Book your gorilla permit in advance to avoid disappointment. Gorilla permits are in high demand, because of the stiff competition for them, and therefore are booked with payment on the basis of first come first served. To track gorillas each person must have the day’s gorilla permit which needs to be arranged and paid for in advance, preferrably at least 10 months for the high seasons - June-September and December-February; or latest 4-6 months in advance for the low seasons - October-November and March-May. Contact us for the latest status of availability, even for last-minute bookings. Each gorilla park (Bwindi, Nkuringo, Nshongi and Mgahinga in Uganda, Parc National des Volcans [PNV] in Rwanda and Virungas Gorilla Park Congo) has different numbers of permits per day (Bwindi and Ruhija 32, Nkuringo 8, Nshongi 8, and Mgahinga 8, in Uganda; in Parc National des Volcans [PNV] of Rwanda's seven Gorilla Groups 56, and Virungas Gorilla Park Congo 32 respectively).

These are mountain gorillas, staying in high up in the mounatins of Bwindi, up to 4000metres ASL. Therefore to track them one may traverse dense growth in this impenetrable forest, through swamps and wet undergrowth, and climb cliffs and high areas in search of them. Tracking can take as little as one hour up to as many as 8 hours when one returns to base camp. But the tracking is made easy by the rangers who would have known prior to your tracking, where the gorillas are. For environmental reasons, you are allowed a maximum of one hour with the gorillas.