Gorilla Trekking Permits
Gorilla Trekking Permits are the identification that shows that a traveler has paid for the gorilla trekking activity and is issued by the tourism body in that country. The endangered gorillas have been the major factor for a large number of tourists coming to Africa during their holidays or vacation and study purposes. Many of these have opted for these African safaris because they want to spend time with the endangered gorillas in their natural habitat. The famously done activity in central and east Africa is gorilla trekking and activity aimed at tracking and locating the gorillas so that you get time to experience the behaviors of these calm giants.
Since many tourists flock the national parks to see these fascinating animals, the bodies that supervise the operations of the national parks had to set up measures to regulate the trekking activity in the national parks and one of the measures they introduced was to introduce the gorilla permits that are used as a get pass for anybody that is to experience the trekking of gorillas.
What is a gorilla permit?
A valid gorilla permit is a requirement that guarantees you a spot to carry out gorilla trekking in any national park that contains the gorillas in Africa. The gorilla permit is an assurance that you will carry out the gorilla trekking and this enables the team that issues them to keep a spot for you in advance.
Gorilla permits are issued differently based on the available habituated gorilla families in the national parks for example; in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the habituated groups are over 12 groups. Only 8 people are allowed to trek each group and this means only 96 gorilla permits are issued for gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Mgahinga National Park, on the other hand, has one group to trek and this means only 8 valid gorilla permits are issued that day. In Rwanda, mountain gorillas are only found in Volcanoes National Park. The park has over ten habituated groups and this means only 80 gorilla permits are issued every day.
The cost of gorilla permits
In Uganda, a gorilla permit goes at a price of $600 USD per person per experience. However, starting in July 2020 gorilla permits will be issued at $700 USD per person per experience. This has been done to improve the funding of conservation of the park and the communities that live next to the national parks in Uganda.
Gorilla permit in Rwanda
In Rwanda, a valid gorilla permit is issued at a cost of $1500 per person per experience. The gorilla permits have been hiked to that price because of the large numbers of tourists that flock Rwanda for gorilla trekking since it is the easiest spot to quickly view the gorillas since Rwanda is a small country and you can easily reach Volcanoes National Park in a short distance drive. Another reason for the highly-priced gorilla permit is the purpose of improving the conservation projects and the people in the communities that live next to the national park.
Gorilla permits in the Democratic Republic of Congo
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the gorilla permits are the cheapest compared to the rest of the countries. The gorilla permits are issued at a cost of $450 USD per person per experience. They have been put at such a low price to attract many more tourists to visit the country to encounter gorilla trekking in the region.
The validity of a gorilla permit
A gorilla permit is valid for the one hour that you will spend with the gorillas and does not involve the time you take while trekking to find the gorillas in the dense forests of the national park. So after the one hour, the gorilla permit is claimed expired and cannot be reused for another gorilla trekking experience.
When to buy the gorilla permit
Travelers that are to encounter into gorilla trekking in Africa, are encouraged to book for gorilla permits in advance, about 5 months before the actual date of gorilla trekking. The gorilla permits are issued on a first come first serve basis since a small number of gorilla permits are issued every day and to avoid disappointments hence you are recommended to book for the gorilla permit in advance.
Where to get the gorilla permits
The gorilla permits are issued by the operators of the national parks for example in Uganda, the Uganda Wildlife Authority issues the gorilla permits from their offices in Kampala the capital of Uganda and other authorized offices that are next to most of the national parks.
Other things to consider before going for gorilla trekking in Africa
The gorilla permit is part of other requirements that one needs to know before heading for gorilla trekking. For one to have the best experience during your gorilla trekking, these are some of the other requirements you need to note before trekking;
- You should not trek when you are sick such as having a cold or having any communicable disease to prevent gorillas from contracting the diseases
- You are recommended not to get into physical contact with the gorillas during trekking. You to be at least 8 m away from the gorillas.
- You are recommended not to eat during the one hour with the gorillas
- You are also advised not to make noise in the presence of the gorillas
- During trekking, you are advised to carry a raincoat and hiking shoes to enable you have a smooth trekking exercise deep in the forests.
Best time to visit the gorillas
The gorillas in Africa can be visited in either the peak season or the low season of the year. However the gorilla permits are available everyday and gorilla trekking is done every day in the national parks regardless where you prefer doing it.
In the high seasons, the rains are less making it favorable to tourists to trek the mountain gorillas. The high seasons occur in the months of January, February, June, July, August, September, and December where there are fewer or no rains at all. During travelling in the high season, travelers are not affected by the weather making gorilla trekking beautiful experience. Most importantly, you should know that the demand for gorilla permits is high and you are recommended to book prior to arrival on your African safari.
In the low season, during the months of March, May, April and November are recorded to have the heavy rains and this limits a great number of tourists. On the other hand, the low seasons are the times of the budget travelers. In this season the prices are on discount because of the low counts of travelers in the region. The accommodation facilities in this low season are very favorable since occupancy rate is low.
Conclusion
Conclusively, for one to have the best, thrilling and adventurous gorilla trekking experience, you need to plan and get all the necessary information including the rules and regulations. The gorilla permit is a crucial requirement that will let you spot the gorillas in their natural habitat in Africa.
