Booking and payment
A booking is confirmed when we receive a 30% deposit and you receive written confirmation from us. The balance is due 60 days before departure. Bookings made inside 60 days require full payment at confirmation. Prices are quoted in US dollars and are guaranteed once your deposit is received, except where a park authority changes permit or park entry fees.
Gorilla permits
Permits are purchased in your name against your passport number and are non-transferable. Cancellation terms are set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Rwanda Development Board, not by us, and broadly follow a sliding scale: a substantial refund more than 90 days before the trek date, a partial refund at 46–90 days, and little or no refund inside 45 days. The exact terms applying to your booking are stated on your invoice.
Cancellation by you
Cancellation must be in writing. Our charges are: 90+ days, deposit forfeited; 60–89 days, 50% of the total; 30–59 days, 75%; under 30 days, 100%. Permit refunds, where the park grants them, are passed on to you in full.
Changes and cancellation by us
We may need to change a sector, lodge or route where permits, road conditions, weather or safety require it. We will always tell you before you travel where possible, and we will substitute accommodation of an equal or higher standard. If we cancel a trip for reasons within our control, you receive a full refund.
Insurance
Comprehensive travel insurance including medical cover, emergency evacuation and trip cancellation is a condition of booking. Given permit cancellation rules, cancellation cover is not optional in any practical sense.
Health and fitness
Gorilla trekking involves walking on steep, uneven ground at altitude. You must tell us about any medical condition or mobility limitation at the time of booking so we can arrange the right sector, porters or a sedan chair. Park authorities may refuse a trek to anyone with a transmissible illness, including a cold or flu, in order to protect the gorillas. No refund is due in that case.
Liability
We act as an agent for lodges, airlines and park authorities and are not liable for their acts or omissions. We are not liable for loss or delay caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including weather, road conditions, civil unrest and border closures. Nothing here limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence.
Complaints
Tell your guide immediately so it can be fixed while you are still with us. If it cannot be, write to us within 28 days of your return and we will respond within 14 days.
Who you are contracting with
Gorilla Trek Safaris is a trading name of Travelmonke Tours and Travel, a tour operator registered in Uganda and licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board under licence UTB/RTT/TT/2025/101816. Its office is Zainab Aziz Emporium, Entebbe Road, Suite L7 C1-14, Kampala, Uganda. Your contract is with that company.
Law
These terms are governed by the laws of Uganda.
Last updated 31 August 2026.