How to book last minute gorilla safari and permit in Uganda and Rwanda.
It is possible to book gorilla trekking at the last minute, but your options are restricted. The gorilla trekking package includes a lot of services, such as lodging, car rental, expert driver guide, and much more.
Seasons affect the availability of gorilla permits; during the busiest times of the year, which are June through September and December through January, permits are in great demand. There may not always be a large demand for gorilla permits during the off-peak months.
Particularly during the busiest time of year, obtaining a gorilla permit at the last minute can occasionally result in anxiety and restrict the options for service providers.
In the instance of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, obtaining a gorilla permit on the spot on the day of trekking is feasible but highly unpredictable because you could not be aware of the exact location where your permit is booked.
Businesses who are reselling their gorilla permits are attempting to obtain one at the last minute. However, businesses that are registered with the Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) can take use of this opportunity. The Association of Uganda Tour Operators counts Katland Safaris as one of its full members.
When Is It Best To Reserve Permits For Gorilla Trekking?
Gorilla permits should be obtained at least six months to a year in advance, according to Katland Safaris. Because there are only a certain number of gorilla permits available, it is possible that even last-minute reservations will be made. Gorilla licenses are sold on a first-come, first-served basis by the Rwanda Development Board and the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Additionally, each family is only allowed to have a maximum of eight gorilla permits each day.
About 160 gorilla permits from 19 gorilla families are available for the public to reserve each day in Uganda.
Every day, over 96 gorilla permits are made available for public booking in Rwanda.
The only way to demonstrate your commitment to taking part in the gorilla trekking safari is to get your gorilla permit.
In order to avoid having to drive so early in the morning to attend a briefing in another location, you must be aware of the area in Uganda where your gorilla permit is reserved before booking lodging. The road is occasionally slick and full of potholes that might cause your tires to rupture. Being stranded in the middle of nowhere when on safari would hardly make anyone pleased.
How Much Does It Cost To Purchase A Rwandan or Ugandan Gorilla Trekking Permit?
Gorilla permits in Rwanda presently cost $1500 per person per trip, whereas those in Uganda cost $800 per person every trek.
Ranger guide costs, an hour of mountain gorilla viewing, security, gorilla medicine, park fees, and other expenses are all included in the cost of gorilla permits.
Porter fees, beverages, a packed lunch, gratuity, transportation, and other personal expenses are not included in the price of the gorilla permit.
Your gorilla permit may be purchased from the Rwanda Development Board or Uganda Wildlife Authority through a tour operator such as Katland Safaris. Although going through the lengthy call line to find out availability might be annoying, you can also buy it straight from either body.
Can I get a refund for my gorilla permit?
The Rwanda Development Board or Uganda Wildlife Authority is in charge of overseeing the gorilla permit refund policy. Since a gorilla permit is indicated as sold when it is obtained, reimbursement is contingent upon the return policy.
If you bought your gorilla permit in installments, you can reschedule it for a later time, but you will still need to pay the whole amount. As long as you buy your gorilla permit 90 days before to the trekking date, Uganda and Rwanda let you to pay for it in installments. You risk losing it if you don’t remember to top it up before the ninety days before the trekking date.
According to these organizations’ regulations, you can be eligible for a reimbursement if you volunteer not to go gorilla trekking after learning that you have a contagious infection beforehand.
How Much Time Does It Take to Trek with Gorillas?
It is difficult to predict how long your gorilla expedition will go on the day of the walk. There are several criteria that determine where to find the mountain gorillas.
The mountain gorillas’ food is close by. The mountain gorillas may eat in one place for a while before moving to another until their food supply runs out.
The family you are hiking with may move to a different region if they are defeated in a conflict with another mountain gorilla family, extending your trip. If the family wins, they could party for a while, which could occasionally make it simple to find them.
The routes become more slick during the intense rainy season, and unexpected downpours occur in the forest. Because the mountain gorillas occasionally go to the slopes, this might make it take longer for you to find them.
A gorilla family may get depressed after losing a member, which might cause them to hide and make it difficult to find them.
The entire gorilla family may be compelled to engage in the daring pastimes of the dominating silverback. Because of this, walking to find the mountain gorillas is also difficult.
Out of Rwanda and Uganda, which is the best place to go gorilla trekking?
Because you are standing in front of the only remaining mountain gorillas in the world, meeting them is an experience that cannot be duplicated. When getting ready to go gorilla trekking in Rwanda or Uganda, you could forget all you’ve been through.
You may take advantage of the chance to go gorilla trekking in both Rwanda and Uganda to truly grasp the differences. However, you may identify a few distinctions between Rwanda and Uganda, such as the following:
How much gorilla permits cost
Gorilla permits in Rwanda cost $1500 per person per hike, while those in Uganda cost $800 per person per day.
There are currently 15 gorilla families in Rwanda that are accessible to tourists, compared to 19 in Uganda.
It takes around three hours to travel from Rwanda’s Kigali Airport to Volcanoes National Park, and eight to nine hours to drive from Entebbe Airport to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park.
There are several safari activities available in Uganda that you may combine with gorilla trekking, but there aren’t many in Rwanda.
While the Uganda briefing point still requires work, the Rwanda gorilla trekking briefing point has a well-organized layout.
Gorilla trekking is described by many people as a mysterious pastime that makes you feel somehow connected to the mountain gorillas.
Locations for Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda and Uganda
Volcanoes National Park
In addition to being a biosphere reserve, this is the only gorilla trekking site in Rwanda. Approximately 15 gorilla families now reside in Volcanoes National Park, which is a historic forest. With five unique volcanoes—Mountain Gahinga, Mountain Muhavura, Mountain Sabyinyo, Mountain Karisimbi, and Mountain Bisoke—the park’s geography is primarily mountainous.
Volcanoes National Park is also home to a variety of other primates, including as the grey-cheeked mangabey, vervet monkeys, golden monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus, and others.
Volcanoes National Park is home to a variety of birds, including those peculiar to the Albertine Rift. Additionally, you may trek on the final steps of mountain gorilla heroin, Dian Fossey.
To spend an hour with the mountain gorillas, you must reserve a Rwanda gorilla trekking permit. You may also check the availability of Rwanda gorilla permits online, as the Rwanda Development Board is the organization that sells them.
In Uganda
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in the southwest region of Uganda. Because of its thickness, the Bwindi forest has two names that are interchangeable, meaning that Bwindi signifies impenetrable locally.
Nearly half of the world’s mountain gorillas are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. While walking to see the mountain gorillas, it’s wonderful to see other primates as well. Chimpanzees, olive baboons, grey-cheeked mangabeys, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, and others are some of these primates.
The Bwindi forest is home to a diverse array of birds, including seven IUCN Red List species and endemics of the Albertine Rift.
You need a gorilla permit, which is area-specific, in order to undertake gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. There are four gorilla trekking zones in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: the Buhoma, Ruhijah, Rushaga, and Nkuringo areas.
You need to know which region your gorilla permit is booked for before making travel or lodging arrangements for your gorilla safari. This will keep you from getting up too early to attend a briefing at another location. The roads can be quite slick at times, and the surrounding darkness can present problems for vehicles.
Make sure you rent a transfer vehicle if you have a reservation for a fly-in gorilla trekking safari because the park’s major administrative hub, Buhoma, is almost two hours away from the Kihihi airport, where flights land.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
In addition to being the smallest national park in Uganda, Mgahinga National Park is home to mountain gorillas. Three unique volcanoes—Mountain Gahinga, Mountain Muhavura, and Mountain Sabyinyo—make up its topography. This park, which shares a base with Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, is located on the southern side of these mountains.
There is now only one gorilla family in the park, the Nyakagezi. Although it previously known to wander into Rwanda, the gorilla family has recently established a stable home in Uganda. Gorilla permits may now be reserved in advance, something that wasn’t previously possible.
As an alternative, you may trek for eight hours on each mountain in a single day. You also need an accompanying ranger guide. With over 115 bird species identified by ornithologists—and the number growing—this park is a Ugandan birding paradise for avid observers.
How old can you be to go gorilla trekking?
The age restriction for gorilla trekking is 15 years old and above for a number of reasons, such as the fact that it takes time to find the mountain gorillas, which means patience is needed. A youngster younger than this might not be able to survive the forest’s circumstances.
Sometimes completing the full hike requires physical fitness, which kids younger than this might not have. The remaining members of the gorilla trekking group can become irate as a result of this delay.
A youngster under this age may not get along with the mountain gorillas’ occasionally provocative behavior. You must abide by the instructions provided by the ranger guides during the briefing.
What are the Gorilla Trekking Dos and Don’ts?
Smoking and eating are prohibited within 300 meters of the mountain gorillas to prevent them from becoming dependent on human food.
Spitting on restricted land or flora might spread pathogens to the mountain gorillas.
When you find the gorillas, stay around 8 meters away from them. They are quite prone to infections from people.
Keep quiet or speak quietly when looking for mountain gorillas since they are afraid of strange noises around them.
The only camera that is permitted to take pictures during gorilla trekking is one without flash. This reduces the possibility of starting a stampede in the forest.
When you find the mountain gorillas, you are only permitted to spend an hour in their presence. They have been accustomed to spending that hour with others so they may carry out their daily tasks.
It is prohibited to provoke mountain gorillas since doing so might disturb them and lead them to go into hiding.
Ask the ranger guide to dig a hole around 30 cm deep and cover everything completely if you want to conduct a lengthy call.
In the event that you get a contagious disease, such as the flu or a cough, offer to stay behind.
