How Many Gorilla Permits Available In Uganda?
Uganda is ranked as the best place in the world to see the endangered mountain gorillas and to take part in an encounter with these endangered primate species, you need to have a gorilla permit which costs USD 800 per person per trek.
Uganda is home to almost half of the World’s total population of endangered mountain gorillas, sheltered in two national parks that is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Both located in the extreme south western corner of Uganda, at the tip of Albertine Rift, these National Parks form a huge conservation area known as Bwindi – Mgahinga Conservation Area.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Stretching 321 square kilometers, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to the world’s largest population of mountain gorillas, and the reminder thrives in the Virunga Conservation Area shared by Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Virunga National Park in DR.Congo.
Situated on the edge of the Rift Valley in southwest Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was established in 1991 as part of the conservation effort to save the mountain gorillas. Bwindi Forest is one of Africa’s richest and oldest (dating back about 25,000 years) and was recognized by UNESCO as a natural World Heritage Site.
Beyond mountain gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is protects the richest ecosystems in Africa, with 120 species of mammals, 350 species of birds (earning it the title of the Best Birding Destination in Africa by Travel Africa Magazine), 200 tree species, 310 butterfly species, 88 month species, 51 reptile species and 27 frogs, geckos and chameleons.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Stretching 33.7 square kilometers, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the smallest national park in Uganda pushed up against the international border in the far southwest. The park is part of the greater Virunga Conservation Area stretching along the Virunga Volcanoes Chain, which spreads thousands of square kilometers across protected areas in Uganda, DR.Congo and Rwanda.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is home to only one habituated gorilla family – Nyakagezi Gorilla Family.
Gorilla tracking permits in Uganda are issued for travelers on first come first service basis and without it one cannot access any gorilla family for tracking. Gorilla permits in Uganda are only issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority, a government body that is in charge of conservation and preservation of all protected areas in Uganda.
At African Vacation Safari, we can help you book gorilla permits on behalf of our clients.
Each gorilla permit in Uganda is valid for a day of gorilla trekking between 1-9 hours depending on the time taken to find a particular habituated gorilla family allocated to you. A gorilla permit allows one to access one gorilla family and spend a maximum of one hour observing and photographing the gorillas.
Gorilla permits in Uganda are on high demand and therefore advance booking is crucial especially in high season months of June – October and December to February.
How Many Gorilla Permits are Available Daily?
With over 550 mountain gorillas which is more than any gorilla destination in the world, there are over 19 habituated gorilla families that can be visited on a daily basis. This implies that 144 gorilla permits are available per day distributed throughout the 4 gorilla sectors of Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park with one habituated gorilla family.
With 8 gorilla permits available for each gorilla group, there is a total of 152 gorilla permits available in Uganda daily.
Cost of Gorilla Permits in Uganda
Each gorilla permit in Uganda costs USD 800 per person per trek, which is way cheaper than Rwanda gorilla permit costing USD 1,500 per person per trek.
Uganda delivers the safest and most unforgettable gorilla trekking experience in the world.
Gorilla Habituation Permits in Uganda
Besides gorilla trekking, Uganda offers gorilla habituation experience only done in Rushaga Sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Gorilla habituation experience allows you spend four hours with a semi-habituated gorilla families, visitors get an opportunity to join researchers and scientists to take part in gorilla habituation experience. This experience starts from when you find the fresh trails of the semi-habituated gorilla family from where they last nested the previous night.
Gorilla habituation experience is a perfect gorilla experience for travelers who need first-hand encounter with world’s most endangered apes.
During habituation, mountain gorillas are not yet fully used to human presence, and therefore trekkers accompany a team of researchers, trackers and park rangers who head out to the forest and encounter an unsuspecting family of gorillas and stay with them for a period of up to 4 hours, observing how they feed, play with each other, behave and getting to know the general lifestyle and composition of a particular gorilla family.
Gorilla Habituation Experience is only done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Rushaga Sector located in the South East region of park. On this experience, only 4 trekkers are allows to take part on a daily basis.
There are two families for gorilla habituation in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, meaning there is a total of 8 gorilla habituation permits available every day.
A gorilla habituation permits costs USD 1500 per permit per trek and valid for 4 hours of being in presence of the gorillas. Habituation permits can only be obtained at Uganda Wildlife Authority Headquarters in Kampala or through a local licensed Tour Company like African Vacation Safaris.
Rescheduling Gorilla Permits
Gorilla Trekking Permits in Uganda can be rescheduled to any future dates available, however late reschedule (7 days to the start of the trip) attracts a surcharge of 30% of the total permit cost. Once can change a gorilla permit details to either another gorilla sector or a different dates.
