Uganda is one of the most popular tourist attractions. It is especially famous for its tracking, which can be done at either Mgahinga Gorilla National Park or Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Since the mountain gorillas of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are not as reliable, a good number of gorilla permits are sold for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The cost of every gorilla permit in Uganda amounts to roughly $600, however, the cost decreases to approximately $450 for the months of April, May, and November. On a single day, the gorillas of Bwindi welcomes as much as 96 people, where 8 persons are matched for every gorilla family.
To book gorilla tracking/trek permits in Uganda and enjoy the safaris that comes with it, gorilla permits may be purchased either directly through a tour agent or from the headquarters of Uganda Wildlife Authority (or UWAs) in Kampala.
Booking 2019 gorilla tracking/trek permits in Uganda through UWA
To book gorilla tracking/trek permits in Uganda through UWA, you need to contact the reservation office of UWA directly by email. Your email must contain an inquiry of the availability of dates on which you intend to track the gorillas. Before deciding on your intended dates, note that travelling from Kampala to Bwindi takes at least a full day, so don’t forget to include this consideration into your timeline.
If, unfortunately, the dates you request come out as unavailable, you can always ask about the nearest dates. If those nearest dates align with your plans, reply UWA with your intentions to book the permits, and request them to hold those permits temporarily while you make the payment. During this instance, they would provide you with their bank account details, which you may use to perform an electronic money transfer. Don’t forget to send a copy of the receipt or transaction voucher to UWA by fax or email.
Usually, the transfer would be made within 3 days. However, UWA will temporarily hold your booking for up to 7 days, reserving enough time for the transfer to go through. You will need to make sure that the bank deducts its charges from your account because if the sent money is less than what is actually demanded, the booking of your permit may actually be cancelled.
Booking 2019 gorilla tracking/trek permits in Uganda through a travel and tour agent
While apparently looking quite straightforward, many customers find the above procedure to be unnecessarily tedious. Therefore, the customers looking to find alternate ways that aren’t too cumbersome may take aid of a local tour operator of Uganda. Usually, tour operators charge in the range of USD $25-60 per gorilla permit. This procedure is almost identical to the procedure explained above, except that tour agencies have the tendency to issue you the gorilla permit confirmation faster by speeding up the process.
