Booking Gorilla Permits through a Tour Company in Uganda. Many questions are usually asked about how to book gorilla permits for Uganda and Rwanda. Purchasing gorilla permits? Gorilla permits booking information, how can I purchase a gorilla permit, where can I buy permits in Uganda and Rwanda, what is the best time for gorilla trekking in Uganda? In our Gorilla Permit Booking Information guide to booking gorilla permits, we answer all these questions. You will need to have your gorilla permit secured in advance to confirm that you are booked for the Gorilla Trekking Experience in Bwindi Forest National Park or Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
Why You Should Book Your Gorilla Permit Through a Local Tour Company
Anthill Safaris is one of the few tour companies or operators that have access to the Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla permit database. We offer 24/7 access to permits for Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and we can check and advise on availability anytime, any day. When you book your gorilla trekking permit through us, we guarantee a fast response about the number of permits available on a given date and month, enabling you to make a proper decision about your visit.
Not all companies in Uganda have the above privilege. Once we find permits, we can also reserve them for a maximum of seven days while we await your payment. Within those seven days, we will send you an invoice for payment. Once you complete the payment, we expect you to send us proof of payment (POP) since money typically takes 3-4 working days to show in our bank account. In most cases, we use our credit to pay for and secure your gorilla permit even before your money appears in our account. We accept both electronic transfers and Credit/Debit card payments, although the latter incurs a 5% surcharge.
As soon as we pay for your gorilla permits at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), we will send you scanned copies of the receipts by email. Two weeks before your trek, we will return to UWA to pick up your gorilla permit cards, which you must present on the day of trekking.
About the Uganda Wildlife Authority Gorilla Permit Online Booking System
To streamline checking availability and reserving gorilla permits in Uganda, the Uganda Wildlife Authority developed an online system. This system allows authorised and selected Tour Operators to check availability and reserve gorilla trekking permits online instantly, without hassle. They introduced this system in 2016, and selected Tour Operators, such as Anthill Safaris, currently use it.
Initially, when a company received an inquiry about gorilla permits and tours, they had to contact the UWA head office staff by phone or drive to their offices to check availability. This became time-consuming and inconvenienced both tour operators and individual tourists. There was no chance of holding or reserving permits for 7 days as there is now, meaning that UWA issued gorilla permits on a first-come, first-served basis to whoever arrived with cash.
Due to so many telephone calls and emails, getting an audience or response became very difficult, which posed a problem for tour operators. With the introduction of this online system, checking gorilla permits has become easy.
Who Can Check Gorilla Permits in Uganda Online?
Ever since Uganda gorilla trekking permits went online, only selected tour operators can view and reserve them. Anthill Safaris is one of the few privileged tour operators that has access to this database, and we typically provide availability to our potential clients as soon as possible.
Best way of securing gorilla permits in Uganda?
Once you have your planned dates of travel confirmed, we will need you to send us an email at info@anthillgorillasafaris.com so that we check for the availability of gorilla habituation permits online with the Uganda Wildlife Authority once we confirm permits are available for your planned dates we will let you know so that we can send you an invoice for you to make payment for the permits. Once the payment is done and we have received it in our account, we will go ahead and purchase your permits immediately and send you a scanned copy of the permits for your records and perusal.
This will confirm you are booked for the Gorilla Trekking Experience in Bwindi Forest National Park. It is advised to book your Gorilla permits in advance, at least 2-3 months before your visit, given the fact that few permits are available per day and sell out very quickly on a first-come, first-served basis.
What Happens When the Gorilla Permit Online System Is Down/Not Working?
Sometimes, the Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla permit online system can experience complications, just like any software. If this gorilla permits, the online system is down or slow, we will call UWA head offices and check availability on your behalf. We also have a representative who regularly visits UWA offices daily and can always assist in checking and reserving your gorilla trek permit.
Can I Book My Gorilla Permit Directly with the Uganda Wildlife Authority?
This is one of the many frequently asked questions from people planning to visit Uganda for gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga. Is it possible? Yes, you can. Booking gorilla permits directly with the Uganda Wildlife Authority requires you to make a phone call or send an email, and one of their reservations staff will reply. They will provide the availability of permits on your requested date and send you an invoice to make a payment to the UWA bank account. Once you make a payment, they will issue your gorilla permit card, and you will have to collect it yourself after providing proof by showing your driving permit or passport.
While this looks like a simple method of booking your gorilla permit, those who have tried calling or sending an email often receive late responses, which can sometimes be frustrating. We have had clients who confirmed how stressful this was. We hope this will improve with time, but at the moment, we encourage you to book your gorilla permit with a recognized Tour company in Uganda to eliminate all this hassle. Contact Anthill Safaris, and you will not regret it at all.
Updates on Uganda Gorilla Permit Price
Currently, the Uganda gorilla permit price to see mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga costs $800 for foreign non-residents, $700 for foreign residents with a working permit, and 300,000 Uganda shillings for citizens of East Africa.
Uganda also offers an opportunity to spend more time with mountain gorillas when you book a gorilla habituation experience permit, which costs $1500 per person for four hours. You can currently undertake Gorilla habituation experience safaris in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Rushaga and Nkuringo. For more information about Gorilla habituation safaris conducted by Anthill Safaris, please click here.
Why Book Your Gorilla Permits in Uganda with Anthill Safaris?
At Anthill Safaris, we provide personalised service with the utmost dedication to our clients’ safety and enjoyment. We commit to the well-being of our staff and guests, as well as to having a positive impact on the communities and wild places our operations reach. On all our operations and safaris, we embrace the environmental ethic “Take Nothing but Photographs, Leave Only Footprints.” All our packages are eco-friendly. Contact us here about companies that can book gorilla permits in Uganda.
