Mountain gorillas live in social groups of 5-30 individuals led by the dominating Silverback known as the Silverback; the female gorillas reach sexual maturity at an earlier age before the male gorillas. The female gorilla can give birth to 4-6 off springs in a life time and have 1-2 fertile days in a month, baby gorillas are vulnerable like human babies at the time of birth.
Mountain gorillas are an endangered species of primates found in only three countries in Africa that is Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Every year thousands of tourists flock to these countries to encounter a wilderness experience with these great apes that have 98% of their DNA similar to that of humans. Below are the reasons you should book gorilla trekking permits in advance:
High demand for gorilla trekking permits
Most travelers who come to Uganda, Rwanda and the democratic republic of Congo never miss out on gorilla trekking and this has led to high demand for gorilla trekking permits compared to availability. Gorilla permits are given on a first come first serve protocol so you need to book your permits in advance or they will run out.
Enough time for preparation
Mountain gorillas live on higher elevations that require hiking and trekkers to be in good physical shape, you need to book your permits in advance so that you can have enough time to prepare in form of exercise, acquiring hiking equipment like good hiking boots, cameras, lenses, garden gloves, insect repellents, rain coats and so much more.
Timely booking of accommodation
This only applies in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in Uganda, the park has got four sectors where gorilla trekking can be done from and this means you must book a lodge around the area where you will trek mountain gorillas from. You need to book your permit in advance so that you will also book the accommodation at the sector in which you have obtained the permit from.
Shortage of gorilla permits
One of the reasons you should book your gorilla permit in advance is because of the shortage of gorilla permits especially in Uganda, Rwanda charges $1500 for gorilla trekking which is very expensive and Congo offers permits at a very cost of $400 but the country can sometimes become insecure. This has left Uganda to be the only option for most travelers because its safe and the permits cost $600 and this has led to very high demand of permits in that you have to book permits 3-6 months before travelling.
In conclusion all travelers travelling for gorilla trekking are advised to book their gorilla permits in advance and pay fully or deposit to reserve the permits. Travelling to the country for gorilla trekking before obtaining a permit can lead to disappointment of no availability hence you won’t be able to trek gorillas. You should also keep in mind that tourists showing any signs of illness or under the age of 15 years will not be allowed to trek mountain gorillas.
Featured in: Gorilla Trekking
