Gorilla Trekking Permit Cancellation And Refund Policy (Update 2025)

Like any procured product, purchasers normally anticipate calling off the purchase or getting compensation if the commodity isn’t consumed or doesn’t meet their expectations. Gorilla trekking is a one-in-a-kind escapade that comes with a lot of excitement over a long period to build up to the day, yet the gorilla permit is quite pricey. For that reason, guaranteeing that you will get a refund is vital in organizing a gorilla safari.

On this page, we examine the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s refund and cancellation policies, the conditions in which refunding is possible, and the reasons why a traveler should consider canceling or asking for a refund.

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Gorilla Trekking Permit Cancellation and Refunds

Excluding as provided in the terms and conditions written below, funds paid for gorilla permits are nonrefundable by UWA. Upon acquiring a written request, the Executive Director may sanction cancellation of a fully paid permit on the following terms:

Failure to see Gorillas/Chimpanzees

When the tourist goes to the forest and fails to see gorillas after tracking for almost the whole day, the Executive Director may sanction rescheduling of the permit to the following day subject to the availability of slots.

If there is no availability of permits on the dates, they intend to reschedule the permit, the Executive Director permits the cancellation of the permit and a refund of 50% of the permit money upon confirmation of the inability to see the gorillas by the respective of the warden in charge.

Sickness, Illness, and accidents

UWA will forbid a visitor who may have symptoms of illness before gorilla tracking begins from spending time with the gorillas. That tourist will therefore be referred to the nearest health facility to determine the level of his sickness and inability to track gorillas.

The medical report must confirm the illness, and the guest will incur the diagnosis costs.

At that point, the Executive Director will permit the cancellation of the permit and process a refund of 50% of the gorilla permit funds to a visitor declared unsuitable to track gorillas because of illness.

The above cancellation policy can only be used by visitors already in the park to track gorillas and develop symptoms of illness before tracking.

The Executive Director can authorize the cancellation of a permit and process a 50% refund to a client who fails to track gorillas due to an accident sustained in the park before tracking.

Gorilla Permit double payments.

As soon as a written request is received, the Executive Director can authorize a refund of 100% to a client who brings proof of double payment.

The Executive Director may also authorize the utilization of any funds confirmed as a double or overpayment to another tourism activity.

General Gorilla Trekking Permit Cancellation

The Executive Director may authorize the cancellation of a permit for reasons, other than those specified above on the following conditions;

Any request for cancellation within eight (8) days of the tracking date shall attract no refunds.

A client requesting cancellation of a permit between nine (09) to forty-five (45) days from the tracking date shall be entitled to 25% of the permit value.

A client requesting cancellation of a permit between forty-six (46) to ninety (90) days from the tracking date shall be entitled to 50% of the permit value.

A client requesting cancellation of a permit ninety-one (91) days and more before the tracking date shall be entitled to 75% of the permit value.

All requests for cancellation of permits shall be made in writing and addressed to the Executive Director, of Uganda Wildlife Authority.

While considering any request for cancellation of a permit, the Executive Director can consider the date of receipt of the request as the date of cancellation for purposes of determining the refund.

What can JimJam Safaris do for you?

At JimJam Safaris, refunding a gorilla permit is dependent on several factors. For Jim Jam Safaris to confirm any gorilla trekking safari, we request the client to deposit the total gorilla permit amount and 30% of the total safari amount.

30% is deposited to the Uganda Wildlife Authority to book the gorilla permit and this is done in advance. The company then clears the remaining 70% four months before the trekking date.

Uganda Wildlife Authority needs the total amount, which is non-refundable for three months to the trekking date. So, 70% can only be refunded if you contact us before it is paid to Uganda Wildlife Authority as above. But if the entire amount has already been paid to UWA, then there will be no refund.

The company can try to resell these gorilla permits booked by the clients just in case they are unused. Once we have succeeded, we will send the money to the client after reselling. Please note that reselling a permit is not a guarantee and it entirely depends on luck. Luck is high, especially during peak season.

Booking a Gorilla Trekking Safari

The Jim Jam Safaris reservations team clearly understands the gorilla permit refund and cancellation policies we have been dealing with the permit booking process for so many years. For a tourist or tour agent who is booking a permit for the first time, the process seems awkward and inconvenient to deal with, especially in this new online era.

Don’t sweat with the procedural process when you have us. The Ugandan government licenses us to book gorilla permits on your behalf, following UWA’s standard procedures. Allow us to deal with the process so that you can enjoy your gorilla trekking adventure.