Can I get a refund if I cancel my gorilla trip?

Can I get a refund if I cancel my gorilla trip? If you cancel your gorilla trip in 91 or more day, you can receive up to 75%, but cancellations within 0 – 8 days call for a 0% refund. When planning a gorilla trekking safari to Africa, it is important to keep in mind that the tour operators are only responsible for planning your safari. They are not directly involved issuing of the gorilla trekking permits, this therefore means that the refund on Gorilla permits is done by the Uganda Wildlife Authority in Uganda and the Rwanda Development Bord in Rwanda that are responsible for issuing the permits.

Gorilla trekking is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in Africa, and trekking to see these primates in the wild offers a unique opportunity to witness them up close. However, just like any other travel experiences, there are circumstances where you might need to cancel your gorilla Safari, whether due to unforeseen personal issues, health concerns, or other reasons.

Travelers are usually concerned about their money and wonder whether it is always possible to receive the full paid amount back or part of it. In this article, we explain the Gorilla permit cancellation and refund policies in the very easiest way, why highlighting what influences refund eligibility. Can I get a refund if I cancel my gorilla trek? Gorilla trekking cancellation, unlike other products that a buyer can easily cancel a purchase in case the product doesn’t meet expectations, means risking losing your funds.

Both in Uganda and Rwanda, once a gorilla permit is booked and paid for, you can not receive any refund except if your cancellation request meets some terms that are usually considered eligible for refund. After purchased a gorilla permit at a high cost this may entirely seem unfair to lose your money just because something came up and you can’t travel anymore. The Uganda Wildlife Authority which is responsible for issuing gorilla permits in Uganda usually gives you an opportunity to reschedule your gorilla trekking dates incase you are not able to trek in the initially allocated dates. The same applies to Rwanda gorilla permits, you can always reschedule your trekking dates with the Rwanda Development Board.

 

Uganda gorilla permit refund and cancellation – Can I get a refund if I cancel my gorilla trip

After you book your gorilla trekking permit with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), refunds are usually not allowed unless certain conditions are met. The first thing to do is to request for a reschedule of trekking dates if you can adjust your travel program but if you can’t entire adjust, you can then proceed to request for a refund. It is important to know that a cancellation and refund has to fulfill certain conditions set by UWA. Once you submit your request, its is up to the Executive Director to either approve the cancellation and refund or to deny the refund. Here is a simple breakdown of the UWA refund and cancellation policy;

Cancellation within 8 days to the trekking dates. Can I get a refund if I cancel my gorilla trek within 8 days to the tracking dates? If you cancel within 8 days of your trekking date, you will not get any refund and you will likely lose all your money.

Cancellation between 9 to 45 days to tracking dates. Can I get a refund if I cancel my gorilla trek between 9 to 45 days before the trekking dates? Yes, if you cancel between 9 to 45 days before your trekking date, you can get about 25% of your permit money back.

Cancellation of gorilla trekking between 46 to 90 days. Can I get a refund if I cancel my gorilla trek between 46 to 90 days to the allocated trekking dates? Yes, if you cancel between 46 to 90 days before your trekking date, you can get about 50% of your permit money back.

Cancelling a gorilla trek 91 days and above. Can I get a refund if I cancel my gorilla trek 91 days and above to the trekking dates? Yes, if you cancel 91 days or more before your trekking date, you can get about 75% of your permit money back.

 

Conditions that can qualify you for a Refund

Failure to view gorillas on your trek

Although there is a 97% chance of seeing gorillas on your gorilla trekking safari holiday to Uganda it is important to keep in mind that the gorillas are wild animals and at some point, they can dwell deeper into the forest and you may not see them. In such circumstances where visitors fail to see gorillas on their trek that almost never happens, the Uganda Wildlife Authority may reschedule your permit to allow you trek gorillas on the next day. If there is no space left for the on the next day, you will be refunded 50% of the permit value upon confirmation of the inability to access gorillas.

Illness and Accidents (Only applicable to those already in the park)

Visitors who show signs of illness before the trek starts at the visitor center will not be allowed to go gorilla trekking. Instead, they will be sent to the nearest health facility to check how serious the illness is and confirm whether they are fit to trek. If the medical report shows that you are not fit, you will not be allowed to continue with the gorilla trek.

After that, you can submit a cancellation request to the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Your request will be reviewed by the Executive Director, who decides whether to approve it. If approved, you will receive about 50% of your permit fee as a refund.

If you get injured during the trek in the forest before seeing the gorillas, you can also receive a 50% refund of your permit fee. This only applies to visitors who had already started the trek in the park.

All cancellation and refund requests to the Uganda Wildlife Authority must be made in writing and addressed to the Executive Director.

Rwanda Gorilla Permit Refund and Cancellation – Can I get a refund if I cancel my gorilla trip

Just like in Uganda, the refund policy for gorilla tours in Rwanda set by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) is quite strict. Even though gorilla permits in Rwanda are usually non-refundable, there are some situations where a refund may be given. If your cancellation request meets the conditions set by the Rwanda Development Board, you may receive part of your money back. Below are some cases where a fully paid Rwanda gorilla permit can be refunded;

Canceling a gorilla permit more than 60 days before the trek. Can I get a refund if I cancel my gorilla trek to Rwanda 60 days before the planned trekking dates? Yes, you may get a refund. If you cancel 60 days or more before your trekking date, you can receive up to 75% of the permit cost back.

Cancelling a gorilla trek 30 to 59 days. Can I get a refund if I cancel my gorilla trek 30 to 59 days before the trekking dates? If you cancel your trek between 30 to 59 days before the trekking date, you will receive 50% of the permit cost.

Visitors who fail to see gorillas for the whole day because the gorilla group moved far away will have their permits moved to the next day. If there are no available slots the following day, they will receive a full refund of their permit. However, visitors who spend the whole day trekking but do not see a gorilla family for any reason may receive 75% of the gorilla tracking fee back.

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