Can you fail to get Bwindi gorilla permits?
Can you fail to get Bwindi gorilla permits? Yes, tourists can fail to get gorilla permits for Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. A gorilla permit is a document that allows tourists to visit mountain gorillas in the wild and spend one or four hours with the mountain gorillas. Minus a gorilla permit, a tourist cannot go gorilla trekking or habituation within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is home to the highest number of mountain gorillas in the world. The same park has the highest number of mountain gorilla families open for visits with 8 people trekking a fully habituated mountain gorilla family and 4 people trekking a semi-habituated mountain gorilla family.
Even though Bwindi has the highest number of gorilla permits for people to visit mountain gorillas in their natural habitat a day, someone can fail to get a gorilla permit. There are so many reasons as to why a traveler may fail to get a gorilla permit and the top reason is when one books the permit late.
Late gorilla permit booking has disappointed a lot of travelers who prefer to do last-minute safari bookings. This is more so during the high season when thousands of travelers are visiting the park. There are some dates of the months when gorilla permits are fully booked in all sectors of the park leaving without any choice but to look for another trekking date.
Tourists can fail to get gorilla permits if there is a high number of people traveling. During the high season when most people are traveling, some tourists can fail to get gorilla permits. It’s from here that tour operators ask tourists interested in gorilla safaris to book as early as they can when permits are still available.
Tourists can also fail to get gorilla permits for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park if they work with a local tour operator who is not licensed. Uganda Wildlife Authority is a government agency that sells gorilla permits and it sells them to only local tour operators that are licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board to carry out tourism activities across the country.
Another reason as to why someone can fail to get a gorilla permit for Bwindi is age. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is carried out by people who are aged 15 years and above. If a family is traveling and they have a child less than 15 years they will not get a gorilla permit because it’s not allowed. A child is only allowed to purchase a gorilla permit if they are to be 15 years old by the day of trekking.
How many gorilla permits are in Bwindi a day?
There are 23 mountain gorilla families in Bwindi and one of them is going through habituated and open for habituation activities. A fully habituated mountain gorilla family in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is trekked by a maximum of 8 people and since the park has 22 families it means there are 176 gorilla trekking permits.
One mountain gorilla family is found in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and a maximum of 4 people can visit it on a day. There are only 4 gorilla habituation permits within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Tourists who would want to know the total number of gorilla permits in Bwindi should know that the park has only 180.
When to book the permits for Bwindi
With the number of travelers increasing each year, tourists who want to see mountain gorillas are advised to book the gorilla permits 3 to 4 months in advance. Tourists intending to travel during the high season should know that these permits easily sell out and those who are interested in trekking in specific spend should book the gorilla permit even 6 months or more before the trekking date.
How to book a gorilla permit in Bwindi?
To book a gorilla permit for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, a tourist must go through a local tour operator. Uganda Wildlife Authority is a government agency that sells gorilla permits for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and they do sell these permits to only tour operators that are licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board.
Africa Adventure Vacations is one of the licensed tour operators that can help tourists get gorilla permits for Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in case there is availability. To book with us, you will need to tell us your preferred trekking date and we check availability at UWA. If you are organizing a while safari with us we shall draft an itinerary and check for the gorilla permits if they are available.
In case the gorilla permits are available, you will sign a contract with us and later send the money for the safari. We shall go to the Uganda Wildlife Authority offices in Kampala and purchase the gorilla permits and then send you a scanned copy for confirmation. By the time your Bwindi gorilla safari starts, you will be assured of gorilla trekking or habituation in Bwindi.
What is the cost of gorilla permits in Bwindi?
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park has gorilla trekking permits which come with one hour around the fully habituated mountain gorillas and a gorilla habituation permit which comes with 4 hours around mountain gorillas. A gorilla permit costs $800 for foreign non-residents, $700 for foreign residents, $500 Rest of Africa, and UGX300,000 citizens of East African Member States.
A gorilla habituation permit which is the most expensive permit in Bwindi costs $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 for foreign residents, and UGX750,000 citizens of East African Member States. There are only 4 habituation permits in Bwindi and tourists who are interested in the activity are advised to book early enough about 6 months in advance to avoid last-minute booking disappointments.
