What is Cost of Gorilla Trekking Safari in Uganda or Rwanda
The cost of gorilla trekking tours in Uganda and Rwanda differs according to each country. It is important to note that the price of gorilla permits is just a fraction of the overall cost of gorilla trekking safari tour. In Uganda the price for mountain gorilla trekking permit is $700, Rwanda the permit price is $1500, and Congo it is $400 USD, You still have to consider transportation, accommodation, food, VISAs, air tickets, packing lists, porters and tips for the Guides. But before a tourists embarks on a trekking tour he or she should be able to answer the following questions.
What is the cost of gorilla trekking tour?
How expensive is gorilla trekking?
How Much Does Gorilla permit Cost.
Cost of a gorilla permit: A gorilla permit is a document that allows you access the gorillas in the National parks. In Uganda, gorilla permits cost $700 and in Rwanda $1500. If you are an East African national, you can obtain a gorilla permit in Uganda for 300,000 shillings. For those who are interested in the gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi, you will have to pay $1500 for a permit. The Gorilla habituation experience is quite different from gorilla trekking. It is a whole day’s experience and involves having four hours with mountain gorillas instead of the one hour allocated to tourists during standard gorilla trekking.
The Cost Of Uganda Gorilla Trekking Tours In Relation to Uganda and Rwanda.
Booking a gorilla permit: You need to go through a tour operator or the government authorities in the respective countries to book a permit. In Uganda, the Uganda Wildlife Authority issues out gorilla permits while in Rwanda it is the Rwanda Development board that does the same in Rwanda. It is important to book your gorilla permit or gorilla tour at least 2 months in advance. If you are planning to travel in the peak season (June, July and August), we recommend that you do the booking at least 5 to 6 months before the trip so that you don’t go through the stress of asking different tour companies if they have availability.
Cost of accommodation: One of the things you will have to consider while planning your gorilla tour is where to sleep. All the gorilla national parks have high quality lodges from where you can spend the night. Your choice of accommodation will depend on your budget. The good budget hotels cost anywhere between $50 to $100 dollars a night. Good mid-range hotels cost $150 to $200. The luxury hotels start from $300 to $2500 per night. You can book these hotels on your own if you planning to do a self-drive but most travelers book the hotels through their tour company. For booking a hotel yourself, ensure that it is located close to the starting point of the gorilla family or sector you have been assigned. If you book too far away, you may miss the trek – This is all the more reason why it is better to book your gorilla tour through a reputable tour operator.
Cost of food: While traveling to these countries, you need to take into consideration the expenses for food, drinks and particularly water. The hotels provide this but you are going to need water and food when out of the hotel or traveling. Food and drinks should cost you about $40 each day if you are traveling on your own. If you are planning to buy expensive booze or cigars, you might have to plan for a higher amount per day. If you are booking your travel with a tour company, you should not worry about food. They should take care of the food and water while at the hotel and traveling.
Cost of transport: Air tickets to and from your country of origin can cost $600 to $2500 depending on the airline choice. If you are planning to book chattered flights from within the gorilla trekking country, the price will be another $700. Should you find internal flights way beyond your budget or should you decide that you want to experience more of the African countryside, then traveling by road from the airport is highly recommended. Hiring a car in Rwanda and Uganda will cost you about $70 a day excluding fuel and a driver. Expect to travel on the road for long hours especially if you are tracking in Uganda. It takes between 8 and 10 hours of driving to reach Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable Park from Entebbe international airport. The driving distance from Kigali International Airport to the Volcanoes National Park is 2 hours.
Arranging your own travel in an unfamiliar and developing country can be complicated. It is why most travelers leave the issue of transport, permits and accommodation to their chosen tour operators so that they are only left with the task of showing up at the airport. It is also important to note that only a few tour companies are willing to book air tickets on behalf of their clients.
Cost of items on the gorilla trekking packing list: You will need to travel with a good camera, insect repellents, sunscreen, hiking boots, hand gloves, a binocular and a rain jacket. These are all hidden costs that need to be taken into consideration apart from the gorilla permit itself.
Visas and border crossing: Gorilla trekking often involves crossing borders between Uganda and Rwanda. Those who find the price of gorilla permits in Rwanda too high can choose to track the gorillas in Uganda instead but arrive through Kigali to avoid traveling for 8 hours from Entebbe or Uganda’s capital Kampala. Gorilla trekking from Uganda through Kigali involves paying a VISA fee of $50 at either the Katuna or Cyanika border crossings. The East African tourist visa can also be acquired at a cost of $100 for those who are combing safaris in different East African countries.
Yellow Fever vaccination card: It is an important requirement for entering all the three countries. If you read reviews about gorilla trekking, you will learn that yellow fever vaccination cards are one of the key documents asked at the airport and while crossing borders. If you are planning to travel to most African countries, you need to have one.
Covid 19 Vaccination certificate: The cost of the PCR test was $65 usd and now it costs $30 for both the returnees and those travelling out of Uganda, .If you are travelling to Uganda, you will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test certificate, issued no more than 120 hours before boarding the aircraft or crossing land borders. Foreign nationals without a valid negative test certificate will be denied entry. Infants aged three and under are exempt when accompanying parents arrive with a negative test certificate
Cost of porters: If you intend to travel with heavy equipment, bags or video cameras, you will need to hire a porter to help you carry them while tracking the gorillas. The porters can also help you carry packed lunch and lend a hand during the difficult sections of the trek. Gorilla trekking for the elderly is more complicated because they would need to use Sedan chairs and hire about eight porters to lift them up to the tracking point. It can cost about $400usd to hire a Sedan chair and the porters to carry it. Porters live close to the gorilla parks and hiring a porter costs about $15. By hiring these porters, you contribute to their general well-being and indirectly help them support their families.
Tips for the Guide/Driver, Park Rangers: Guides and Rangers will go out of their way to make sure that your time with them was perfect and memorable. Out of courtesy, you might decide to show your appreciation for the work done by giving them a tip. The amount depends entirely on you.
In conclusion, the cost of gorilla trekking safari tour depends on how many days you set aside for the activity.
A. 1 day gorilla tour in Uganda will cost about $970 usd per person if traveling with someone.
B. 2 days Uganda gorilla tour will cost about $1080usd per person if traveling two.
C. 3 days gorilla tour in Uganda will cost $1350usd per person if traveling with someone.
If you are planning to track the gorillas in Rwanda, add $900usd to the prices above to get an estimate of your overall expenditure. Luxury gorilla tours can cost $1600 to $5000usd. These prices do not include air tickets, tips, alcoholic beverages and any expenses that appear personal in nature.
Traveling alone is more expensive because you have to pay for transport, accommodation and fuel yourself. Moreover, it is important to note that companies add some markup costs to the overall trip to cater for administrative services like Guides, office staff and office functionality.
The cost of Gorilla trekking tour in Uganda and Rwanda depends on a number of factors involved and these are what we need to look at
1.Gorilla Permit Cost: The Gorilla permits largely determine the cost of Gorilla trekking in Uganda. The permits now costs $700usd for foreign nonresidents, $600usd for foreign residents of East African countries that is Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan and 300,000 UGX for East African citizens.
Cost of Gorilla Trekking Safari Tour in Brief.
2.The Gorilla Habituation Experience permit: This costs $1,500USD for foreign nonresidents, $1,000 USD for foreign residents in East Africa and 750,000 UGX for East African Citizens.
3.The Vehicles for Hire: It is important to know that Gorilla trekking takes place in Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga national park and getting to both places is not a smooth ride. The longer parts of the journeys are all smooth on tarmac roads but you will most likely need a 4X4 vehicle to get to the National parks.
Bwindi itself has four sectors in which the trek takes place that is; Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo and each of them has different challenges in terms of roads and vehicle requirements. Small vehicles can be hired at $45 to $60 per day, a medium 4X4 goes for $80 to $100 per day whereas comfortable jeeps and Land Cruisers range between $200 to $300 a day. All of these different price ranges are only for car hire / rental without fuel.
4.Accommodation: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi or Mgahinga involves booking accommodation for at least 1 night within the area and as such, the type of accommodation facility you choose, also determines your Uganda Gorilla trekking cost.
Budget accommodation ranges between $30 to $60 per night, mid-range at $80 to $180, Luxury accommodation Bwindi $200 to $500 and upmarket facilities go for $800 to $3000 per night. All the prices are usually per room, per night on bed and breakfast basis so it might be slightly different if you are booking a full board package.
Porters: These come in handy and can enhance your Gorilla trekking experience as they help with your equipment and can give a helping hand during the difficult points of the trek. Porters can be hired at $10 to $20 each, per trek depending on what is to be carried.
Tour Cost for 3 days gorilla trekking per person on this Uganda Safari Holiday (including us $700 for gorilla trek)
| Group Size | 2 persons | 3 persons | 4 persons | 5 persons | 6 persons | SRS |
| Budget per person | 1190 | 1100 | 1050 | 1000 | 878 | 70 |
| Luxury per person | 1950 | 1750 | 1600 | 1520 | 1490 | 150 |
Tour cost includes:
Mountain Gorillas tracking permit at $700 USD, Full board accommodation with all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), bottled drinking water on safari, private 4×4 ground transportation with an English speaking driver guide, guides in national parks.
Excluded:Flight tickets and departure taxes, travel documentation (visas), travel and medical insurance, optional excursions, tips and gratiuties for your guides and accommodation staff, Laundry, beverages other than mineral water in the vehicle and at meal times with meals, -Items of a personal nature such as telephone calls, postage fees and so on.
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