HOW MUCH IS A GORILLA TREKKING PERMIT IN UGANDA
overview
Gorilla trekking costs 800 USD per person for foreign non-residents, 700 USD per person for foreign residents, 500 USD per person for Africans, and 300,000 UGX per person for East African citizens in 2025–2026 in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Here's a more thorough explanation:
Visitors from abroad: US$800
US$700 for foreign residents
Residents of East Africa: UGX 300,000
US$500 for additional African citizens
You can explore these primates in the woods of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park with a gorilla permit. The gorilla permits for Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are also subject to this fee. Both of these parks are situated along the Albertine Rift Valley in southwest Uganda, right on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Park admission costs for the scheduled day are also included in the permit charge. As a result, you can participate in other events, such as nature walks, on the same day without having to pay the US$40 per person admission cost.
To prevent disappointments, it is recommended that you reserve your gorilla permit in advance. Because permits are in high demand and hikes can only accommodate eight people per habituated family each day, it is imperative that you obtain one well in advance of the trip. It becomes more difficult to locate gorilla permits, particularly during the dry season, which is also the busiest time of year. June through September and December through February are the beginning of this time frame. Please be aware that some travelers reserve their gorilla permits up to a year in advance.
Gorilla treks can take place during the rainy or wet season, though most tourists favor the busiest months. This time frame, which runs from March to May and October to November, is also known as the low season.
Make a Gorilla Permit Reservation
You must work with a reputable travel company in order to reserve a gorilla permit in Uganda. If you are in Uganda, you can also apply for a gorilla permit in person at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). The process is typically quicker when a permit is booked through a local tour operator rather than UWA. Do you want to conveniently schedule your permit? To place a gorilla, pass quickly and safely, send an email to book@gogorillatrekking.com.
The most crucial thing to remember is that tour operators may charge an additional $50 to $100 for each permit. The cost and logistics of scheduling the gorilla permits, including making calls, selecting the permits, delivering them to you, and other administrative expenses, are covered by the additional fee per permit. A gorilla permit is already covered by the cost of bundled trips.
How to Make a Gorilla Permit Reservation
To make the planning process easier, please inform your tour operator of the dates you expect to monitor gorillas. By doing this, a tour operator can temporarily reserve the dates you want to participate in this experience and inform you whether they are available. Your bank account information will be supplied to you so you may pay with a credit card or transfer funds for your permit.
After receiving an email acknowledging the money transfer, the tour operator asks you to instruct your bank to deduct the transaction's bank charges from your account. This will prevent you from paying less for the permit, which could result in you missing it or incurring unanticipated additional costs.
The additional fees can include services like phone calls and transportation that are required to obtain a permit for you. After that, provide a copy of your passport with the information you need to register for a permit. Please make sure to give your passport number, full name, and nationality in advance since they are essential documents required for the registration of your permission. After that, a permission will be obtained for you and your names will be registered. You will receive a permit once the payments are completed, but keep in mind that this does not ensure that you will see mountain gorillas; rather, it provides you a 95% probability.
Online Gorilla Trekking Permit Availability Checking in Uganda
It is usually advised to check the availability of gorilla permits before making a reservation for a gorilla safari in Uganda. This will ensure that your trip is scheduled during times when there is room for trekking in either Mgahinga Gorilla National Park or Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Sending an email to your tour operator with your intended travel dates will allow them to check the online permit availability for you. Only Ugandan tour operators have access to the booking system, which is run and regulated by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Once you enter your dates, the booking system will show you which dates are available and which are fully booked. This will allow you to see which dates are available for your gorilla trip.
How Can I Reserve and Buy Gorilla Permits in Uganda?
Booking the permits and buying them from a Ugandan tour operator will be the next step after you have confirmed dates that are available. You can partially reserve your permits and then pay the tour operator, who will then buy the necessary permits for you. Only the Uganda Wildlife Authority's headquarters is able to sell gorilla licenses in Uganda. On a first-come, first-served basis, permits for gorilla treks sell out quickly, so you will need to reserve and buy your permit in advance. It is recommended that you buy your permits two to three months before your trip to Uganda for your gorilla safari. However, you can also reserve your gorilla permits at the last minute of your trip to Uganda, contingent on availability.
After purchasing the gorilla permit, do you still own it?
You receive a receipt to verify your purchase after buying a gorilla permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority. This receipt includes your booking ID, which is always taken into account when you sign in for your trek at either Mgahinga Gorilla National Park or Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You won't be able to obtain the gorilla permit card until one week before to the trekking date, depending on when you plan to go on the gorilla trek. A scanned copy of the permit receipt will be sent to you for your records and review if you buy your gorilla permit through a tour operator. This will verify that your permits have been paid and secured for a specific tracking day. You will own the gorilla permit after purchasing it up to the time of signing in for your trek and once your date of trekking has reached, you will leave your gorilla permit card with Uganda Wildlife Authority authorities who later send it back to the headquarters for reuse.
How long is the Ugandan gorilla permit valid?
From the moment of purchase until the day of your expedition, a gorilla permit is valid. The booking ID expires and the permit is deemed void after the gorilla tracking date. To ensure that you can make it on the scheduled trekking date, it is therefore advised that you arrange your gorilla trip well in advance. However, it is also quite reasonable that one can occasionally be unable to attend the scheduled trekking day owing to unforeseen circumstances. This suggested that you get in touch with your tour operator or the Uganda Wildlife Authority to reschedule at least two weeks before to your trekking date.
Guidelines for Refunds and Cancellations
Non-Refundable: There is no reimbursement for gorilla permits. However, the following situations allow for a refund:
If a tourist is unable to track because of illness, UWA will reimburse the full tracking charge; however, this will depend on the Warden in Charge. This provision only applies to visitors who have been to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park or Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Visitors will receive a complete refund for their permits if they are unable to monitor the gorillas in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park because they have moved to the next country. Visitors who track all day and, for whatever reason, are unable to see the gorillas will receive a 75% refund of the tracking charge. All refunds must be processed through the Reservations Office at UWA Headquarters in Kampala.
In the event of cancellations, UWA will keep the following percentages:
0–8 days before the tracking date; no reimbursement
9–45 days till the tracking date – 75% (25% client refund)
50% off for 46–90 days before the tracking date, 25% off for 91 days or more, and 75% off for the client.
CATEGORY OF VISITORS:
The visitor's residence status affects the rates. East African residents, Ugandan citizens, and non-residents make up the three groups. Prior to gorilla trekking, visitor category will be confirmed at the time of sale and check-in. Proof of residency at the briefing center should always be carried by visitors.
Both Bwindi and Mgahinga do longer sell stand-by permits. However, the National Park would definitely grant you the permit for purchase if there was a "no-show" or someone was unable to be tracked due to illness and you were present. At the current tracking fee, that is. In these circumstances, there are no provisions for discounts.
Approaching a tour company who has a permission for the time period you want to track is one way to obtain one while you are still in Kampala. UWA can let you know who has the permissions for the dates you are interested in as well as their contact information. This method of obtaining a permit is rather impromptu, but it may work out well. Typically, a tour operator or individual notifies UWA that they have a permit available for sale.
Crucial;
The hours of tracking are 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM. Beginning at 7:45 AM, there will be a pre-tracking brief at the park headquarters. Please try to make it to the briefing. It is anticipated that visitors will leave the woodland no later than 7:00 p.m.