Gorilla tracking to grow following slashed prices

TOURISM

The volume of gorilla trackers in Uganda is expected to shoot up since the cost was slashed. A permit for Ugandans and East Africans has been reduced from sh250,000 to sh150,000.

Non-resident foreigners pay $350, down from $500. The price of tracking permits for foreigners resident in Uganda was dropped from $475 to $300.

"We expect an exodus of trackers in the short term," said Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) ranger Jossy Muhangi.

"East Africans are fast picking interest in the primates." Muhangi adds that it is easier and more adventurous to track gorillas in Uganda than it is elsewhere in the Great Lakes region.

UWA launched the gorilla tracking promotion to enable visitors enjoy the amazing gorilla experience at subsidized rates.

The promotion has been on since April 1 and ends on May 31. It is open to all visitors, tour operators and partners of UWA.

Gorilla tracking dates back to 1993 when two groups of the primates were habituated.

Habituation is the process of making gorilla groups accustomed to human beings, thereby facilitating close interaction without the danger of gorillas displaying aggressive behaviour.

According to the 2011 gorilla census, there are 400 gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park compared to 100 five years before.

Gorilla tourism is the leading revenue earner among all Uganda's tourism attractions. Each day, only eight visitors are allowed to visit a gorilla group for a maximum of one hour.

The minister of tourism, Maria Mutagamba says, other than gorilla tracking, Uganda has many more attractions for the tourist.

"Tourism earned $820m from 1050 guests last year.

There are 50 million tourists coming to Africa every year. The challenge is to have them stay longer and spend on a variety of services in the tourism chain," Mutagambwa said.