The cost of watching the gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda is not so expensive as people think. Gorilla watching (also known as Gorilla tracking) involves hiking through the thick forest in search of habituated Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat to learn about how they live each day.
Gorilla tracking has in the recent past become the major tourism activity in the Rwanda and Uganda Republics contributing the highest percentage of the general revenue from the tourism sector.
The mountain gorillas live in the high mountains of these two countries in Volcanoes and Bwindi National Parks and have been habituated for the visitors to watch them in close range without any change of their natural behavior.
The gorillas live in families headed by the dominant male known as Silverback or sometimes black back. The dominant male determines the daily activities of the gorilla group and also plays the role of guarding the family against intruders.
The male is also responsible for the production of children and any offspring that are not for the dominant male are at risk of being killed.
Families are formed out of disagreements with the existing groups as males fight for dominance and those who disagree sometimes leave the main group with some members giving birth to a new gorilla family.
Permit costs in Rwanda
Rwanda has the best conservation practices in the region which explains the highest charges than other countries. Gorilla permits are charged $1500 per person in Rwanda and this applies to residents and nonresidents.
This charge covers park entrance and guiding fees throughout the tracking process. The visitors will then be allowed to spend a full hour with the Gorillas as they take memorable pictures and having all their questions answered by the guide.
Cost of Gorilla permits in Uganda
Uganda is undoubtedly the home to the largest population of Mountain Gorillas in the world offering the best opportunities for watching them up-close.
The charge is $700 per person for foreign nonresidents, $600 for foreign residents, and 250,000 Uganda shillings for all East African residents. Uganda offers the best chances for watching the Gorillas that you wouldn’t want to miss on your list of activities.
Gorillas are seen in two places in Uganda in Bwindi forest National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park of the Virunga ranges. The cost covers the entrance and guidance and a tracking certificate that will be given to you.
Where to get the gorilla permits
Gorilla permits are issued by authorized government agencies in the respective countries. Uganda wildlife Authority is the only government body in Uganda responsible for the issuance of Gorilla permits.
Rwanda Development Board is also responsible for the issuance of permits in the Republic of Rwanda. The permits can be acquired through trusted government local travel companies.
We encourage booking the permits early enough to avoid missing the desired dates, unlike the Covid 19 pandemic days, gorilla permits are always in high demand by travelers from all over the world.
A period of 3 months and above is encouraged for all the guests to make it easy for you to plan your trip after getting the tracking date.
