In all mountain gorilla destinations, Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, travelers are advised to book before or pay deposit in advance for the gorilla permits. Despite trekkers paying this advance deposit, they still don’t have clear reasons why the payment has to be made in advance.
In Uganda, the payment is US$700 for foreigners who are non residents, US$600 for foreign residents and UGX 250,000 Ugandan shillings for the East Africans. In Rwanda it is $1500 for all tourists regardless whether they are resident or non-resident. In Democratic Republic of Congo, a gorilla permit goes for $400, however presently gorilla trekking in Congo has been called off but yet to resume in 2019.
Among the three gorillas destination, Democratic Republic of Congo is the least visited due to the civil wars that always disrupt safaris to Virunga national park. In every country, on the trekking day each visitor is supposed to have a valid individual gorilla permit. No permission is granted for any gorilla activity for individuals who don’t have a permit. Therefore, it is important for trekkers to book the permits in advance to avoid last minute disappointments. The following are some of the advantages for advance booking of gorilla permits by tourists.
High demand for the gorilla permits: The experience of gorilla trekking is almost every traveler’s dream.
According to research, about 90% of tourists who come to Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo take gorilla trekking as a first priority. Gorilla permits are issued at first come, first served basis hence definitely “the early bird catches the warm” so the ones who book early have high chances of getting the permits.
Recently, Uganda’s gorilla permits have been on high demand due to Rwanda’s increment of their permits by Rwanda Development Board. This has made Uganda to have scarce permits and a lot of trips cancelled. The demand is too high especially during the peak season months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February.
To secure accommodation lodges and hotels: Booking gorilla permits in advance gives tourist time to also book for their best lodges, while considering aspects like location of the lodge, quality of services versus price.
This is common for bookings in Ugandan gorilla national parks like Bwindi where gorilla trekking is done in four different sectors. It’s then better for trekkers to book lodges that are located in the area that they will trek the gorillas. What makes it interesting is that gorilla permits also display the particular sector to where the visitors will trek. This gives the tour operator to find the appropriate lodge and save travelers’ time during the actual day of trekking.
These sectors are far way from each other and may disrupt travelers who stay in one sector and trek in another sector the next day. Book early because the lodges always get full in the peak season.
To ensure enough preparations: Booking gorilla permits in advance gives travelers enough time to prepare for this once in lifetime adventure. Preparations can be inform of arranging their travel documents, mandatory health requirements and booking flights, etc.
Book your gorilla permit in advance and relieve yourself from looking for money in the last minutes, just sit and wait for your time of trekking. Know that after paying everything concerning the trip, the tour operator takes over by booking lodges, local tour guide and the vehicle.
Gorilla trekking is a life time experience that is remarkable, just book the permit to see the closest human relatives. Make your choice for the adventure in any of the destinations, i.e. Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo and hit the links for the best of our services to organize for you the safaris in any of the three mountain gorilla destinations.