Are gorilla permits refundable .
Gorilla permits are authorization requirements enabling a gorilla trekker to carry out their trekking activities at the allocated family in the designated location on a specific date
Gorilla trekking is an activity that involves moving into the dense forests and mountains in search of the allocated gorilla family to trek for just an hour upon finding by strictly 8 people in 24 hours by the help of a game ranger
Due to high demand for gorilla trekking permits , some gorilla tourists book their gorilla permits in three months, others 6 months or maybe 9 months and others book their permits a year to the actual trekking .
Due to a lot of uncertainties , anything might happen leading to the cancellation of the gorilla trekking permits .
This leads to a rise of questions on whether gorilla permits are refundable or not.
Within the three countries where gorilla trekking activities are carried out , different policies on gorilla permits refunds are applied that is .
In Uganda,
Gorilla permits are issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority and provide a refund based on their gorilla permits cancellation policy that can guide us on the question asked .
Refunds are made by 25% of the trekking fees to the travellers In case the gorilla safari to Uganda is cancelled from 9-45 days of the trekking as Uganda Wildlife Authority retains 75%
A 50% refund of the total trekking fee is refunded in case of cancellation of the trekking activity between 46-90 days to the scheduled trekking date and Uganda Wildlife Authority retains the remaining 50%
Refunds are made by 75% of the tracking fee if the cancellation is made from 91 days and above and Uganda Wildlife Authority retains the remaining 25%
Meantime, it is important to note that Uganda Wildlife Authority does not refund anything if the gorilla trekking tour cancellation is made from 0-8 days to the gorilla trekking date .
Tourists who make deposits are also not refunded as refunds are only given to those who pay full gorilla trekking fee.
In Uganda , the cancellation policy applies to only Uganda Wildlife Authority not safari tour operators as those tour operators have their own terms and conditions in which they operate under.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo ,
Gorilla trekking permit refund policy is similar to that in Uganda and the booking is through the Virunga National Park or a trusted tour operator.
In Rwanda ,
A gorilla permit refund is only given to the trekkers who have successfully reached the back but exhibit signs of sickness by the Rwanda Development Board.
The refund is made by only 50% as the Rwanda Development Board retains the remaining 50%
By and large , it is very important to read and understand the gorilla refund policies in your different gorilla trekking location of interest
