Gorilla trekking is one of the famous activities that has brought in a lot visitors in the park every year coming in to see the habituated gorillas in their natural habitat. Habituated gorillas are the once that are frequently used to seeing the sight of humans, the process is known as Gorilla Habituation where by the gorillas under a process for about 2-3 years until when they are ready for trekking.

Gorilla trekking in Uganda is conducted in two national parks i.e. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park which is a home to over half of the worlds remaining population distributed in all the four sectors of the park, that’s Rushaga, Buhoma, Nkuringo and Ruhija. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park all both situated in south western Uganda. Other national parks with gorillas are Volcanoes National Park Rwanda and Virunga National Park found in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Below is some of the guiding information to help you know when you can book your gorilla trekking permit.

Research and Planning: Start your research and planning at least 6 to 12 months before your intended trekking date. This will give you ample time to gather information about the available destinations, permit costs, and associated logistics.

Peak Seasons: Gorilla trekking is popular year-round, but certain months tend to be busier than others. Peak seasons typically include the months of June to September and December to February. During these periods, demand for permits is higher, and they can sell out quickly. Therefore, consider booking well in advance, at least 6 to 12 months ahead, if you plan to trek during peak seasons.

Low Seasons: If you prefer to visit during the low seasons, which are generally the rainy months, there may be more availability and flexibility in securing permits. The months of March to May and October to November are considered low seasons in some gorilla trekking destinations. Booking 3 to 6 months ahead may be sufficient during these periods.

Group Size: The number of permits available for each gorilla group is limited to ensure the conservation of these endangered animals. If you plan to trek with a larger group, it’s advisable to book even earlier, as securing a larger number of permits may be more challenging.

For more information on gorilla permit bookings, reach to us at adventure in the wild safaris once you have decided on your preferred destination for gorilla trekking, we will provide you with up-to-date information on permit availability and assist you in securing the permits.

Remember, the booking procedures and lead times may vary depending on the specific country or park where you plan to undertake the gorilla trek. Therefore, it is crucial to do thorough research and consult with local authorities or experienced tour operators to ensure a successful booking.

How to book Uganda trekking permits

There are two available options of booking Uganda gorilla trekking, the first option is to book directly through Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) a government in charge of all the national parks in Uganda. You can contact them via E-mail or through telephone calls inquiring about the availability of the permits depending your desired dates, in case they are not available, you will be asked to choose other dates and a confirmation will be made and after you will be asked to make payments for the permits. once payment is received, you will be asked to send scanned copies of your passports details and they will send you scanned copies of your paid permits with the dates when you will be tracking the gorillas and the sector from which you will do the tracking as the confirmation.

Alternatively, the second option and often the easiest is to book with one of the trusted tour operator companies like Adventure in the wild safaris, you will provide us with your details when you want to visit, the month, dates of your travel and the year. we will check for the availability of the permits on your preferred dates. If so, you will be asked to make payments and also send scanned copies of your passport and we will purchase the permits on your behalf. Besides purchasing the permits, we can also organize for you the entire safari in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and the DRC. we will take care of your transportation, accommodation booking, among other various activities that you may wish to do and also visit to other national parks.

cost of Uganda Gorilla trekking permits 2023-2024

Uganda gorilla trekking cost 700 USD per person for foreign nonresidents, 600 USD per person for foreign residents and 250,000 UGX per person for East African Citizens.

Best time to book Uganda gorilla trekking permits 2023-2024

All travelers having interest in gorilla trekking, are advised to book their permits 3 to 6 month in advance before the actual tracking date because the permits are competitive and get sold out quickly most especially during the peak season which is also the dry season of the year during the month of June, July, August, September to December, January and February these months are characterized with little or no rainfall at all. Therefore, to avoid las minute disappointments, you are advised to book the permits early in advance.

Other gorilla trekking destinations include;

Rwanda gorilla permits cost USD 1,500 Per person per day, Rwanda permits can be booked directly through Rwanda Development Board or through a trusted operator company organizing safari trips to Rwanda.
whereas Congo gorilla trekking permits costs USD 400 per person per day.
for the visitors who book their safari trip with us, we normally take care of their permit bookings are all the necessary arrangements to make dure that they enjoy the best of their gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.