How do I get Bwindi gorilla permits?

How do I get Bwindi gorilla permits? For anyone to see mountain gorillas of Bwindi, they need a valid gorilla permit. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a home to mountain gorillas which ae close relatives to human beings. The park has those that are fully habituated and open for trekking while a few are semi habituated and open for habituation. More than half of the world’s mountain gorillas are found in this park making it one of the favorites to visit.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in the southwestern part of Uganda is the best place to see mountain gorillas. There are over 23 mountain gorilla families to visit on a day and all these are seen by tourists that have valid gorilla permits. In this article we look at the different ways tourists can get gorilla permits for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

How do you get Bwindi gorilla permits?

Tourists can get Bwindi gorilla permits using a licensed local tour operator in Uganda. Only tour operators that are licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board are allowed to purchase gorilla permits from the Uganda Wildlife Authority which manages and controls park activities. Tourists who don’t use companies to travel will still need them when they are to buy gorilla permits.

Tourists who are interested in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park gorilla trekking will first look for licensed local tour operators. To get a trusted local tour operator it is better you check for a few companies and see who is good at responding, who gives a fair price, and who considers what you need.

Africa Adventure Vacations is one of the tour operators that can book gorilla permits and also do a successful safari for those who would want to travel with a tour company anywhere in the country. The company has well-experienced tour consultants who have enough knowledge about the country and are always ready to help tourists travel.

If tourists get a local tour operator like Africa Adventure Vacations, all they need to send are the travel dates, the number of people, and the trekking dates. A tour operator will check for gorilla permit availability and then tell you how much it will cost you if you only want gorilla permits and when you want to organize a whole safari they can still tell you how much it can cost.

When the cost of the safari or gorilla permit is okay with you, you will be sent a safari contract to sign and thereafter send money for booking. A tour operator can send you a scanned copy of the gorilla permits for your confirmation. On the day of trekking, you will simply show your permit to the rangers at the park headquarters, be part of the briefing and later you will be allowed to trek mountain gorillas in all sectors.

The cost of Bwindi gorilla permits

There are two kinds of gorilla permits in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and the price differs. The most affordable are the gorilla trekking permits which are sold to tourists that want to encounter fully habituated mountain gorillas for 1 hour. A single gorilla trekking permit costs $800 for foreign non-residents, $700 for foreign residents, $500 Rest of Africa and UGX300,000 Citizens of East African member states.

Another type of gorilla permit of Bwindi is the gorilla habituation permit which is sold to persons who want to participate in the habituation process for 4 hours. There are currently 4 habituation permits and each costs $1500 for foreign non-residents, $1000 foreign residents, and UGX750,000 citizens of East African Member States.

When is the best time to get Bwindi gorilla permits?

Are you wondering When could be the best time to get Bwindi gorilla permits? Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park has the highest number of gorilla permits in the whole world. Tourists should however know that because the gorillas are affordable to see most tourists visit this park more than any other national park. So tourists that are planning to visit mountain gorillas of Bwindi are advised to book their people 3 to 4 months or even more in advance.

Tourists who are looking for gorilla habituation permits need to know that currently, the park has only 4 permits. This calls for an advance booking of 6 months or even a year before the activity. There are so many tourists that are interested in seeing mountain gorillas for 4 hours and therefore for one to avoid last-minute disappointments, they need to book as early as they can.