How much does gorilla permit cost in Bwindi Impenetrable national park? Gorilla trekking is a guided walk through the thick tropical forests rainforests to find and observe the habituated gorillas in their natural habitat. A gorilla permit is just a legal form document which allows you to have an encounter with mountain gorillas in their natural environment. The legal document is issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and it is issued to tourists who ae interested in tracking mountain gorillas and you can obtain this document through a trusted tour operator like Omangwa Safaris Ltd. The gorilla permit is only issued to tourists from a certain age for example it is given to someone from 15years of age and above. After you have encountered the mountain gorillas, you have to spend 1hour in their presence learning about their social life as you take videos and pictures.
Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is Uganda’s popular tourist destination famous for hosting mountain gorillas, birds, Batwa tribe and other wildlife that exist in this jungle. This national park is located in the Southwestern Uganda on the border of Democratic Republic of Congo and it is surrounded by Kisoro district, Kanungu and Rubanda district. The park covers an area of about 331 square kilometers and it is composed of lowland and montane rainforests. There are two gorilla destinations in Uganda and these are; Bwindi Impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park, however, Mgahinga gorilla national park is also a home to golden monkeys, that is why it is referred to as a place “where silver meets gold”
Cost of the gorilla trekking permits in Bwindi and Mgahinga National Park
The cost of gorilla trekking permits in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park is 800 USD per person for foreign non-residents, 700 USD per person for foreign residents, 500 USD per person for the rest of Africans and 300,000 UGX per person for East Africans. Another fascinating experience with mountain gorillas is called gorilla habituation. Gorilla habituation is expensive in the cost however more rewarding because you are allowed to spend 4hours in the presence of Mountain gorillas.
Gorilla habituation permit costs 1,500 USD per person for foreign non-residents, 1,000 USD for foreign residents, 1,000 USD for the rest of Africans and 750,000 UGX for East African residents.
How to book a gorilla trekking permit in Uganda?
You can gorilla trekking permits in Uganda through Omangwa Safaris Ltd by clicking on our book now form. You will fill in the preferred tracking dates, we shall go ahead to see if there are available gorilla permits on the preferred tracking day, we shall update you and if you make the payment, we shall purchase the gorilla permit and send you a scanned receipt as proof confirming your trekking dates. At Omangwa Safaris, we are the masters of arranging gorilla trekking trips in Uganda, Rwanda in Volcanoes national park and Democratic Republic of Congo in Kahuzi-Biega and Virunga national park. We also arrange chimpanzee trekking trips in Uganda’s Kibale national park and Rwanda’s Nyungwe forest national park.
When to Book Gorilla Trekking Permits in Bwindi and in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?
At Omangwa Safaris Ltd, we normally advise our clients to book gorilla permits from 3months to 6months in advance. Because the permits normally get sold out especially in peak season between June to September and December to February, therefore to avoid any inconvenience we advise you to book your trekking permit early as you wait for the day. However, you can grab yourself a last minute gorilla trekking permit and this is mainly for travelers who have short time or weekenders who want to encounter the mountain gorillas.
What does the Cost of the Gorilla Trekking Permit Come With?
The cost of the gorilla trekking permit covers briefing about gorilla trekking habits, park entry fees, 1hour with mountain gorillas, armed ranger guide, experienced park guide.
Gorilla Trekking Experience in Uganda
In Uganda you can only tack mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable national park and in Mgahinga gorilla national park. Normally, the experience will begin with a briefing about gorilla trekking at the guest information center. This is where you are allocated the gorilla family to trek, you are assigned a park and a ranger guide. Each gorilla family is allowed to be visited by 8 people for 1hour. The experienced park guide will help you to locate the gorillas while the ranger guide provides security. Gorilla trekking takes about 1hour to 6hours depending on how quickly you will find the mountain gorillas because they always move in search for food. As you search for the mountain gorillas, the thick forests harbor other wildlife for example sitatungas, bush pigs, birds and amazing tree species.
What is the best time to trek Gorillas in Bwindi and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park?
You can trek mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable national park and in Mgahinga gorilla national park throughout the year. However, we normally advise our clients to track gorillas during dry season between June and September and December to February. This is when there are little rains and the parks can easily be accessed through different trails, this is normally the peak season. Between March and May and October and November, there are much rains and therefore navigating sometimes is tiresome and during this period, there are few travelers and this is also known as the low season.
