Uganda is known for its gorillas and adventurous gorilla treks and safaris. It is home to a significant number of mountain gorillas. Applying for a permit for these treks and safaris is necessary if you want to see the gorillas in the wild. The revenue earned from these permits is sent to protect and take care of these endangered species. It also helps track how many people visit the gorillas and have gone on treks and safaris. Here is your guide to these permits and their fees.
What is a Gorilla Permit?
A gorilla permit gives you access to one trek and one hour to spend with these primates. The length of the trek varies depending on where the gorillas are on that particular day. Gorillas are continuously moving from one place to another; that is why your trek duration depends on their location.
What is a Habituation Permit?
Habituation permit allows you to take part in the habitation process with these wild gorillas. It encourages the gorillas to be comfortable around human presence and allows you to spend around 4 hours with them. As the hours allowed are longer, the permit charges are also higher than the previous one.
How Much Does a Gorilla Permit Cost?
The cost of a gorilla permit is greatly influenced by the country of the gorilla trek and safari. For instance, the price of a gorilla permit in Rwanda is the most expensive, while the same is the cheapest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The price of a single gorilla permit in Uganda is quite reasonable and is charged per person. At the same time, the habituation permit may cost you more than the gorilla permit in Uganda. Remember that the permit cost does not include accommodation charges, guides, trackers, meals, etc.
How Can You Get a Gorilla Permit?
In Uganda, gorilla permits are sourced by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). It is a government body that is in charge of tourism and wildlife here. Currently, there are around 152 permits available each day. You can either directly book your permit from UWA or take assistance from a reliable tour service provider, as generally, most tour operators have a gorilla permit included as a part of the overall safari cost. Bushman Safari has a gorilla permit included in the gorilla tour package for easy access.
Can you Cancel the Gorilla Permit?
If you have booked a permit by only paying the deposit, you will not receive a refund on cancellation. However, suppose you have paid for the permit in full. In that case, you will get 75% of the amount refunded if you cancel your permit 91 days or more before your trek, you are entitled to a 50% refund if you cancel 46 to 90 days before, 25% refund if you cancel 9 to 45 days before, but you will get no refund if you cancel in the last eight days before your trek. Furthermore, if you fall ill on-site during a trek, you will get a refund of 50% of the fee to protect gorillas from falling sick, as even regular colds and flu can be fatal for gorillas.
If you are looking for professional and reliable tourism assistance, please feel free to get in touch with Bushman Safaris. We are known for our affordable and customized gorilla tour packages providing you with several inclusions, including the gorilla permit for your adventurous trek and safaris with us.
