Getting a gorilla trekking permit: In Uganda, Gorilla trekking is done in Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi National Park. Due the inconsistency of gorillas found in Mgahinga National Park; you find majority of permits being sold are for Bwindi National Park. Gorilla permits cost $ 700 per person in Uganda presently. 72 tourists per single day travel within Bwindi to watch gorillas and 8 people are accepted to watch gorilla family at a time. It is good for a visitor to book a gorilla permit using a tour agent. Always book gorilla family that is near to your accommodation place. The routes to Bwindi and the different regions is not clear since it is a remote area.  Do not make a mistake of doing gorilla trekking at your own since it will even make you pay more than what you would have paid when using tour guides.

Gorilla Permit Price

Many travelers who are planning to gorilla trek find the process tiresome and that’s why they decide to use Uganda local tour operators so as to easy the process of reserving trekking permits.  The tour operators always add some extra fee of about US$60 – US$100 on each permit. Tour companies don’t charge on procuring a gorilla permit if you are to use their other services like transfers but they will charge you if you need them to purchase you a permit only. These are the prices below;

Uganda gorilla trekking permit costs $ 700 for 1 hour with the gorillas

Uganda Gorilla Habituation Permit Costs $1500 for full Day Experience

East African Citizen will pay 250,000 shillings for the permit

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park has got four sectors where you can trek gorillas from. These are; Rushaga Sector, Ruhija Sector, Buhoma sector, and Nkuringo sector. While acquiring a gorilla permit, it’s very important to get a permit in an area where you’re planning to sleep or worse an area near your accommodation. You can book permits for Nkuringo and sleep in Rushaga and vice versa. The same applies to Buhoma and Ruhija.

We strongly advise travelers looking for gorilla trekking safaris and tours in either Uganda, Rwanda or Democratic Republic of Congo to book for their permits early enough at least 4 months prior to their intended travel dates more so during peak seasons of June to September and December to February

How to book Gorilla Permits

The Uganda gorilla trekking permit availability will affect your booking process. Also, there is no online permits booking system for Uganda apparently. You can book your Uganda gorilla permit through a tour and travel operator or take on the long process by booking directly through Uganda Wildlife Authority and organize your own accommodation facilities. Some operators can help you reserve your permit and hand it over to you on arrival. We offer this kind of service as well.

A maximum of 8 eight people is allowed to visit a particular gorilla family in a day. The group will be granted a full hour with the gorillas. This magical hour is a great time to take photos and capture videos of these mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.

Eighty percent of the money got from these gorilla permits for Uganda is used to conserve mountain gorillas and help them grow in numbers. This is the same money used to fight poachers. When you buy a permit, you are not giving the country revenue but instead, you are paying back to the gorillas and helping their population to increase.

Right before trekking gorillas, you are advised to carry the essential gorilla trekking equipment and strictly follow the set gorilla trekking regulations and rules.

Checking Uganda Gorilla Permits Availability Online

The best way to check availability of Uganda gorilla trekking permits online is by contacting a tour company like us or dialing Uganda Wildlife Authority on their direct hotline. Please note that it is hard to get accurate results as permits are booked and released often. You must be willing to pay the full cost of gorilla permits in Uganda to be able to book them online.

If your dates are full, its advisable to wait to a few more weeks and inquire again. However, if you keep failing to get availability then its advisable to switch your dates. You can book Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla permits with our agency directly.