Gorilla Safari Information and Permits - Uganda and Rwanda
No East African safari tour is complete without seeing the Mountain Gorillas. Go on *gorilla safari in Uganda or Rwanda*! Experience an unforgettable meeting with these gentle apes yourself! A gorilla safari is easy to book and we would be happy to provide you with a suitable itinerary. Please check our sample itineraries to obtain ideas for your safari or contact us on email; info@advantage-safaris.com to create a tailor-made tour.
Sample itineraries that include a visit to the mountain gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda:
- Wildlife and Culture Tour in Africa:
Rwanda Gorillas, Culture + Wildlife Tour in Tanzania
- Classic Uganda + Rwanda Safari - 14 Days
Classic Uganda + Rwanda Gorilla Safari
- Rwanda at a Glance - Gorilla trekking 4 Days
Rwanda at Glance - Gorilla Trekking 4 days
*GORILLA PERMITS*
For this once in a lifetime gorilla trekking experience, Great Lakes
Safaris will need to buy your gorilla trekking permit in advance. Only 8
people per group are allowed to trek each day. It is therefore necessary to
book permits as early as possible. We strongly advise you book at least 3
months in advance to ensure that you can track on the requested date,
especially if you plan to trek during the peak season (school holidays) or
you are in a large group.
*Gorilla trekking permits in Uganda*
Uganda gorilla trekking permits cost USD$ 600 per person, inclusive of park
entry fees, and must be paid for in full in advance. Prices may increase in
2013. Uganda gorilla trekking permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife
Authority
*Gorilla trekking permits in Rwanda*
Rwanda gorilla trekking permits increased to $750 in June 2012. They
include park entry fees and must be paid for in full in advance. Rwanda
gorilla trekking permits are issued by the Rwanda Development Board and
will be purchased on your behalf by Great Lakes Safaris.
Sale conditions of the gorilla permits:
- Any visitor who shows signs of a communicable illness (such as a cold or flu) will not be allowed to join the gorilla tour. If a visitor is declared unfit to trek due to illness, 50% of the gorilla tracking fee will be refunded, subject to the discretion of the UWA warden-in-charge. The cancellation policy will apply to visitors who fall sick prior to their travel to the parks.
- Permits are non-refundable. However, visitors who track the Mountains Gorillas for the whole day and are (in the highly unlucky 2% of visitors who don't see them), for whatever reason, will be refunded 50% of the gorilla trekking fee.
- Purchasing a gorilla permit is not a guarantee that Mountains Gorillas will be clearly seen.
- The minimum age limit for visiting the gorillas is 15 years old.
By following these rules and through the purchase of the gorilla trekking permit, YOU too are contributing to the conservation of the mountain gorilla. The wildlife authorities use the funds generated from the sale of your gorilla trekking permit to manage the national parks. Twenty per cent of park entrance fees are invested in local community projects for people living adjacent to the parks - across Uganda. Contributing to these communities' development helps improve natural resource management and gives local people a direct and positive link to conservation and tourism.
*READ MORE...*
Are you planning to be part of a visit to a mountain gorilla family? For information on gorillas, their habitats and conservation, check out the following web sites:
- Friend-a-Gorilla http://www.friendagorilla.org get to know Uganda's gorillas
- The Gorilla Organization http://www.gorillas.org/ pioneers in community-led conservation, at the forefront of the campaign to save the world's last remaining gorillas.
- Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International http://www.gorillafund.org/Helping People. Saving Gorillas.
- Conservation Through Public Health http://www.ctph.org/ gorilla conservation through improving primary health care to communities in and around protected areas
- Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe http://www.berggorilla.de/(Mountain Gorilla & Rain Forest Direct Help) dedicated to the conservation of gorillas, especially the mountain gorillas, and their habitats since 1982.
Recommended literature: - Dian Fossey, Gorillas in the mist (2000) ISBN: 061808360X
- George Schaller, The year of the gorilla (1997) ISBN: 0226736482
- Thor Hanson, The impenetrable forest (2000) ISBN: 0595130186
- Don Cousins, The magnificent gorilla (1990) ISBN: 086332424X
- Georgianne Nienaber, Gorilla dreams (2006) ISBN: 059537669X