Are there low season Gorilla permits in Uganda?
It is very interesting to note that Uganda has low seasons gorilla permits.
Low seasons are seasons in Uganda in which the country announces discounted gorilla permits
Gorilla permits in Uganda are certified documents issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority that allows any tourist above the age of 15 years old to trek mountain gorillas in any of their habitats that is Bwindi impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park.
Gorilla permit allows eight gorilla trekkers to visit an assigned gorilla family for strictly an hour in a day .
The trekking activity is guided by an armed game ranger who provides specialized trekking guidance into the forest and ensure security of trekkers.
Gorilla trekking is the act of hiking into forests and mountains in search of habituated gorilla groups and spending an hour with them once they come across the family .
The gorilla permit is issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and it sells it at face value which means the price is the same regardless of where it is bought
It should be noted that there are only 152 gorilla permits available in Uganda to trek 19 gorilla families in the country’s two gorilla trekking zones .
Low seasons in Uganda are made of two phases
The first low seaon starts from mid March and transcends till late May
The second low season runs from late August to late November
During these seasons , there is minimum demand for permits which creates the need to discount in order to keep gorilla trekking activities on going.
Also , during low seasons in the country , accommodation rates tend to reduce making gorilla safaris much cheaper .
It is important to note that low season gorilla trekking permits in Uganda are not fostered by only wet seasons that make hiking the trails difficult but also note that Bwindi is located at a high altitude with tropical rain forest thus it’s climate is influenced by a number of factors and receives rain through out the year be it rainy or dry season .
Therefore, considering gorilla trekking during low season is important in that rain does not rain throughout the day giving room for gorilla trekkers to carry out their activities.
Cost of low season gorilla permits in Uganda .
It costs 450 USD which is a drop from 700USD
Tourists have an advantage of acquiring their permits at anytime Including last minute trekkers due to low demand.
Other activities low season gorilla trekkers engage in
Nature walks
Community tours
Birding .
By and large .low season gorilla permits are easily accessible as long as it has been announced by the respective authorities.
