Shots needed for Uganda Gorilla Viewing?
 

Hi there..

So we just booked our flights to Uganda for late April...I was wondering what vaccinations (if any) are needed to see the gorillas in Bwindi and/or Mgahinga? How about the chimps in Kibale? We don't have our permits yet and are considering waiting until we get to Kampala to get our permits. We want to travel independently and the Uganda Wildlife Authority doesn't seem to return emails regarding permit availability.

I cannot seem to find any of this info online.

Thanks for the help.

Kevin

Here is the CDC site on Uganda.

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationUganda.aspx

I'd go to a travel clinic. They'll probably suggest Hep A, maybe Yellow Fever. Maybe a meningitis and polio booster. Usually Hep B is not needed unless you would come in contact with bodily fluids.

I've always bought permits in advance. If ever there was a time in recent history where you could get permits upon arrival, this may be it, as tourism is down.

You may want to contact a Uganda agent for help with permits.
Travelust, Great Lakes, Volcanoes, R&N Explorer.

Good luck.

Thanks for the info..I contacted a few of the companies listed above and they won't just sell me permits..they want to sell me an entire package (lodging, transit, permit etc)...I want only the permits.

I was wondering if the people at the wildlife authority office in Uganda ask for any shot records before viewing the gorillas...sorry I didn't phrase it better the 1st time! :)

kewilliam, my son lives in Kampala. I don't know if he'll know the answers to your questions, but I'm going to email him for you.

I've never been asked to prove I have shots before seeing the gorillas. Only before doing a chimp walk on Ngamba Island.

Looks like help will be arriving from a local resident!

<i>Looks like help will be arriving from a local resident!</i>

Well, maybe LOL! He has gone on a gorilla trek, but it was with a guide arranged by his girlfriend's parents (yes, in advance). So, we'll see what he can find out.

For those who have done gorilla treks in Uganda or Rwanda, step in if I'm off, but I don't believe they check whether the visitor has had inoculations to prevent human disease being transmitted to the animals. You're allowed only a short visit and rarely in immediate face-to-face encounter. Though some reports have indicated the apes often move close by visitors.

The inoculations are for you the traveler and should be current regardless where you visit (even to Europe or staying home). Inocs for Tetanus, HepA (each good for 10/yrs) are diseases easily contracted anywhere. Yellow Fever might be required for entry at Uganda and/or if you are passing thru another African country during your travels or shortly thereafter.

The CDC site will indicate what is recommended and what is mandatory; a visit to a Travel Clinic or specialist in Tropical Diseases is recommended. Oh, and don't forget malaria meds, especially so during the "wet" periods (April).

When we did our gorilla and chimp treks in October nobody ever asked to see proof of vaccinations. (But obviously you should have them for your own protection, and the CDC and/or you travel med clinic is the place to go for that advice.) We were warned that if you have a cold and are sneezing and coughing when you show up for your gorilla trek, they can certainly prevent you from going, for the gorillas' protection. Fortunately none of us had to test that out, but I was wondering at the time how often they actually turn people away... Has anyone ever seen that happen, or heard of it happening to anyone they know (as opposed to just the general warning that it COULD happen)? I hope for the gorillas' sake they do actually stop people who are sick from going up on the mountain, but I wonder if the expensive permit and the need for tourist dollars is a deterrent to that.

I've heard that if you are honest up front about an illness you will get your money back. In the past there have been people who show up without permits and hope to get them the day of the trek. I also was told that if you are caught coughing and sniffling after the trek has started, you'll be sent back with an escort and no refund.

I work in a travel clinic and I've had a couple of clients who were doing "chimp encounters" in a chimp sanctuary (where they were going to have 'hands on' experience with chimps during an overnight stay) -- they had to have MANY extra shots (e.g. MMR within the past 5 years regardless of how many they'd previously, etc) The shots were clearly for the chimps' benefit, not the guests'.

I've not seen any similar requests for gorillas and did not encounter any questions about immunizations when we did two gorilla treks in Rwanda last August. Nor have I heard of any issues in Uganda. One person on our trek was coughing and sniffling -- and even said something about recovering from a cold -- but nothing happened. DH and I even took decongestants before the trek, to make sure our allergy-induced post nasal drip was not mistaken for a cold...but I guess we didn't need to be quite so cautious?!

kewilliam, here is what my son said. I'm happy to forward more questions/answers if you want.

"1. Yes it's possible on your own, but I'm not positive they're going to be able to get permits for gorillas this close to the travel date -that might mean they have to go through a tour, since the tour companies buy up most of the permits way in advance and always have some left over. If you give me the exact dates, I can check whether there are any permits left.

2. Even if you don't want to do a whole tour, you can do just the gorilla part with a guide from a company. And even when you go with a company, you're not paying much of a premium for their services, they just tend to put you up in nice places and overcharge you for food. But you can request downscale accommodations, etc. if it's a wanting
to save money thing.

3. See above, but I'd recommend getting them beforehand. Everyone I know who has done it got the permits here well in advance, but I can't imagine *everyone* coming to Uganda has a contact here who can reserve permits way in advance. I'll ask around.

4. You need yellow fever documentation to get into the country (shots or pills, with pills taken a few weeks in advance). Other than that, I'd recommend a polio booster (there's been an outbreak in the west), malaria pills, rabies (if you want to be extra safe and can afford it). Travel clinics should have this info, and I'd say that,
generally, everything they recommend you get is actually a good idea.

I don't recall whether the trekking people checked, but they are pretty adamant that you not go near the gorillas if you have even a cold, so my guess is they'll want to know that you have yellow fever shots, since I know that one is trasmittable between humans and gorillas.

(For chimps, it's much easier to get a permit on the spot, and you definitely don't need to go through a guide. We can recommend a lodge that also does treks that was really nice and is run by an organization that puts money back into the local community.)
"

Well I just got an email from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (after 2 weeks of no response) and they say they have some permits left for the dates we wanted..so that is good news!

My understanding of the YF situation is that you only need YF documentation IF you are COMING to Uganda directly from a YF country. We are coming to Uganda directly from the U.S. so it wouldn't be an issue for us right? We are heading to Ethiopia after Uganda so we'll need the YF documentation for entry there.

Sure sf I'd love a recommendation for your chimp trek lodge! Send it over.

Thanks for all of the responses and help!

Kevin