Uganda Gorilla Trekking Permits

Want to check availability or book some of the gorilla permits Uganda has? Uganda is a landlocked country located in East Africa, also known as the “Pearl of Africa”. The country is home to over half of the remaining mountain gorillas in the world. You need Uganda gorilla permits to visit these apes in their natural habitat. Uganda gorilla trekking permits are printed on cards with all your information. When you reach the park, this information is read by the system and if your dates are valid, you will be confirmed and allocated a mountain gorilla family to trek.

There are slightly over 1000 mountain gorillas left in the world and Uganda harbors half of the remaining population in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The rest are found in the Virunga Conservation Area; a perimeter comprised of Virunga National Park in Congo, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

Cost of Gorilla Permits in Uganda
The price of gorilla permits in Uganda is not so high. Uganda gorilla permits cost only $700 each all year round. There used to be a low season Uganda gorilla permits cost of $450 each but it was later on scrapped following Rwanda’s increment on gorilla permits. This Uganda gorilla permit discount applied for the months of November, April & May.

The cost of Gorilla habituation is, however, a little higher. One will have to pay $1500 for a gorilla habituation permit and stay with gorillas for four hours while learning how these gorillas are habituated to get friendly with humans.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park has got four sectors where you can trek gorillas from. These are; Rushaga Sector, Ruhija Sector, Buhoma sector, and Nkuringo sector. While acquiring a gorilla permit, it’s very important to get a permit in an area where you’re planning to sleep or worse an area near your accommodation. You can book permits for Nkuringo and sleep in Rushaga and vice versa. The same applies to Buhoma and Ruhija.

How to book Gorilla Permits
The Uganda gorilla trekking permit availability will affect your booking process. Also, there is no online permits booking system for Uganda apparently. You can book your Uganda gorilla permit through a tour and travel operator or take on the long process by booking directly through Uganda Wildlife Authority and organize your own accommodation facilities. Some operators can help you reserve your permit and hand it over to you on arrival. We offer this kind of service as well.

A maximum of 8 eight people is allowed to visit a particular gorilla family in a day. The group will be granted a full hour with the gorillas. This magical hour is a great time to take photos and capture videos of these mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.

Eighty percent of the money got from these gorilla permits for Uganda is used to conserve mountain gorillas and help them grow in numbers. This is the same money used to fight poachers. When you buy a permit, you are not giving the country revenue but instead, you are paying back to the gorillas and helping their population to increase.

Right before trekking gorillas, you are advised to carry the essential gorilla trekking equipment and strictly follow the set gorilla trekking regulations and rules.

Checking Uganda Gorilla Permits Availability Online
The best way to check online availability of Uganda gorilla trekking permits online is by going through a tour company like us or calling Uganda Wildlife Authority on their direct hotline. Please note that it is hard to get accurate results as permits are booked and released often. You must be willing to pay the full cost of gorilla permits in Uganda to be able to book them online.

If your dates are full, its advisable to wait to a few more weeks and inquire again. However, if you keep failing to get availability then its advisable to switch your dates. You can book Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla permits with our agency directly.