Gorilla Permits. Uganda gorilla permits, Rwanda gorilla permits, gorilla trek permits, mountain gorilla permits, gorilla permits Uganda, gorilla permits Rwanda, trek permits Uganda, Gorilla permits.
Telephone us at +447908639450 or +256.772.370.111 watsapp or Email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your gorilla permit trekking date for Rwanda, Uganda or DRC and self drive or with driver 4x4 car rental requirements in Uganda, Rwanda or DRC.
A gorilla trek in Uganda, Rwanda, or DRC gives one the rare opportunity of visiting the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat in the Virunga mountain ranges of Uganda in Bwindi National Park, Rwanda in Volcanoes National Park and DRC in Virunga National Park. Trekking gorillas in the forest is for many visitors a once in a lifetime travel opportunity for visitors to Uganda, Rwanda and DRC. In addition to our self drive 4x4 car hire services in Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi as well as DRC, we assist with purchase of gorilla permits for Rwanda gorilla treks, Uganda gorilla treks and DRC gorilla treks in Virunga across the border with Rwanda and Uganda in Goma. We will assist with securing your gorilla permit, putting together a gorilla trek tour if services are required as well as booking accommodations in Bwindi Uganda, Goma DRC or Volcanoes National Park in Uganda.
We provide very thorough and detailed gorilla permit booking information, advise availability of gorilla permits in Rwanda and gorilla permits for Rwanda almost in real-time within 30 minutes of receiving your gorilla permits availability enquiry. We will also advise availability for DRC Virunga gorilla permits within 1 day of receipt of your enquiry. Uganda gorilla permits currently cost US$600 all year round. The gorilla permit discounts that were previously offered by the Uganda Wildlife Authority in April, May and November of each year have since been discontinued ever since Rwanda raised the price of Rwanda gorilla permits to US$1500 sometime in May of 2017. DRC Virunga gorilla trek permits cost the cheapest at US$400. Our information providing service will offer you reliable, current and independent advice on price of gorilla permits, availability of gorilla permits, gorilla permits sectors in Bwindi Uganda, gorilla families, gorilla groups, how the gorilla permits allocation process works for Volcanoes National Park Rwanda, Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda.
In addition we provide professional advice and useful practical information on gorilla trekking in Rwanda, gorilla treks in Uganda, Virunga DRC gorilla treks on how to book gorilla permits, dates when gorilla permits are available, the best places to trek gorillas, how to get to Bwindi, Volcanoes National Park and Virunga National Park, when to visit the gorillas, what to expect when visiting the gorillas, what to pack when visiting gorillas, how to behave infront of the gorillas and lots of other gorilla trekking information that you will find extremely useful for the memorable visit to the gorillas of Rwanda, gorillas of Uganda and gorillas of Virunga in DRC. If you are planning to visit the gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda and DRC it is extremely important and advisable to purchase your gorilla permits well in advance as gorilla permits can and do sell out weeks or sometimes months in advance especially during the peak gorilla trekking season months of July, August, December and January. You may secure your gorilla permit through us by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. our dedicated gorilla permits purchase desk will speedily secure the gorilla permit for you, well before we can even start talking about the possibility of hiring a 4x4 either for self drive or with driver from us from our Kampala, Entebbe or Kigali car rental offices. For very rentals over 10 days, we assist you with the gorilla permits purchase for free, otherwise we charge US$50 admin and service fee per gorilla permit to cover our administration overheads.
If you are travelling to Uganda, Rwanda or DRC for gorilla trekking and are struggling to get hold of RDB, UWA or the Virunga park authorities for purchasing of your gorilla permit, we are here to assist you with the associated headaches of trying to get a gorilla permit for your gorilla trek. We have offices in Kampala and Kigali that are capable of securing a gorilla permit for you within hours of receiving payment for your gorilla permit from you. These teams are specialists and experts at getting gorilla permits when no other people can. The gorilla trekking experience through the tropical rainforests of Bwindi, Volcanoes National Park and Virunga is one of the top visitor attractions to Uganda, Rwanda or DRC but comes at a price. Rwanda charges US$1500 for this once in a lifetime experience, Ugandan charges US$600 per gorilla permit, while DRC still asks for US$400 per gorilla permit. When Rwanda doubled gorilla permits’ prices from US$750 to US$1500 overnight, Uganda and DRC did not follow suit and held their gorilla permits prices to US$600 and US$600 respectively. At the time of Rwanda’s gorilla permit price doubling adventure travel experts warned that the gorilla trekking business would shift across the border to Uganda. This seems to be exactly what happened. It is now increasingly difficult to get a gorilla permit for gorilla treks in Uganda, as most dates are fully booked months in advance. Rwanda overnight turned into a transit point for gorilla trekkers, arriving at Kigali airport where they collect their self drive 4x4 cars from our Kigali rental depot, drive towards the Cyanika border crossing in Uganda, cross over into Mgahinga or Bwindi, trek the gorillas and still exit via Kigali airport for their next destination.
Book your Uganda 2018/2019/2020 Bwindi gorilla trek permit for your Uganda gorilla tracking tour in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park. There is only a limited number of gorilla permits available for gorilla treks on each day, so early gorilla permits booking is recommended for one to have a chance of meeting the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Uganda Wildlife Authority only makes available 96 gorilla permits per day for Bwindi National Park (88 permits for 11 gorilla groups) and Mgahinga National Park (8 permits for one gorilla group). Due to the high demand of gorilla permits in the peak seasons, it is extremely difficult to get gorilla permits.
Standard email response to an enquiry for purchase of gorilla permits for Rwanda.
Dear sir/Ma'am .
Many thanks for your Rwanda gorilla permits enquiry.
We would need to secure the permits asap as permits sell out weeks and sometimes months in advance.
At the moment there is still permits left available for your preferred gorilla trekking date range.
Please advise preferred gorilla trekking date.
Each Rwanda gorilla permit when purchased through us costs US$1550 inclusive of service and admin fees.
If you would consider trekking the gorillas across the border in Uganda, gorilla permits cost US$650 when purchased through us, inclusive of service and admin fees and US$450 if trekking in Virunga National Park DRC.
We would need full names, nationalities and passport numbers as these get printed on the permits.
Upon purchase of the permits, we shall scan and email you copies. The originals will be also be delivered to you on arrival to Kigali.
Payment would be into our US$ denominated NATWEST UK bank account or direct into our Kigali/Kampala bank account.
I would send you a formal invoice with banking details.
If required, we also provide car rental both self drive and with driver.
Self drive Toyota Rav4, 4x4 at US$70 per day, exclusive of fuel, inclusive of comprehensive insurance and on un-limited mileage basis.
If you prefer to have a driver guide, the chargeable rate would be US$120 per day, exclusive of fuel, inclusive of comprehensive insurance and on un-limited mileage basis. The rate is inclusive of driver fees, driver meals and driver accommodation.
We also offer larger vehicles if preferred, self drive Toyota Land Cruiser Prado at US$120 per day or with driver at US$160 per day on the same rental terms as for the Rav4 above.
Payment for car rental can be made in cash USD on arrival to Kigali.
We also provide motorcycle rental in Kigali, Kampala and Entebbe. We have a range of motorbikes on rental in Uganda and Rwanda including 100cc motorcycles, 250cc motorbikes and 700cc motorcycles in Uganda.
You would ideally need to spend the night prior to the gorilla trek in the PNV area as you would be expected to be at park headquarters for the pre trekking briefing very early in the morning (06:45am) on each trekking day.
We assist with accommodation bookings if required at the accommodation of your choice in Volcanoes National Park.
Double room;
Kinigi Guest House-US$70 per night BB basis.
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge- US$360 per night per room, full board basis.
Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge-US$280 per night, per room, full board basis.
Email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your gorilla permit trekking date and self drive or with driver 4x4 car rental.
Who can track the gorillas.
Almost everybody above the age of 15 years can trek the gorillas. Gorilla trekkers should be fit and in good health. Some gorilla trekking groups are much more strenuous to trek than others. For example in Rwanda the Susa group and in Uganda the Nkuringo gorilla family require very good fitness levels as the gorillas tend to range further high up in the mountains. It is not uncommon for gorilla trekkers to be trekking for over 8 hours in the thick forests at heights of up to 3,000 metres navigating through thickets and steep slippery mountains before they can find the gorillas. Gorilla groups are allocated on the morning of the trek in Rwanda when clients assemble at park headquarters at 7am for pre-gorilla trekking briefing. One is usually able to ask to be allocated a gorilla group of their choice. Usually your request will be accommodated especially if you have fitness and health concerns. In Uganda if you prefer to trek an easier group of 2-4hours of trekking then we recommend that you secure gorilla permits for the Buhoma Sector among others. For disabled and elderly gorilla trekkers, porters are available in both Uganda’s Bwindi and Rwanda’s Volcanoes National park’s gorilla trekking starting points at a small fee. To protect the gorillas from disease people who are sick on the day of the gorilla tracking are advised to stay away in order to minimise the possibility of transmitting the disease to the fragile gorillas. It is also the reason why visitors are asked to maintain a distance of seven meters (about 22 feet) from the gorillas.
Gorilla tracking permits availability.
There is only a limited number of gorilla permits available for trekking on each day in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, Uganda’s Bwindi National Park and DRC’s Virunga National Park. It is therefore imperative that you book your gorilla permits well in advance, especially months in advance for gorilla treks scheduled to take place in the peak season months of June-September and December-February. Gorilla permits need to be paid for in full as early as you can to avoid disappointment with your entire trip especially if the major reason for your travel to Uganda, Rwanda and DRC is to trek the gorillas. A delay in payment for the mountain gorilla permits can result in unavailability of gorilla permits for your preferred mountain gorilla trekking dates. For socially responsible travelers, you will be pleased to note that a good percentage of the gorilla permit fees is given to the local communities living on the outskirts of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda and Mgahinga park in Uganda. Gorilla trekking permits are non-transferable and non-refundable except for serious medical reasons where a hospital medical certificate ought to be provided to qualify for a reschedule of the gorilla trek to a future specified date. All gorilla permits fees refunds are always at the discretion of RDB or UWA and totally outside our company’s control.
Gorilla tracking guidelines.
On the morning of the gorilla trekking day at 7am, trekkers are expected to assemble at park headquarters in Volcanoes National Park Rwanda or Bwindi park headquarters in Uganda at the respective gorilla trekking family starting point for pre-gorilla trekking. The head rangers will explain the rules that must be followed when tracking the gorillas. These rules and guidelines are meant for both your protection and the protection of the gorillas. The gorilla tracking guidelines and rules must be followed at all times. We recommend that you arrange transportation in a self drive 4x4 or with driver 4x4 from us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as the tourism authorities do not arrange transportation on gorilla trekking day and the permit fee is exclusive of the transportation on the day of the gorilla tracking. The gorilla permit fee however includes park entrance fees and fees for the range guides, even though tipping to the rangers is allowed and encouraged on average US$10 per ranger guide per day as a tipping guideline. When you find the gorillas you are asked to keep a distance of at least7 metres from the gorillas. Flash photography is not allowed. Personal DVD recorders or camera recording is permitted. For professional filming, gorilla filming permits can be arranged by our team. Simply email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we shall check availability of filming permits asap.
GORILLA PARKS AND GORILLA FAMILIES
The Mountain gorillas live in Bwindi Uganda, Mgahinga Uganda, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda and the Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
UGANDA
Uganda has 12 habituated gorilla families with 8 permits available daily for each gorilla family group. Uganda thus has only 96 gorilla permits available for gorilla tracking on any given day. 11 of Uganda’s gorilla families that are habituated live in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, with one gorilla family living in Mgahinga National Park of Uganda. Trekking the gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable forest can take anything from 3-9hrs depending on the gorilla family that you are tracking and how high up in the mountains the gorillas range.
5 of Bwindi’s Gorilla families which are Mubare gorilla family, Habinyanja gorilla family, Oruzogo gorilla family, Bitukura gorilla family and Rushegura gorilla family are accessed from Buhoma in the north as the gorilla tracking base. The other 6 gorilla families of Nkuringo gorilla group, Nshongi gorilla group, Kahunje gorilla group, Busigye gorilla group, Bikingi gorilla group and Bweza gorilla group can be tracked from Southern Bwindi, which is accessed from Kisoro in Uganda. Gorilla trackers arriving at Kigali are encouraged to track the gorilla families in Southern Bwindi because of ease of access through Cyanika border crossing from Rwanda.
The Mubare Family:
12 members including 1 silverback.
Mubare is the oldest habituated gorilla group in Bwindi. The group is named after the Mubare Hills, where the family was first spotted and was habituated between 1991 and 1993. The family is led by silverback Kanyonyi.
The Habinyanja Family: 17 members with 1 silverbacks.
Habinyanja means ‘body of water.’ This family was habituated in 1997. It was a massive family group that split into two families, the other being the Rushegura family.
The Oruzogo Family: 17 members including 3 silverbacks.
The group was named after the local name of a common plant in this gorilla family’s home range.
The Bitukura Family: 13 members including 4 silverbacks
The Bitukura gorilla family is one of the newer groups in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and was named after the Bitukura River. This gorilla group was first tracked in 2008.
The Rushegura Family: 16 members with 1 silverback
The Rushegura gorilla family was habituated in 2000. It is named after the place where this group separated from the larger family of Habinyanja. Its name is derived from a tree species that grows in their home area, ‘Ebishegura’. They are a calm group and sometimes visits nearby villages and lodges.
The Nkuringo Family: 12 members with 2 silverbacks
The Nkuringo Gorilla family was named after the Nkuringo Hill where the group was first spotted. They were originally habituated in 2004.
The Nshongi Family: 7 members with 1 silverback.
The Nshongi gorilla group was named after the river close to where this gorilla family was first sighted. Nshongi was the largest group to be habituated and were first tracked in 2009.
The Kahungye Family: 18 members including 4 silverbacks.
The group was named after the Kahungye Hill. The Kahungye gorilla group has been tracked since 2011.
The Busigye Family: 9 members including 1 silverback.
The Bikingi Family: 15 members including 1 silverback.
The Bweza Family: 12 members including 2 silverbacks.
UGANDA
Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park is home to one habituated gorilla family.
Tracking in Mgahinga (and Rwanda) is usually easier than Bwindi as the tropical rain forest is lighter and easier to navigate.
The Nyakagezi Family: 10 members, including 5 silverbacks.
Although this group gained a reputation for being nomadic (crossing the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC) they have been resident in Uganda for nearly three years. They are the oldest habituated mountain gorilla group in Uganda.
RWANDA
Parc National des Volcans (PNV) or Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda has 12 habituated gorilla families with 8 permits available each gorilla tracking day for each gorilla group. Rwanda therefore only has 96 gorilla permits available for each gorilla tracking day.
These gorilla groups include Susa gorilla group, Karisimbi gorilla group, Sabyinyo gorilla group, Amahoro gorilla group, Umubano gorilla group, Kwitonda gorilla group, Hirwa gorilla group, Agashya gorilla group, Bwenge gorilla group and Ugyenda gorilla group. Most gorilla groups require about 3-5hrs for tracking with the exception of the Susa group which can take about 8 hours to track. We thus recommend that you only track the Susa gorilla group if you are fairly fit.
The Susa group: 28 members including 3 silverbacks.
Susa gorilla group was the largest gorilla group before it split into 2 gorilla groups and was named after the Susa river. It was the group originally studied by Dian Fossey and is popular because of a pair of twins, Byishimo and Impano.
The Karisimbi group: 15 members including 3 silverbacks.
This is the gorilla group family that split from the original Susa family. It has 15 members and it always stays in the lower slopes of Karisimbi Volcano.
The Sabyinyo group: 12 members including 2 silverbacks.
The Sabyinyo gorilla group was named after the Sabyinyo Volcano. Sabyinyo means ‘old man’s teeth’. The Sabyinyo gorilla group is known to stay between the mts Sabyinyo and Gahinga.
The Amahoro group: 17 members including 1 silverback.
Amahoro means ‘peaceful’ , hence the name given to the Amahoro gorilla group because of their gentleness and peaceful nature.
The Umubano group: 11 members including 1 silverback.
Umubano means ‘live together’. The Umubano gorilla group originally formed when it split from the Amahoro group. They still share much of the same territory and there is a peaceful relationship between The Umubano gorillas and the Amahoro gorillas.
The Kwitonda group: 18 members including 2 silverbacks.
Kwitonda means ‘humble one’, a name given to the group after the name of their dominant silverback. They generally stay on the lower slopes of Mount Muhavura but are one of the more difficult gorilla group to track.
The Hirwa group: 12 members including 1 silverback.
Hirwa means ‘lucky one’. Hirwa is a new group that was formed gorillas from Sabyinyo group and Group 13 merged. They have twins gorillas and are usually on Mount Sabyinyo.
The Agasha group: 25 members including 2 silverbacks.
Agasha means ‘the news’. The Agasha group was previously known as Group 13 but was renamed when Agasha challenged the dominant silverback by leading the group away from him and assimilating other individuals from other gorilla groups.
The Bwenge group: 10 members including 1 silverback.
Bwenge means ‘brightness’ and shares much of their territory with the Ugyenda group on Mount Visoke..
The Ugyenda group: 11 members including 1 silverback.
Ugyenda means ‘departure’. The group usually stays around the Mount Visoke region. This is one of the easier gorilla groups to track.
Telephone us at +447908639450 or +256.772.370.111 WATSAPP or Email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your gorilla permit trekking date for Rwanda, Uganda or DRC and self drive or with driver 4x4 car rental requirements in Uganda, Rwanda or DRC.
