Booking A Gorilla Permit In Advance
A gorilla trekking permit is a significant requirement that every trekker should have incase he or she is to be allowed to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda or Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The gorilla permit at hand gets you opportunity to track only one habituated gorilla family in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in southwestern Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in northwestern Rwanda or Virunga National Park in eastern DR Congo and it is important to note that one can not take part of the gorilla activities without a gorilla permit.
When planning for gorilla safari in Uganda, Rwanda or DR Congo, we advise that you do book for your gorilla permit as early as possible given the high demand. In Uganda, about 20 gorilla families have been habituated and can be tracked in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga National Park which represents 160 gorilla permits. Each gorilla permit costs $700 per person whereas in Rwanda, 80 gorilla permits are available for booking with each costing $1500 per person per trek and DRC, there are 64 gorilla permits and each costs $450 per person.
To book a gorilla permit, you need to deal with trustworthy, recognized ground tour operator in Uganda like Vibrant Holiday Safaris or through a reservationist at Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Send your email with dates you wish to track gorillas and we shall check the availability of gorilla permits for you as you sit back home. If the dates you intend to track gorillas are available, we shall reserve a permit for you and you will be required to make a deposit.
For any plans to track gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda or DRC, you are advised to book your permit at least 3-6 months before embarking on actual trek but other visitors even book permits 2 years earlier. Booking a permit in advance comes with lots of benefits as it gets you out of the stressful moment to book a permit at last minute considering the fact that demand for gorilla permits is high.
During the dry season also best known as high/peak season is the busiest period for all Uganda’s national parks and you really need to secure your permit earlier enough to avoid any kind of disappointment. The dry or peak season in Uganda starts in the months of June, July, August, September and December, January, February. But this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t book permit early during the wet or rainy season which starts from the month of March, April, May and from October to November.
Booking your permit before the actual trek makes it easier for your tour operator to plan for other things including means of transportation to and from the park, accommodation options, to mention but a few.