Gorilla Luxury SafarisThe permit is the trip Ask us
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A mountain gorilla photographed close up in the forest, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

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The Permit Is The Trip

Why the permit decides everything, how to get the dates you want, and the one thing money cannot buy here.

Start with the form
Choosing the country, securing permits, and what it really costsReal numbers, no fluffNo cost, no obligation

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Opens immediately. We will also send it to your email so you still have it next week.

Tell us their ages in the message — several camps set a minimum.
Only know the month? Put the 1st and tick the box below.
Accommodation, meals, park fees, guiding and transport — the way safaris are usually costed. It sets the level of camp we plan around, and we will tell you honestly what your budget does and does not reach.
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We never call unannounced.

Your details go to Nomad Africa, our partner agency in Kenya, who prepare your itinerary and quote. We share them with nobody else. Privacy notice.

Reply within 24 hours. No deposit, no obligation, and we never sell your details.

What is inside

What the guide covers

Why the permit decides everything, how to get the dates you want, and the one thing money cannot buy here.

  • The thing money cannot buy
  • Rwanda or Uganda
  • How permits are allocated
  • When to book, realistically
  • Sectors, trailheads and why the lodge follows the permit
  • What the trip really costs
  • Who should not book one
  • What to add on either side
Get the free guide Or ask for a quote

No cost, no obligation. We ask for an email so we can send it and, if you want it, follow up once.

How it opens

The first page of The Permit Is The Trip

Gorilla trekking is close to unique in luxury travel: the expensive version and the modest version see exactly the same thing.

Permits are issued by a national authority at a fixed price. The number of visitors per gorilla family per day is capped — typically eight. The time with the family is one hour. None of that changes with what you paid for your bed.

So the planning problem is not "which lodge is best" but "which country, which permit, which dates" — and the lodge follows from the answer rather than the other way round.

The rest is behind the form above

It opens straight away in your browser — no wait, no attachment, and it prints cleanly if you would rather have a file.

How it works

Three steps, about four minutes

Fill in the form

Dates and budget are optional here — if you only want the guide, name and email are enough.

Read it

It opens in your browser immediately and prints cleanly to PDF if you would rather have a file.

Ask us anything

If you told us your dates, our gorilla specialist follows up within 24 hours with a tailored outline. If you did not, we send the guide and leave you alone.

About the download

Is it really free?

Yes. No payment, no card, no trial. We publish it because people who plan well are better to work with, and because some of them come back to us when they are ready.

Will you spam me?

No. If you give us dates, our specialist sends one tailored follow-up. If you do not, you get the guide and nothing else unless you ask. Every email has an unsubscribe link and we do not sell or share your details.

Do I have to book with you to use it?

No. It is written to be useful even if you plan the whole trip yourself or book elsewhere. It would be a poor advertisement if it were not.

More from our Rwanda and Uganda guides

Specialist guides across our Rwanda and Uganda network

Each of these is a focused guide we publish. Same gorilla specialist behind every enquiry.

luxurygorillasafari.com Luxury Gorilla Safari The trek itself: fitness, the hour with the family, photography, and whether to add chimps. eastafricanluxury.com East African Luxury Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda at the top end, and how the four genuinely differ. luxurysafariplanner.com Luxury Safari Planner Planning a luxury safari across East and Southern Africa: what the money actually buys, and how to spend it well. bespokeeastafrica.com Bespoke East Africa The building blocks — parks, conservancies, concessions — and how they combine into a route. thebespokesafari.com The Bespoke Safari What bespoke actually means in safari planning — and, more usefully, what it does not.
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