What is the price of gorilla trekking in Uganda?
Gorilla trekking Uganda Price : Uganda Gorilla trekking is one of the most thrilling wildlife activities on the face of the earth. Gorilla trekking is way different from the experience of game drives in the Serengeti national park in Tanzania, Masai Mara national reserve in Kenya or Kruger National Park in South Africa. Gorilla trekking is special because the mountain gorillas have 98% DNA with human beings with similar looks and behave. They also live in families where the dominant silverback gorilla is the head of the family and directs everything that is done by the group.
Gorilla trekking is only done in the 2 countries of East Africa of Uganda and Rwanda and 1 Central African country of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Uganda, mountain gorillas can be found in Mgahinga gorilla national park and Bwindi Impenetrable national Park, in Congo, they are found in Virunga national park while in Rwanda, they are found in Volcanoes national park. Each country has its own authority that is responsible for the conservation of the mountain gorillas to protect them. Gorilla conservation involves significant investments in research, rangers and scientists and this requires money. Part of the money collected from gorilla permits are directed towards the protection of these incredible primates. To be more specific, about 15% of the money collected goes to the government, about 10% to the local communities and about 75% to gorilla conservation.
Gorilla trekking permits are expensive because mountain gorillas are endangered and the demand to see the gorillas is high. The high numbers of tourists interested in seeing them has forced many governments to raise the price of permits. It is important to note that if the prices for gorilla trekking permits increase gradually because of the increasing number of visitors to the parks; this has affected the overall wellbeing of the few habituated gorilla groups, thus the responsible authorities keep revising the price of the gorilla trekking experience depending on their level and need for conservation. The cost of gorilla trekking differs from country to country and the price of gorilla permits is a fraction of the overall cost of gorilla trekking. You still have to consider transportation, accommodation, food, VISAs, air tickets, packing lists, porters and tips for the Guides.
If you are planning a gorilla trekking experience in Uganda, you must pay attention the cost of a gorilla permit in any of the 3 countries. To be able to visit mountain gorillas in their wild, you will need to acquire a gorilla permit which is simply a document that allows you access to the gorillas. These permits are highly recommended to be booked about 5 months before your travel because the permits are highly competitive with the high demand especially during the peak seasons of January, February, June, July, August, September and December. In Uganda, A mountain gorilla permit cost US$700 for foreign non-resident, US$600 for foreign residents and UGX250,000 for East Africa residents. These prices apply throughout the year
For those who are interested in gorilla habituation experience – an experience offered to visitors who would like to learn the process of making gorillas get used to human visits. Gorilla habituation experience is quite different from gorilla trekking whereby gorilla habituation is a whole day’s experience with a 4 hours allowance to spend with mountain gorillas while gorilla trekking has an allowance of 1 hour to tourists to spend with the gorillas in their wild. This process of gorilla habituation is done for a long period of time and you particular in this process; a gorilla habituation permit costs US$1500. Gorilla trekking Uganda price includes park entry fees, ranger guides fees and advance trackers fees and interacting with the gorillas for one hour.
To reserve a gorilla permit, you need to go through Achieve Global Safaris as your tour operator or one of the government authorities in the respective countries for example in Uganda, the Uganda Wildlife Authority issues out gorilla permits. It is recommended to book your gorilla permit or gorilla habituation permit at least 5 months in advance especially if you are travelling in the peak seasons
Apart from gorilla trekking Uganda price, there are other costs that a traveller must consider while planning for a Uganda gorilla safari, this includes;
The price of accommodation
One of the things you will have to consider while planning your gorilla safari is where to stay during the trip. Visitors are required to stay closer to the park a day before the gorilla trekking experience since the activity always starts very early morning. All the gorilla national parks have accommodations of all ranges from high-end, luxury, mid-range to budget accommodations however, your choice of accommodation largely depends on your budget. You can book these hotels on your own if you planning to do a self-drive but most travellers book the hotels through their tour company since tour operators do get special rates for accommodations and they have accurate information about the locations of the lodges. This is all the more reason why it is better to book your gorilla tour through a reputable tour operator.
The cost of food – While traveling to Uganda, you need to put into consideration the expenses for food, drinks and particularly water. The accommodations do provide food and beverages; you will also still need food when out of the hotel or traveling. However, if you are booked with a tour company, you should not worry about food because it is always taken care of while you travel.
The cost of transport and flights – After securing the gorilla permits and identifying where to stay during the trip, the next thing will be “how to access the gorilla park”. From your country to Uganda you need to know the costs of the air tickets to and from your country of origin and costs of Visa application you need to Visit Uganda. Given the 809 hours’ road drive from Entebbe airport to Bwindi impenetrable national park or Mgahinga national park, you may need to consider a domestic flight to the available airstrips available, Alternatively let your tour operator manage your movements (Transport) with only your single payment of a trip.
Traveling by road may take hours but provides you with a rare opportunity to marvel at the African countryside, landscape, beautiful scenery and the local people going about with their lives. You can get a good picture of a country by observing the countryside and smaller cities. Book a Uganda Gorilla safari with Achieve Global Safaris a tour operator that will guarantee quality services, cater for the important elements of the trip which should include food, accommodation, water, fuel and a safari vehicle and good accommodation facilities.
In conclusion, if you want to cut costs of a gorilla trekking Uganda safari price, eliminate domestic flights within the country since the costs of flights are usually very high and all other unnecessary items. Gorilla trekking Uganda price is not only determined by the cost of the price of the gorilla permit but also other related costs of transportation, international flight tickets and Visa fees, gorilla trekking packing list, accommodations, and other costs of items of personal nature like insurance porters, tipping just to mention a few
