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I've noticed Rwanda, Uganda, and some other countries tour operators are able to charge thousands of dollars (cheapest one I found is $1500 for 3 days) for Mountain Gorilla viewing.

I understand that the gov charges $600-$1500 per permit to conserve the endangered Mountain gorillas. But, on Wikipedia it says there are over 100,000 Western lowland gorillas meanwhile only ~800 Mountain gorillas. But don't they look very similar to each other, to tourists?

I'm all for conservation, but as a tourist, if given the choice, I would much rather see the Western lowland gorillas (for a cheaper price). However after hours of research I could not find any Western lowland gorilla tours. Just wondering if anyone has the background info on this - can you go on tours to see the Western lowland gorillas?

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    This is less about travel and more about business. I suspect that the operators charge what the market will bear. If customers will pay $1500, why charge less? – user105640 Oct 8 '20 at 23:15
  • Am I missing something in your question? Your research has turned up an operator whose lowest price for a tour is the same as the highest price per person that the government charges to operate a tour. And, this is for a 3 day tour. After, payroll and expenses, the operator expects to make a profit. Even if food and lodging were an additional charge, how much would you charge to be a chaperone in order to keep a bunch of tourist safe? – Dean F. Oct 8 '20 at 23:28
  • As @Arthur'sPass has stated, it is market driven, and probably for very good reason. People will pay to see the more rare animals. – Dean F. Oct 8 '20 at 23:35
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    Nothing stopping you just wandering out into the bush. You pay for the safety and the tour. And supply/demand has shown them they can charge this. This is not really a travel question. You're better off asking where to find tours for the WL Gorillas. I'll edit. Hope the changes are ok to you. – Mark Mayo♦ Oct 9 '20 at 0:53

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