How to obtain Gorilla Permits in Uganda
Insights from a Gorilla Tour Operator: The Secret to Getting GORILLA PERMITS IN UGANDA
The
Secret to Getting GORILLA PERMITS in UGANDA comes down to your willingness to plan, flexibility concerning the Safari’s timing, and using a Ugandan Tour Operator that is a member of the Association of Ugandan Tour Operators (AUTO).
Gorilla Permits are a precious and much sought-after commodity in Uganda. Only the Gorilla Habituation Experience Permit is more challenging to obtain than a regular trekking permit.
Rwanda choosing to take the high-end Tourism Path with its $1,500 permits made Uganda the Premier Gorilla Trekking Destination. Since that time, Tourists have chosen Uganda, as evidenced by the Great Trekker Migration, to affordable trekking in Uganda where permits alone are $800 for the same experience as Rwanda.
Rwanda’s high permit prices have dramatically increased the number of tourists looking for a Gorilla Permit, especially during the year’s High-Season months.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority has responded to Gorilla Trekkers’ surge looking for Permits by adding additional Gorilla Families for trekking. At present, there are 152 permits available 365 days of the year. Unfortunately, the demand for permits often outstrips the availability resulting in disappointed want-to-be-Trekkers.
The $700 Gorilla Permits, along with a 20 year plus record of safe guerrilla-free trekking, makes Uganda choose Trekkers. Add to that, Uganda offers that trekking experience without a compromise in quality of experience. Reasons that enthusiastic trekkers quickly snap up permits.
If you have any remaining doubts about trekking quality in Uganda, we ask you to read our country by country trekking comparison page. You will be glad that you did.
As you make plans for your safari, keep in mind that June, July, August, September, and December, January, February, and March fall into the high season or peak season. Months where permit availability can be rare unless you plan, are flexible on dates, and use a Ugandan Gorilla Tour Operator.
We want to point out in the spirit of transparency that Ugandan Permits are not the lowest priced Trekking Permits. That honor belongs to Virunga National Park in DR Congo. In the same spirit of transparency, we like to point out that trekking in DR Congo takes place in an area where not only gorillas roam but guerillas. In our mind, the safety and security of trekkers outweigh the lower cost of the permits—a reason we do not take Clients to the DRC.
Gorilla Permits are your tickets to an incredible Encounter with the Gentle Giants of the Forest, the Mountain Gorillas. Not one of our clients has ever regretted the $700 permit’s price after being with the great apes in Uganda.
The Secret to Getting GORILLA PERMITS IN UGANDA
Inside Information and Practical Advice from a Ugandan Tour Operator
What is a Gorilla Permit in Uganda, and what does it mean to me?
Here is what a permit means to you. A Gorilla Permit is a legal document issued by the Uganda Wildlife, allowing you to be with a Gorilla Family. UWA issues the Permits, and they are primarily marketed through the Association of Uganda Tour Operators.
There are presently 152 Permits available each day. The minimum age of a participant is 15. The Permit is issued not for a particular Gorilla Group, but a Bwindi Impenetrable Forest sector such as Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo. The Nyakagezi Group in Mgahinga Gorilla Park is different since it is the only group there. Permits are issued for a fixed date. That date is hard to change, and it needs approval.
The Permit includes the Park Entrance Fee for the day of the Permit.
Gorilla Habituation Experience Permits are $1,500. The Experience takes place in the Rushaga area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and only four permits are available each day for a group.
What about Permit Availability during Peak Seasons?
Hearing – There are no Permits for the date you gave us-How you can I avoid that?
The Number one Gorilla Permit Mistake made by African Travelers is that Gorilla Trekking is an afterthought, an add-on to their Time in Africa.
Such planning often results in no Gorilla Trekking or Gorilla Habituation Experience Permits.
Africa is a vast continent, and it is not wise to go on a Wildlife Safari in South Africa and add-on Gorilla Trekking in East Africa. Stick to East Africa. Even better, stick to an extended Safari in Uganda, and you will be glad that you did.
Begin your Safari in Uganda. Secure permits with your tour operator. Then proceed with your plans for other African countries.
Avoid hearing the permits that are sold out on the dates you gave us. Other Gorilla Trekking Mistakes to Avoid.
What is the Secret to Getting GORILLA PERMITS IN UGANDA?
Here is the sure-fire way for you:
You can “Do-it-yourself.” You can apply directly to the Uganda Wildlife Authority by email or telephone. Most become frustrated (many cannot get through with calls or email, and there is no online system, and only a small portion of the permits are for direct sale to the public.
The best way – the simple secret revealed to successfully obtaining your Permit is to use a Ugandan Tour Operator that is a member of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators. There are 1,000 plus Tour Operators operating in Uganda, many of them being Briefcase companies. A fraction of those is officially recognized partners in the Marketing and Sales of Gorilla Permits.
The Surefire way is to book a safari with a tour operator that includes Primate Trekking. Now the tour operator works on your behalf to obtain permits for the dates that you requested.d
Everyone will promise you permits, but only with AUTO members, you have the best chance of obtaining permits for you.
Gorilla permit booking is our suggestion to book a gorilla safari six months before the date you want to trek. We suggest nine months earlier during the peak seasons of June – July – August – December – January – February,
What is Permit Availability like during the Off-Season Months of the Year?
The Best months of the year for Gorilla Permit are April, May, mid-October through early December. They are considered the off-season, which means that there are also fewer tourists, Uganda gets a bit quiet, and yet Gorilla Trekking takes place daily, 365 days of the year, come rain or shine.
The months are also the rainy season months, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a rainforest, and it can rain any day of the year. No one has complained because it rained. Trekkers put on ponchos or rain jackets and venture into the forest to trek Gorillas.
During the Off-Season, Gorilla Permits are readily available, and even the gorilla habituation experience permits available during those months.
If you want to trek Mountain Gorillas, the permit availability forecast is bleak from July through September. Permit availability is there during the Off-Season Months.
Off-Season Permits are something to be considered.
How do I Avoid Costly Permit Mistakes?
You are in your home country – this is Uganda. At times unscrupulous people have tried to extract money from visitors by offering Gorilla Permits. Some may even attempt to sell you a discounted permit that does not exist.
If you post a question on TripAdvisor or a similar Forum, you might be contacted by someone whose only purpose is to extract money from you and who has no intention of getting you a permit.
Use a legitimate, officially registered Ugandan Tour Operator. Do not send money to a personal account, only to a business account. Do not send money via Western Union or similar means. Ensure that they have a Business Bank Account where you can send money via Bank-to-Bank Transfer or have a Credit Card payment system in place.
Permits are 700 USD presently and will be so until the end of June 2022. Book a complete Safari with Gorilla Trekking with an AUTO Tour operator. Avoid Briefcase companies without a history or only a Facebook Presence.
Read the Fine Print – some Tour operators will offer Gorilla Safari prices that seem ridiculously low and will not include permit price- add $700 to the cost to get the actual price.
Getting your Gorilla Permit using Kabiza Wilderness Safaris:
The easiest way is to deal with Kabiza Wilderness Safaris, belonging to the Association of Uganda Tour Operator (AUTO). Book a safari with us that includes Gorilla Trekking
Once you agree on a Safari, you send us a passport scan for the Gorilla permit. We purchase the permits and send you a down payment invoice, which includes the Permit.
Payments can be made via Bank to Bank wire transfers or Pesapal, where we send you an online payment link. For security reasons, we have no payment page on our site.
We take the hassle out of the process and offer you permits and all – a Hakuna Matata – Worry-Free Safari. We are the Gorilla Matchmakers, and we arrange the date with the Gentle Giants for you. The Experience is up to the Gorillas you meet on your time.
Contact Kabiza Wilderness Safaris – Your one-stop Primate-Wildlife Safari Provider with Permits included
