Mountain Gorilla Tracking Permits in Uganda
Mountain Gorilla Tracking Permits in Uganda
With a limit of 8 permits per day per habituated family, it can be difficult to find permits during the peak travel months of July, August, September, and December. Thus, it is essential to procure permits prior to confirming any other travel arrangements. Permits may be purchased either directly from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) office in Kampala or from a Tour Operator.
From the 1st of January, 2014 Gorilla permits were increased to $600 each. This is still lower than the $750 per permit charged in Rwanda. For those on a tight budget, Uganda often offers discounted permits during less popular travel periods (April, May, November). Feel free to contact us if you would like to recieve an update on discounted permits.
How to Purchase a Gorilla Tracking Permit in Uganda
You may contact UWA directly to make inquiries and purchases directly at info@ugandawildlife.org or by telephone at +256 0414 355 000. Currently payment is only accepted by bank transfer. It is expected that sometime in 2014 UWA will be launching some sort of online gorilla permit system to make it easier for visitors to purchase permits directly from UWA.
The As the process of purchasing permits directly for UWA can be quite cumbersome, E-Trip Africa can organize the purchase of Gorilla Permits out of our Entebbe Office. We do not charge any additional fee for this service for clients that are booking a tour with us. For those who will be arranging their own travel or who wish to travel with another tour operator, we charge a $50 administrative fee per permit to offset the costs associated with the service.
Discounted Permits
Tracking permits for the months of April and May 2014 are available for $350 per permit.
Purchasing Your Permits with E-Trip Africa
1. Contact us with your travel dates (or estimated travel dates), the Zone that you are considering visiting, and any prefered sector that you would like to visit during your trip.
2. We will get back to you with the currently availability that corresponds with your request.
3. Inform us of your 1st and 2nd preference of sectors and dates.
4. We issue an invoice which can be paid by credit card.
5. We purchase the permits and provide you with proof of payment to UWA. In the event that your sector or dates are no longer available, we will contact you with additional options. If you are not satisfied with the alternative dates or sectors, we will immediately issue a full refund.
6. You send us a copy of your passport.
7. We register the permits in your name and have them issued.
From the time of your initial contact to the issuing of your permits usually takes between 24 and 48 hours.
Permit Cancellation Policy
In the event that you are required to cancel your permits for any reason, Uganda Wildlife Authority will issue the following refund:
0-8 days prior to tracking date = 0% refund
9-45 days prior to tracking date = 25% refund
46-90 days prior to tracking date = 50% refund
91+ days prior to tracking date = 75% refund
There are no refunds for any promotional/discounted permits that are cancelled.
Resale of Permits
In the even that you are not able to use your tracking permit; it is often more advantages to attempt to sell your permit to another company or person rather than cancelling it. We can assist you in this process, with the use of our extensive network between Tour Operators. Most permits easily resell if there is sufficient time prior to the tracking date.
Reservation of Permits with a Deposit
Under Uganda Wildlife Authority regulations, we can reserve permits up to 2 years in advance with a deposit of 30% paid at the time of the reservation. The balance must be paid 91 days prior to the tracking date, or the reservation is automatically released with no refund. If you are considering tracking gorillas 6 months or more in advance, you may contact us to reserve permits with a deposit. Deposits are non-refundable.
Ownership of Your Permit
Once you have purchased your permit from E-Trip Africa it belongs to you. In the event that you opt to travel with another tour company or to make reservations on your own, we will send your permits to the other operator or to your hotel at your request. However, due to high administrative costs associated with the procurement of permits, we will invoice you an administrative fee of $50 per permit.