A gorilla permit is an essential tool every trekker should have if he or she is to be allowed to trek mountain gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda, or the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Gorilla permit at hand gets you the opportunity to track only one habituated gorilla family in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in southwestern Uganda, Volcanoes National Park in northwestern Rwanda, or Virunga National Park in eastern DR Congo.
When planning for a gorilla tour to Uganda, Rwanda, or DR Congo, we advise that you do book your gorilla permit as early as possible given the high demand. In Uganda, about 20 gorilla families have been habituated and can be tracked in Bwindi Forest and Mgahinga National Park which represents 160 gorilla permits. Each gorilla permit costs $600 per person whereas, in Rwanda, 80 gorilla permits are available for booking with each costing $1500 per person per trek and DRC, there are 64 gorilla permits and each costs $450 per person.
To book a gorilla permit, you need to deal with a trustworthy, recognized ground tour operator in Uganda or through a reservation office at Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Send your email with dates you wish to track gorillas and we shall check the availability of gorilla permits for you as you sit back home. The dates you intend to track gorillas are available, we shall reserve a permit for you and you will be required to make a deposit.
For any plans to track gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda, or DRC, you are advised to book your permit at least 3-6 months before embarking on the actual trek but other visitors even book permits two years earlier. Booking a permit in advance comes with lots of benefits as it gets you out of the stressful moment to book a permit at the last minute the fact that demand gorilla permits are high.
The dry season also is best known as high/peak season is the busiest period for all Uganda’s national parks and you really need to secure your permit earlier enough to avoid any kind of disappointment. The dry or peak season in Uganda starts in the months of June, July, August, September, and December, January, February. But this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t book a permit early during the wet or rainy season which starts from the month of March, April, and May and from October to November.
Booking your permit before the actual trek makes it easier to plan for other things including means of transportation to and fro the park, accommodation options to mention but a few.