Gorilla permits in Uganda, Rwanda & Congo

Gorilla permits in Uganda, Rwanda & Congo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guide on gorilla permits in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo with Maranatha Tours and Travel. A Mountain gorilla permit is a must have for everybody visiting to see gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Travelers booking silverback gorilla tours have often asked how one can get a gorilla permit to be part of this lifetime experience.  If you are looking for guidelines on how to book and acquire your gorilla permit in Rwanda, Uganda & Congo, Maranatha Tours and Travel has got you covered.

Find out ways to get a gorilla trekking permit before booking your gorilla safari. To trek mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda and the Congo, one must first acquire a gorilla permit or pass. Gorilla passes are sold out by the respective country’s tourism governing bodies.

Its very much possible for an individual to directly contact their offices or email them, to pay and reserve your gorilla permit. Mountain gorilla permits are however in limited numbers as only a number of 8 people is allowed to visit a single gorilla group.

2 Days Gorilla Trek Uganda

Gorilla Trek Uganda

Permits get finished quickly especially in the high seasons and its advised to acquire one early enough before the actual trip day like 3-4 months prior to your trip. Visiting gorillas in Africa is carried out in a very well organized way, and hence once you secure your permit, it’s a guarantee to visit the gentle endangered giants on the dates indicated on your gorilla permit.

Gorilla permits in Uganda

Gorilla permits in Uganda can be got from Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) offices in Kampala at 800 USD per person. Alternatively, you can book your tour with a local tour operator registered and  licensed  by Uganda Tourism Board and the Association of Uganda Tour Operators.  Booking through a travel agent/Operator is the easiest way to book Uganda gorilla permits.   Maranatha Tours and Travel is your reliable travel agent to book and reserve your Uganda gorilla permits. There are 21 habituated gorilla families in Uganda each visited by eight people per day. This guarantees availability of 168 gorilla permits each day. Mountain gorillas in Uganda are shared between Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National parks.  20 gorilla families live in Bwindi Forest while  one family lives in Mgahinga Gorilla National park.

Each Uganda gorilla permit costs $800 for foreign non residents, $700 for foreign residents and UGX 300,000 for East African citizens.

Note: In Bwindi impenetrable national park, you should be mindful about which area you will be watching gorillas, as your accommodation booking greatly depend on the areas your tracking gorillas. The Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park has 3 sectors, which are quite distant from each other. (Buhoma sector, Ruhija sector and Nkuringo sector)Each section has its own hotels with ease to access your tracking point.

Gorilla Permits in Rwanda

Gorilla permits in Uganda, Rwanda & CongoFor those interested in Rwanda gorilla permits, there are 80 permits available each day. Rwanda gorilla permits are issued by the Rwanda Development Board which works hand in hand with the African Parks to ensure mountain gorilla conservation and tourism in Rwanda.  There are 10 gorilla families habituated in Volcanoes national park and hence 80 permits available each day. Silverback Gorilla tour under Maranatha Tours and Travel can also help you to book and reserve Rwanda gorilla permits with no difficulty Each gorilla permit in Rwanda costs $1500

Like Uganda, there are mountain gorilla trekking regulations and the most important one is the number of visitors allowed per given gorilla family group a day. That is usually 8 individuals to a specific group per day and for a period of an hour.

Gorilla permits in Congo

Congo gorilla permits in Virunga National park cost $450 each. The park is home to over 200 mountain gorillas which have been habituated in 8 families.  Each day 68 gorilla permits are available on first come first serve basis. Congo is the cheapest gorilla tour destination  best for budget travelers. As of today October 2024, Congo gorilla tours to Virunga Park are suspended due to insecurity  and rebel threats. Maranatha Tours and Travel will keep you updated  when the park is re opened for trekking.

Gorilla permits are booked with payment on the basis of first come first serve. Availability of gorilla permits for a required date is not guaranteed. There is a lot of competition for the gorilla permits, which makes it hard to get one for yourself. Any delay in confirmation and or payment may mean that you will be unable to obtain the permit on your preferred date

It is always best for a tourist to make early permit bookings and payments 4 months prior to the actual trekking month especially those thinking of visiting in the high seasons of January –February, June – September and December and for the low seasons, no need to worry because the demand and competition for these permits is low by then.

After booking and making payments, there cannot be any cancellations and if done there’s a penalty that awaits like Rwanda charges about 100USD. for any changes that one may need to make on the set tracking day.