POST COVID19 GORILLA SAFARIS IN UGANDA
Everyone wonders what will happen after the Corona virus (Covid19) has been contained all over the world especially in regards to the tourism industry. Just to remind you that all primate research and tourism was temporarily suspended to protect these endangered creatures from the deadly corona virus. There’s hope for those who would love to proceed and visit the gorillas in their natural habitats in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo as the parks will be re-opened for racking as long as the authorities are assured of safety of these primates.
Post Covid19 Gorilla tracking rules
The rules for tracking will be adjusted to include safety measures to cub any possible transfer of covid19 to the mountain Gorillas.
- Wear your face mask before you set off to go and track the Gorillas in the forest.
- Stay at least 7 meters from the Gorillas.
- Do not touch the Gorillas because it is wild and could attack you in any way.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or handkerchief if you are going to cough or sneeze and keep it in your bag for disposal. You could also cough or sneeze into your bent elbow to avoid infecting the people around you or the Gorillas.
- Keep your voices as low as possible.
- Avoid littering the forest.
- Avoid using the camera flash as you take pictures and short videos of the Gorillas.
- Incase the gorilla charges at you, just crouch down as a sign of surrender.
Cost of the Gorilla permits in Uganda and Rwanda
A gorilla permits costs USD600 and USD500 for non-residents and foreign residents respectively in Uganda. This however applies for dates before July 1st 2020 when the new Charge of USD700 and USD600 will apply for the nonresidents and the foreign residents. East African citizens including Ugandans are required to pay 250,000UGx if they wish to do gorilla tracking in Uganda. Rwanda on the other hand charges USD1500 for anyone intending to track their Gorillas in Volcanoes National Park.
What next for those who had booked their Gorilla permits before Covid19
Here is good news for those who had booked gorilla permits but could not track due to the corona Virus epidemic, Uganda Wildlife authority allowed a free extension of up to 2 years for those who wish to continue and come for Gorilla tracking since they had booked. The tracking dates can be rescheduled at no extra charge through the different travel agencies that helped you book. We understand that the cost of the Gorilla permit will be different at the time covid19 will be contained but this will not affect those permits that were booked dates before July 1st 2020 and could not track due to this global pandemic of Corona Virus.
How and where to book post Covid19 gorilla permits
Gorilla permits are purchased from Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and Rwanda Development Board (RDB) through us as your local agent to make the process much easier and to enable us make all other necessary preparations for your entire trip.
