours drive from some accommodations in Bwindi.
Rwanda however only has one park headquarters where all pre-gorilla tracking briefing takes place every morning at 7am.
How much is a gorilla permit in Rwanda?
As of May 2018, the cost of EACH Rwanda gorilla permit is US$1,500. Availability of a gorilla permit in Rwanda is thus not usually a problem considering the high cost of each gorilla permit in Rwanda.
Gorilla permit prices for Rwanda were double because Rwanda believes that gorilla trekking is a highly unique experience. Rwanda raised the price of permits in order to ensure sustainability of conservation initiatives and enhance visitors’ experiences. They further asserted that Rwanda Development Board was pursuing a high-end tourism strategy and to that effect they also launched an “exclusive package for tourists who wish to book an entire family of gorillas at a price of $15,000.
How much are gorilla permits in Uganda?
A Gorilla permit in Uganda for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park costs USD $600 per person. Permits can be purchased through us by emailing tours@tourseastafrica.com Please send us your passport details as these are required by UWA when issuing the gorilla permits. There is no additional charge if you are participating in one of our scheduled, tailor made Uganda gorilla safaris. However if you wish to only buy the gorilla permit through us, then we charge US$50 service and administration fee per gorilla permit to cover our overheads and pay the staff that would need to work expeditiously and tirelessly to ascertain that they secure your Uganda gorilla permit.
How do I get a gorilla permit in Uganda?
The easiest answer to the question of how does one get a gorilla permit is quite simply by dropping as an email at tours@tourseastafrica.com and leave the rest of the running around and panicking to us. Gorilla trekking in Uganda takes place either in Bwindi National Park or Mgahinga National Park. Most gorilla tracking visitors see the gorilla in Bwindi as there is only one gorilla family in Mgahinga National Park versus the currently 18 gorilla groups/gorilla families that can be tracked from the various sectors of Bwindi. There are 4 main sections of Bwindi for tracking the rare mountain gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and these are Nkuringo, Buhoma, Ruhija and Rushaga. The 4 sections have a total of 18 gorilla families as of January 2019. In Uganda each gorilla permit costs US$600 compared to US$1500 for a Rwanda gorilla permit. In addition to purchasing your Uganda gorilla permit, we do assist travelers with designing scheduled and authentic private gorilla safari or you can purchase your gorilla permit as component of a self drive Uganda gorilla safari holiday. We do provide self drive 4×4 vehicles for rental if required.
Where can you see gorillas in Rwanda?
Armed with your Rwanda gorilla permit, gorillas in Rwanda are tracked in Volcanoes National Park. There is a range of accommodations on the slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes where guests can stay for their Rwanda gorilla safari. We do assist with accommodation bookings as well as run Rwanda gorilla tour packages for clients who prefer a private Rwanda gorilla safari package where we take care of everything from lodge bookings, airport transfers, 4×4 safari vehicle transportation, purchase of your Rwanda gorilla permit, payment of park entrance fees etc.
How much does gorilla habituation cost?
It is one thing to spend just one hour with the gorillas in Bwindi and it is another experience to be with them all day long when you participate in the gorilla habituation experience.
Visitors choosing to see the gorillas in Bwindi have the option of either gorilla tracking or partaking in a gorilla habituation experience. Most visitors visit the Mountain Gorillas for one hour – there is however another option that allows you to be with the gorillas in Bwindi all day long in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – it is the habituation experience – all day with gorillas in their natural setting.
The gorillas Habituation Experience is noa day long experience – it means an early breakfast – a packed lunch and you set off into the impenetrable forest. When you meet up with your tracking ranger guide you depart into the mountain ranges in search of where the gorillas set up nests the night before. When you find the Rushaga gorilla group you spend at least 4 hours with the gorillas from the time they wake up from their sleep until the time they retire for the night.
You are here for the gorilla Habituation Experience – which involves getting
the gorillas used to the presence of humans, a process that takes up to two
years – and today you are part of that process.
A rare opportunity for most visitors. You
will have an exciting day with the gorillas, as you will get a whole 4 hours
studying their behaviours, observing them feed, play, interact and sleep.
The day ends as the gorillas climb into their newly built nests for the evening
and you head back to the base of the forest where you will meet up with your
driver guide.
When is the best time to do the gorilla habituation
experience?
The habituation experience can be done all year round and costs US$1500 per gorilla
habituation experience permit. Only 4 people are allowed on the gorilla
habituation experience on each day and there is only one gorilla group
available in Rushaga for the habituation experience, so hurry while slots last.
Where is the best place to see gorillas?
This question used to come up very often when the price of gorilla permits in Uganda were the same as the price of gorilla permits in Rwanda. Clients always wished to know whether there was a substantive difference between the gorilla trekking experiences in either Rwanda or Uganda. The fact is and remains that the gorillas are found in the same mountain ranges of the Virunga Mountains that straddle to Uganda, Rwanda and DRC. The conditions are the same, the terrain is the same, Uganda’s Bwindi simply happens to have a higher population of the rare mountain gorillas than Rwanda or DRC. Since Rwanda doubled gorilla permits’ prices to US$1,500 and Uganda maintained the cost of the gorilla permit at US$600, it has since largely become an issue of affordability and cost where one chooses to track the mountain gorillas. Rwanda claims to offer a high-end gorilla trekking experience and hence the justification of charging US$1500 for a gorilla permit. Ground transportation travel time from Entebbe to Bwindi being 8hours used to be another factor, but now it is possible to arrive in Kigali, cross the border into Bwindi, track the gorillas in Uganda and exit through Kigali. The launch of the Single East African tourist visa (US$100) also makes it easy to travel between Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya without the need to apply for multiple visas for each of the 3 countries.
How does one purchase a gorilla permit?
Simply email us at tea@tourseastafrica.com , send us your preferred gorilla tracking dates and passport details. We shall check availability of gorilla permits for you, confirm with you and send you either our London or Kampala bank account details for you to bank wire money for your gorilla permits to us. Upon purchase of the gorilla permits, we shall email you copies of the payment receipts from UWA or RDB. We will then schedule to deliver your Uganda gorilla permit smart card to you when you arrive either in Entebbe/Kampala or Kigali. We have offices in both Kampala and Kigali. For the Rwanda gorilla permit, RDB issues a paper gorilla permit reference that we shall email to you. No other document is required. For Uganda gorilla permits, UWA issues recyclable smart cards that are made available at the beginning of each month.So, we shall collect your smart card from UWA at the beginning of your gorilla trekking month and have it ready for you when you arrive either in Kigali or Entebbe. We try and make life extremely easy for us as far as securing your gorilla permit is concerned, leaving you to focus on booking and planning the other aspects of your Rwanda or Uganda gorilla safari holiday.
Gorilla trekking: All you need to know before you go
A close encounter with the rare mountain gorillas is a dream come true and a once in a life- time experience for most gorilla trackers. Whether you choose to track the gorillas in either Rwanda or Uganda, you will still get the same goose bumps when you meet the gentle silverbacks of the Virungas. Standing only a few meters away from the mountain gorillas is a very thrilling experience for every nature lover and one that you will never forget.
So, whether you choose to follow in the footsteps of Dian Fossey by tracking the gorillas in Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda and the land of a thousand hills, be sure like Dian Fossey herself to meet with the gorilla in the mist. You may also choose to track the mountain gorillas in Bwindi Uganda, the pearl of Africa, aptly named so by none other than Winston Churchill himself. Uganda is the gorilla capital of the world, being blessed with over 50% of the world’s surviving gorilla population.
The money that you pay for a gorilla permit goes a long a way in ensuring that the rare mountain gorilla populations are preserved and conserved for future generations. A percentage of the money goes towards supporting the communities around Bwindi and Volcanoes National Parks, thus deterring more locals from considering poaching as a livelihood.
In both Rwanda and Uganda, visitors are split up into groups of 8 persons each. You will be accompanied by park ranger guides and armed rangers as well as an option porter at a very small fee for gorilla tracking clients with an impairment/disability or those who require help with carrying their gorilla tracking gear. Gorilla tracking demands a certain level of fitness as some gorilla families especially the Susa gorilla group in Rwanda and the Nkuringo gorilla family in Bwindi tend to range far high up in the mountains. These gorilla groups could typically require 8 hours of tracking to find them and return to the foothills of the mountains.
When you find the gorillas, you’ll be permitted to spend 1 hour with them. You will be asked to keep a minimum distance of 7 meters for both your safety and the gorillas protection.
When to go?
Gorilla trekking is an all year-round activity in both Uganda and Rwanda, it is however more popular during the drier months of June July, August, September, December, January and February.
During the months of April, May, October and November, there is fewer tourists in Uganda and Rwanda, making it the perfect time for folks that prefer fewer crowds on their mountain gorilla treks.
Don’t leave home without…
- Camera with a water-proof camera jacket for protection against the rain
- Poncho or rain jacket as it can rain without warning in both the Volcanoes and Bwindi National Parks
- Insect repellent
- Camera charger and charging socket adapter. Rwanda used the Europe style and Uganda the British style of charging wall sockets.
- Gloves – useful for when you are wading through stinging nettles as you climb up or down in the forest.
- Good sturdy walking/hiking boots. The ground can be muddy and slippery.
- A wide rimmed hat during the dry season to protect you from the sun.
- Long sleeved shirts, trousers, long socks and gaiters to prevent scratches from stinging nettles.
