Uganda Gorilla Permits Cost & price – Uganda Gorilla permit at $700 – Includes and Excludes – cost of Uganda gorilla trekking permits
Uganda gorilla permits cost – Most travelers wonder how much and what is included in the Gorilla permit cost due to its price. It’s undeniable that the high cost of Gorilla permits is a reason why Gorilla safari packages in Uganda are surely luxurious. Every traveler intending to trek Mountain Gorillas must possess a valid Gorilla permit, which allows him/her to access and interact with these endangered species in their natural habitat.
This tells that anyone without a Gorilla permit cannot see the Mountain Gorillas. Gorilla permits in Uganda costs USD700 per person per trek which makes Uganda Gorilla trips undeniable expensive. In most cases, travelers have wondered what makes Gorilla permits expensive compared to other tour packages in Uganda.
Gorilla permit costs in Uganda are determined by Uganda Wildlife Authority a government body responsible for the ten National Parks of Uganda and all the protected areas. The inclusions and exclusions of a Gorilla permit are the following:
One hour observation of the Gorillas
A Gorilla pass allows you to see and spend one hour with the endangered mountain Gorillas once you find them in the jungles of Bwindi forest or Mgahinga Grilla National Park. Without a Gorilla permit no traveler is allowed to access the Gorillas. Within this hour, travelers are allowed to take photos, videos and records of the mountain Gorillas with their amazing human like characters, which make their encounter memorable.
It’s only these records that travelers take home for memories of their African safari to Uganda. For those doing a Gorilla habituation experience, a Gorilla habituation permit allow travelers to spend four hours with mountain Gorillas undergoing habituation. These four hours start counting when you find the fresh trails of the mountain Gorillas. However, Gorilla habituation permits costs USD1500 per person per trek, which is quite high, but the experience is worth it. Gorilla habituation is only done in Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda.
Park Entry Fee
Unlike in open savannah National parks where travelers pay for park entry, travelers to all Gorilla National Parks do not pay park entry fees. Therefore, a Gorilla pass allow travelers to freely enter Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, on their tracking day without any restriction.
Rangers and trackers
On the day of Gorilla tracking, travelers are assigned park rangers to guide and escort them through the jungle. The rangers are fully hired and paid by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Their salary is wholly extracted from revenues collected from the sale of Gorilla permits. All driver guides allocated to travelers by respective travel operators stay at the briefing point and wait for travelers until they come back from watching the Gorillas. Park rangers are armed with guns to scare away wild animals hence assuring the safety travelers in the jungle.
Trackers
Some of park rangers hike into the jungle early before the start of the actual trekking to check out the where about of mountain Gorillas. After finding the them, trackers call back at the headquarters to inform rangers on which directions so as to avoid off tracking saving travelers time and energy. These trackers keep following the Gorillas until rangers and travelers find them.
Mountain Gorillas are wondrous creatures which keep moving from place to place hence require one to keep following them. Interestingly, rangers and trackers go under training in defense and conservation, which ensure safety of travelers and mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat.
Tourism Police
Besides rangers and trackers, there is tourism police in all Gorilla National Parks in Uganda. The police patrols in the forest day and night to check or rebel groups and other wild people who may be hiding in the forest. This gives travelers assurance of peaceful and safe Gorilla adventure.
What’s excluded from Uganda Gorilla Permit costs?
Tips for guides, rangers, trackers and porters are not part of the Gorilla permit cost. Tipping on a Gorilla safari is optional but travelers are required to tip where necessary. Giving a tip is a sign of appreciation for the good service delivered. The amount to tip, who to tip and when to tip is a choice of a traveler entirely. Those who do not tip are not blamed since it’s a choice.
Personal Expenses
Just like any one traveling to a new destination, there are those expenses you cannot forego. Also, travelers who take alcoholic drinks pay for themselves and are therefore cautioned about it.
All in all, Gorilla tracking adventure is the best wildlife experience a traveler can ever get. Book a Gorilla tour to Uganda with Great adventure Safaris, and a Gorilla permit in advance and enjoy a great Gorilla adventure with these majestic creatures in their natural habitats.
