How to book a Rwanda or Uganda gorilla trek holiday on New Year day.
Booking gorilla trekking for the Christmas season—especially New Year’s Day—is fantastic. Starting the year with a visit to gorilla land marks a lifelong journey.
Making prior gorilla trekking safari plans will help to commemorate the birth of a New Year.
One might decide to go gorilla trekking in Rwanda or Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Or Mgahinga National Park are the locations of the Uganda gorilla treks. Volcanoes National Park is the gorilla safari location for Rwanda.
Booking the gorilla trekking permits for either Uganda or Rwanda is a smart choice as they sell quickly, particularly during the festival season when vacations are in full force. For this reason, we counsel our customers to get the gorilla trekking permits for peak seasons latest three months before the New Year. This is so due to the great demand for gorilla trekking safaris as visitors commemorate New Year’s with the mountain gorillas for many reasons.
How To Book Gorilla Trekking Permits Process
Choose a day when you would like to go gorilla trekking in Rwanda or Uganda. Count the gorilla trekking licenses you want to buy. Depending on your time on trip and finances, gorilla treking may be done more than once. Every gorilla trekking permission lets you undertake one day of gorilla trekking.
When you contact us, our safari adviser investigates gorilla permit availability using the dates of your preferred option. Accredited safari operator Katland Safaris bought gorilla licenses under Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board.
About gorilla permit availability, you may also ask Uganda Wildlife Authority. Still, you have to be patient with the unpleasant voice message to the reservation office and the lengthy wait of calls.
Should availability be good, we ask our customers to buy theirs right away. This is to stop last-minute frantic quest for gorilla permits. Each gorilla family daily only has a maximum of eight licenses. Particularly in June, July, August, September, December, and January—the peak season—they are quickly sold out.
As asked, provide personal information such your complete name, country of birth, passport expiration date, and others. These are for record-keeping and help to guide where tourist marketing should be focused.
A Gorilla Permit: How Much Is it
Each trip on the gorilla permit for Rwanda costs $1500 per person. For international nonresidents, Uganda gorilla permit costs $800 per person; for foreign residents, $700 per person; and for East African citizens, 300,000 shs.
A gorilla treking permit costs park fees, security, gorilla conservation support, ranger guide fees, and local community assistance.
Transportation, beverages, packed lunch, tips, porters, and other personal things all count toward the permit fee.
Can I purchase an installment gorilla permit?
The gorilla permits for Rwanda or Uganda may be bought in installments. One may purchase it in thirty- percent and seventy- percent ratios. Buying gorilla permits in installments counts 90 days before the trip. Keep in mind to top up 90 days to the gorilla trekking date or stand to forfeit even the purchased half.
Uganda Wildlife Authority is the gorilla permit-selling authority of Uganda. Rwanda Development Board is the entity authorized for selling gorilla permits.
Is refund for possible Gorilla Permits?
Indeed, based on the refund policies of the Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rwanda Development Board, a gorilla permit return is conceivable. But given the bureaucracy involved in repossessing this money, you should be patient with the reimbursement procedure.
Should you miss the gorilla trekking date, you should not expect a refund since the permit only valid till that day. It becomes useless after the day of gorilla trekking. Regardless of your reason for not turning up, expect no reimbursement once the gorilla trekking date passes and you do not notify authorities in advance.
Could I change the New Year Gorilla Trekking Permission date?
The gorilla permit may be rescheduled as long as it is before the trip. You have to then write to Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board. Tell the reason you want to postpone your gorilla permit. Prepare some supporting documentation for your argument including some proof.
Once you arrive, notify our safari adviser on the dates you want to change your gorilla permit to and reschedule the go-ahead for a gorilla permit.
The safari consultant double-checks availability based on Rwanda Development Board or Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla permit listing. Your gorilla permit dates then get shifted to your preferred date in case spaces for gorillas remain open.
Notice
Two times Uganda gorilla permit rescheduling is possible; the third time depends on the permission of the Uganda Wildlife Authority executive director and a 25% surcharge of the overall permit fee imposed.
Should reduced gorilla permits be provided and you choose to postpone this permit to a date beyond the designated time, you must top up the permit to reflect the price of that period before proceeding.
Rescheduling gorilla permits charges Rwanda.
When can I get a New Year’s Gorilla Trekking permit for Rwanda or Uganda?
Purchasing your gorilla permit at least six months to a year in advance is preferable as the New Year is a prime holiday period for travel in Uganda and Rwanda. Many, however, have reasons for choosing to begin the year among mountain gorillas.
This causes a shortage of both lodging and these gorilla permits as early as the latter part of the year.
Especially on desirable days like the new year, last-minute gorilla permit search is nerve-breaking as you require aid locating the gorilla permit and lodging.
How Many Gorilla Permits One Could Book?
With 156 gorilla permits available for gorilla trekking and two gorilla families open for habituation with eight permits daily, Uganda now boasts 19 open gorilla families for tourism.
With 96 daily permits, Rwanda now has 15 gorilla families available for gorilla treking.
Should I via a tour operator book a gorilla permit?
Booking your gorilla permit lifts off your shoulder via a tour operator relieves the responsibility of verifying availability, lodging, and other safari facilities.
Having ground safari experience and relationships with top service suppliers, they offer great knowledge and expertise. Every visitor would want an unforgettable lifelong gorilla trekking experience. Great and safe preparations start everything, particularly if you are a first-time visitor.
Since 2003, we at Katland Safaris have over 10 years of gorilla safari expertise. We appreciate value for money and strive for outstanding service delivery.
Safety Level of Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda or Uganda?
Adventure in gorilla treking is safe in Rwanda and Uganda. Both nations provide the mountain gorilla habitats greatest protection to preserve them as other forest inhabitants would find. Well-trained, the ranger guides help to preserve the environment and mountain gorillas themselves.
The rangers help the security authorities of every nation to maintain law and order. The ultimate aim of Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rwanda Development Board is for clients returning home safely after gorilla trekking.
You have to be careful with your possessions, avoid going into the jungle without an accompanying ranger guide, and bring appropriate gorilla trekking gear and extras for personal protection.
In Uganda and Rwanda, which nation is the ideal for gorilla trekking?
The best approach to find this out is to undertake gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda and Uganda. Remember what you could have gone through during preparation when you meet mountain gorillas. One might decide which nation is ideal for gorilla trekking between Uganda and Rwanda by:
The gorilla permit fees
While a Ugandan gorilla permit costs $800, a Rwanda gorilla permit is $1500 per person per trip.
Time is spent at the locations for gorilla treking.
While the journey duration is roughly three hours from Kigali airport to Volcanoes National Park, you spend about
Eight to nine hours separate Entebbe airport from Bwindi impenetrable national park or Mgahinga National Park.
optional activities after Gorilla Trekking
Uganda offers many events you might mix with gorilla trekking as viewing the River Nile source, chimpanzee treking, wildlife drives, launch tours, and more. Sadly, Rwanda offers little choices to go with gorilla trekking. Game drives in Akagera national park and chimpanzee treking in Nyungwe national park are other safari activities offered by Rwanda.
While Rwanda has 15 gorilla families available for tourism, Uganda boasts nineteen gorilla families open for habituation safari.
About a six to seven hour trip from Kigali airport to Bwindi Impenetrable national park Uganda, you may do gorilla treks in Uganda via Rwanda. This lets you explore both nations.
For what length of time is Gorilla Trekking in either Uganda or Rwanda?
The many events in the forest make the timing of finding the mountain gorillas erratic. Still, you could spend two hours to three-quarters of the day from the gorilla trekking location.
Finding the mountain gorillas relies on elements such the closeness of their food, in case of a battle with another gorilla family or among the family members, death of a member, victory, having an adventurous dominating silverback, and others.
Some elements influence your arrival time—that is, that of the gorilla family assigned to you.
The speed of the group members you have assigned for gorilla trekking also affects your arrival speed to the mountain gorillas. The ranger guide moves at the slowest speed of the slowest trekkers to ensure none gets lost in the woods.
The terrain and paths are muddy and hazardous during the heavy rain seasons, hence postponing the gorilla journey.
Given that mountain gorillas are wild creatures that roam the forest freely, patience would be advisable when looking for them. In the woods, they have no limitations or guidelines that would prevent mobility.
How challenging is gorilla trekking?
Mountains, ridges, plateaus, and other landforms make up the volcanic remnants found in the Virunga region. Some of them should be climbed when gorilla trekking as mountain gorillas sometimes spend their daylight on the slopes of these highlands.
Your degree of fitness will help you reach the mountain gorillas.
To provide access for visitors to the mountain gorillas, the ranger guide also cuts down creepers draped over these highlands using machetes.
Using bug repellants and donning the correct safari footwear gives your body more defense while gorilla trekking.
List of Items for Gorilla Trekking Safari hat
Using a folding safari hat shields your hair from flying insects.
Garden gloves since the woodland has stinging nettle where you might land your palms when your tripe.
Insect repellent protects your skin from stinging jungle insects.
Safari boots designed to negotiate wet, slippery paths and muddy conditions
sunglasses to protect your eyes from buzzing insects
In wilderness-friendly tones like brown or khaki, long pants and a sleeved shirt Bright hues like white, black, and blue might attract tsetse flies.
Extra batteries to swap out should one run low.
Two binoculars for better view.
First aid kit with wilderness emergency supplies.
Foldable water container to carry drinking water to satisfy thirst while gorilla trekking.
Pajamas suitable for the night as this part is chilly.
Flip flops for wear after gorilla treks
Extra clothing for the gorilla trekking
Sweater or poncha since the local temperature can dip to about 7 degrees centigrade.
Toiletries in case your lodging runs out or your skin is sensitive.
