Gorilla Trekking Permit in Uganda
Gorilla Trekking Permit in Uganda is one of the essential documents that one must present at the park before they are allowed to go gorilla trekking.
For each day of trekking for the mountain gorillas, you need to possess a gorilla trekking permit. The gorilla trekking permits in Uganda are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), which is also a government body in charge of the conservation of nature in all the protected areas in Uganda. You will need your gorilla trekking permit in advance to avoid inconveniences and miss outs on the last day. The advance booking is mainly attributed to the competitiveness of the gorilla trekking permits in Uganda, so to beat the jam, you need to book for you ticked early and Focus East Africa tours can save you all the hustle and delays.
What is gorilla trekking?
Gorilla trekking is one of the most interesting and exhilarating activities done in only three countries in Africa. Gorilla trekking is on life changing experience, especially when you meet face to face with the enigmatic mountain gorillas in their natural habitats. Gorilla trekking involves hiking through the forest until you meet the gorilla family you booked for, then you can spend about 1 hour with the mountain gorillas and learn a lot about there behavior, copulation, feeding among others. Mountain gorilla trekking is much different from all the other activities, and this is the reason as to why the gorilla trekking permits are on high demand in Uganda.
What are gorilla permits in Uganda?
The gorilla permits are not just gorilla permits, but they are mountain gorilla trekking permits. A gorilla permit is a legal license or document which is issued by the Uganda wildlife authority, and it allows the holder to be part of mountain gorilla trekking activity in Bwindi impenetrable national park. The gorilla permits in Uganda are issued by the Uganda wildlife authority (UWA) and marketed through the Association of Uganda tour operators (AUTO). The Uganda Wildlife Authority issues the gorilla trekking permits following different specifications, like the age, and the interests for the tourists.
The gorilla trekking permits are only issued to persons above the age of 15 years; people below that are considered to be children who cannot trek for gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable national park. The gorilla trekking permits are limited in supply and high on demand, this is attributed to the policy used by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to print out permits. The Uganda wildlife authority prints issues out 96 permits to the trekker; 88 for the gorilla families in Bwindi Impenetrable National park and 8 permits for the Nyakagezi mountain gorilla family in Mgahinga national park. The gorilla trekking permits are issued out for a specific fixed date; the date can be changed under specific circumstances but at a cost.
How to book for the mountain gorilla trekking permits
The gorilla trekking permits in Uganda are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and purchased by different tour companies under the association of the Uganda tour operator. Each tour companies are allowed to purchase a maximum of about 20 permits for a particular peak season. So you can book your permit for gorilla trekking in Uganda straight from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) offices in Kampala – Kamwokya.
Alternatively, tour agents can book for you your gorilla trekking permit from the Uganda wildlife authority. Actually, booking your gorilla permit with the tour operator will save you all the hustle, delays, and inconveniences. However, you should take note of the tour operator you use; it is good to use a local tour operator over an international tour agent. A local tour operator will help you make the right choices for your gorilla trekking safari because, the local tour operators are equipped with a lot of information on the ground, unlike the international tour operators.
The gorilla permits to Bwindi impenetrable national park are allocated to different regions such as buhoma, ruhija, rushaga, and nkuringo among others. These different sections in Bwindi impenetrable national park have families to trek; and if you are allocated a certain section, then you can trek one of the gorilla families found there. Therefore, it is good to let Focus East Africa tours to book for you the accommodation near your booked section. Truly, a lot of travelers make a mistake to book for accommodation which is far away from the gorilla section booked for on the permit, so you should let Focus East Africa tours to plan for you the best gorilla trekking safari Bwindi impenetrable national park.
The allocation of gorilla families happens on the actual day of trekking; the allocation is dependent on a number of factors like the physical abilities of the visitors, the individual interests among others. It is advisable that you book for accommodation near your gorilla trekking section in Bwindi impenetrable national park.
The trekking of gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable national park is restricted to a specific number of people. A maximum of 8 people is allowed trek for a particular gorilla family, and it is also given a duration of 1 hour to interact with that particular gorilla family. This is done to ensure the safety of the endangered mountain gorillas from the contagious diseases of humans. The number of restrictions are also aiming at conservation purposes such as limiting the behavioral disturbances to the mountain gorillas.
Requirements for booking a gorilla permit
To book for your gorilla trekking permit in Uganda, you will be asked to comply with us. There are certain requirements you need to help with in order for the tour operator to book your gorilla permit;
- Your name is very important
- Details of your passport are needed by the Uganda wildlife authority to print your permit
- You will also need to pay a certain percentage as a booking fee to your tour operator; note that different tour operators might charge differently.
The validity of the gorilla trekking permit in Uganda
Your gorilla trekking permit will only be valid for a specific time; the gorilla trekking permit to Bwindi impenetrable national park of Mgahinga national park will allow you to see the mountain gorillas for a specific period of time. Tour gorilla permit is valid until the one hour for interacting with your gorilla family elapses. The validity of your mountain gorilla trekking permit includes the time spend while tracking your gorilla family plus the one hour of encounter; after that, the validity expires.
When to book for the gorilla trekking permit
The most competitive time for gorilla trekking in Uganda is the peak tourism season which happens in the dry season from the month of December to February, and from June to August. During this period there are a lot of mountain gorilla trekking safaris taking place in Uganda; in both Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national park. Therefore, if you are to book your gorilla trekking permit in this period, you should also know that this period is characterized by a lot of people in the national park. To note; it is good to advance book for your permit about three months before the actual day of gorilla trekking. Also if you have booked gorilla trekking with other activities, it is good that you take gorilla trekking first before other activities to avoid inconveniences and delays, and perhaps missing out on your gorilla trekking day.
