I have been quoted $650US/per day per person for my Uganda Gorilla permit. As I wish to spend two days trekking with my daughter I would like to confirm if this appears to be the current price. Also, my itinerary covers Johannesburg to Vic Falls (3 nights), Vic Falls to Windhoek with 9 days in Namibia, Windhoek to Entebbe (Via Johanessburg) for 3 nights (Gorilla Trek), Entebbe to Kenya for 7 night mobile camp safari then home to Australia (perhaps via Johannesburg). Is there a leg in this journey where we could catch a train rather than fly and is it also better to fly direct to and from Australia via Johannesburg than via Singapore and Dubai. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
1
tafri
The official rate is $500. However, your travel agency/tour operator definitely has other administrative costs to cover besides just getting you the permit, so $650 is fair, I think. See the Uganda wildlife authority's official rates here.
3
gozone
Do you have only 3 days in Uganda?
Entebbe is hundreds of kilometers away from the gorilla region.
If you have 3 days, it would be: first day, drive to the gorilla region, second day gorilla visit, third day drive back to Kampala/Entebbe.
4
colleent
I have a day arriving, 2 days trekking, and 1 day leaving. This is all the time we have in Uganda.Would you change the trip.
5
gozone
Don't know. A gorilla trek is a day trip. Going to the gorilla region and driving back to Entebbe will take the biggest part of the days before and after the trek.
6
smallmasterr
???????
60% of safari companies do NOT charge extra for the 500 USD permit. (they get the money from commissions on hotels and, especially driving you)
35% maybe charges 5-10 USD extra, tops?
The other 5% are crooks.
You seem to have one of these crooks. Tell them to go take a hike, and find another company. 150 USD extra is r-i-d-c-u-l-o-u-s. I would be very interested in knowing how much they overcharge you driving and for your hotels as well!
7
gozone
As Smallmaster said, a permit costs 500 USD.
The 650 you pay, does that include transport from Entebbe/Kampala to the gorilla region, and/or hotel? If you pay 650 only for the permit, you pay 150 too much.
8
sipiman
If you are planning to trek to see the gorillas twice then the permit is US$500 per person per day. Personally, I would only do it once as it is an amazing experience but part of that is the build up of expectation as you approach where the gorillas are. Once you've done that it won't be the same again. There are other walks you can do in the forest on the other day.
How much are you being charged for the whole four days in Uganda? You need to break it down to see if it is good value as suggested by other posters above.
You do seem to be packing a lot in to your trip but I guess that's because it's a one in a lifetime thing. If it isn't, then I would consider doing separate longer trips to southern and east Africa, with much longer in Uganda. Shame to only spend four days in such a beautiful country.
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