How to book gorilla and chimpanzee permits in Uganda in 2024-25

Booking the gorilla or chimpanzee permits for Uganda from 2024 to 2025 requires you to select a date when you hope to attend either of these adventures. Remember that both gorilla and chimpanzee safaris in Uganda can only be done on a different day because their destinations are far apart, yet return time and connecting to either destination is challenging.

Most Popular Safaris

4 Days Gorillas and Golden Monkey Safari

2 Day Bwindi Gorilla Safari through Kigali

3 Days Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Safari

5 Day off season Gorilla and Chimp Safari

5 Day Gorilla and Chimp Tracking Safari

16 Days Uganda Primates & Wildlife Safari

5 Day Gorilla & Chimp Tracking Safari

5 Day Low season Uganda Gorilla & Chimp Safari

5 Day Uganda Gorillas & Game Safari via Kigali

5 Day Gorilla Habituation & Chimps

Checking gorilla or chimpanzee permit availability is very important in booking these permits because both these primates' adventures have limited permits open to public booking. Demand for gorilla and chimpanzee permits is absolutely high worldwide, especially during the peak season: June to September and December to January.

At Encounter Africa Safaris, we can assist in booking the gorilla and chimpanzee permits when you contact us. Please state the date or duration of your safari and the possible number of people traveling with you. Remember, Uganda's age limit for gorilla and chimpanzee safaris is 15 years and over.

Select which Uganda gorilla and chimpanzee safari activity you hope to participate in, either the gorilla trekking or habituation experience or the chimpanzee trekking or habituation experience.

What is gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience?

Gorilla trekking is an adventure where a maximum of 8 tourists search for a fully habituated gorilla family and spend one hour with them. This is restricted for conservation reasons. Uganda currently has about 21 gorilla trekking families in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park.

Gorilla habituation experience is a safari where a maximum of four tourists accompany a team of researchers and trackers and have four hours with a semi-habituated gorilla family. The southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is Uganda's only gorilla habituation destination.

What is chimpanzee trekking or chimpanzee habituation experience?

Chimpanzee trekking is a safari where tourists follow a fully habituated chimpanzee troop and have one hour with the fully habituated chimpanzees. Uganda has several chimpanzee trekking destinations like Kibale National Park, Kaniyo Pabidi, Kyambura Gorge, Kalinzu Forest Reserve, Ngamba Island chimpanzee sanctuary, etc.

Chimpanzee habituation experience is an adventure where tourists escort a team of researchers and habituators to have four hours with a semi-habituated chimpanzee community. Kibale National Park and Budongo Forest are so far the Uganda chimpanzee habituation experience destinations.

How do you book Uganda gorilla and chimpanzee permits for 2024-25?

Procedure

Select time for doing the gorilla and chimpanzee safari and the number of eligible people traveling for this primate safari in Uganda. This avoids going back and forth with checking permit availability.

When you send us an inquiry at Encounter Africa Safaris, our tour consultants check the availability of these primate permits from the Uganda Wildlife Authority list. We are one of the few accredited companies with access to the list of gorilla and chimpanzee permits.

Upon finding gorilla and chimpanzee permits, we get back to you with the status prevailing, but it will still be the same. Gorilla and chimpanzee permits are in high demand worldwide, yet supply is restricted for conservation reasons.

We advise clients to purchase their gorilla and chimpanzee permits as soon as availability is confirmed to avoid last-minute inconvenience. No gorilla or chimpanzee permit is booked without payment, and a first come, first served basis is applied.

Later, provide personal details like your nationality, date of birth, and full name as presented on the passport. These are used for identification on the gorilla or chimpanzee safari day.

What Is The Cost Of Uganda Gorilla And Chimpanzee Permits For 2024 -25?

At the moment, the cost of gorilla safari permits is:

Gorilla trekking permit cost

$800 for foreign nonresidents 

$700 for foreign nonresidents

300000shs for East Africans

Gorilla habituation Experience permit cost

$1500 for foreign nonresidents 

$1000 for foreign residents

750000 shs for East African residents

What is included and excluded in the cost of Uganda gorilla permit?

The cost of gorilla permit for Uganda covers:

Four hours of gorilla habituation experience or one hour of gorilla trekking, security, mountain gorilla conservation, local community support, certificate after gorilla safari, ranger guide fees, park entrance fees, researcher fees during gorilla habituation experience, government tax

Exclusions in the cost of Uganda gorilla permits:

Snacks, packed lunch, porter hire, and other personal expenses

What is the cost of Kibale chimpanzee permits for Uganda? 

The Uganda chimpanzee permit costs vary with destination and activity

Currently, the Kibale Chimpanzee trekking permit cost is :

$300 for foreign nonresidents

$250 for foreign residents 

150000shs for East Africans

At the moment Kibale Chimpanzee habituation experience permit cost is:

$300 for foreign nonresidents 

$300 for foreign residents 

30000shs for East Africans.

What is included or excluded in the cost of a Uganda chimpanzee permit?

Kibale chimpanzee trekking permit cost covers park entrance fees, ranger guide support, one hour of chimpanzee trekking or four hours of chimpanzee habituation experience, security, chimpanzee conservation, local community support, government tax, 

Exclusions in the cost of the Kibale chimpanzee permit?

Snacks, porter hire, transport, accommodation, and any other personal expenditures

Other Uganda chimpanzee permit costs

Kyambura Gorge chimpanzee permit costs $ 50 for foreign nonresidents, $40 for foreign residents, and 30000shs for East Africa.

Kaniyo Pabidi chimpanzee permit cost 

Where to do Gorilla and chimpanzee safaris in Uganda 2024-25

Gorilla safaris

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park  

This vast forest is home to almost half the total number of mountain gorillas in the world. This dense, pristine forest currently hosts over 21 gorilla trekking families in four areas that is Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo. Some gorilla families of Bwindi include Mubare, Nkuringo, Bweza, Oruzogo, Kyaguriro, Christmas, Muhoza, Mucunguzi, Busingye, Kahingye, Rwigi, Katwe and others.

When booking gorilla trekking permits for Bwindi, they are booked according to area. Even when securing accommodation to use during the gorilla tour, you must be keen with the area in which you book accommodation of Bwindi to avoid having to drive early in the morning to catch up with briefing in another area. You may encounter several obstacles on the way.

Two gorilla habituation families are currently open in the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Mgahinga National Park

In the far southwestern corner of Uganda is Mgahinga National Park, Uganda's smallest National Park. This forest may occupy a small area, but mountain gorillas find it a comfortable home to stay. At the moment, there is only one gorilla family called Nyakagezi.

Historically, the Nyakagezi gorilla family is known for its adventurous expeditions as it used to move to Rwanda. This made booking its gorilla permits challenging, but currently, the Mgahinga gorilla permits are open for pre-booking. The Nyakagezi gorilla family is steadily living in Uganda.

 A visit to Mgahinga National Park also allows you to see the golden monkeys on a golden monkey safari.

Chimpanzee safaris in Uganda

Kibale National Park

Chimpanzee safaris in Kibale National Park are the most rewarding in Uganda. This forest is home to over 1500 chimpanzees out of more than 5000 chimpanzees that Uganda hosts. Kibale forest has over 15 chimpanzee-habituated communities, one of Africa's most significant numbers of habituated chimpanzees.

Two chimpanzee safari sessions happen in Kibale National Park in the early morning and afternoon. You can either go chimpanzee trekking or have a habituation experience in Kibale National Park. The park also boasts more than 13 primate species, including L'Hoest's, Potos, red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, bush babies, blue monkeys, and olive baboons, to mention but a few.

Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park 

Kyambura Gorge is located on the floor of the Rift Valley. This gorge resulted from the erosion of River Kyambura as it flows to connect with the Kazinga channel. This 100-meter-deep gorge has forest cover on its escarpments where chimpanzees spend their time.

You can do chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge in the morning or afternoon session, starting from the fig tree camp.

The trek to find chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge is quite strenuous as you need to hike along the gorge's slopes.

Kaniyo Pabidi Forest Murchison Falls National Park

Kaniyo pabidi forest lies 8 kilometers from Kicumbanyonbo gate of Murchison Falls National park. This is home to a community of chimpanzees too. You can visit the chimpanzees from the game drive in Murchison Falls National Park. Chimpanzees are the closest human relatives in anima; their kingdom is worth about 98% of human DNA.

It would help if you secured a chimpanzee permit for Kaniyo Pabidi. This forest is home to various birds and several other primate species.

Kalinzu Forest reserve 

On the periphery of Queen Elizabeth National Park is Kalinzu Forest. This is mainly a research center, but during the peak season, the chimpanzees of Kalinzu forest may be open to public booking.

Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Ngamba Island in Koome Lake Victoria is the home to rescued, abandoned, orphaned chimpanzees that cannot be returned to their former communities. You get to Ngamba Island by boat or charter. Two chimpanzee viewing sessions are carried out each morning and afternoon. You get to view the chimpanzees feeding from the visitor platform.

Uganda Wildlife Education Center

This is the former Entebbe Zoo, but the wild animals here live in exhibits with an environment closer to where they are commonly seen in the wild. A chimpanzee community lives in this center, and you can find them on a guided or self-guided walk.

What is the chimpanzee and gorilla safari in Uganda?

 At Encounter Africa Safaris, package gorilla and chimpanzee safaris are according to luxury, mid-range, and budget. The common cost is the permit, which cuts across all budgets.

To make a Quotation for the gorilla and chimpanzee safaris, we consider the number of days to be on safari, people traveling with, additional activities to combine with this Uganda primate safari, time of booking the primate safari, and others.

With our client's input, we can tailor the perfect itinerary to suit your needs and preferences within your safari time frame. Our safari consultants are always ready to answer your questions as they are experienced in doing safaris and often go on family trips to equip themselves with new changes in different destinations.

What to Pack for Gorilla and chimpanzee safari in Uganda

As you pack for the gorilla or chimpanzee safari, you do not need to overpack but should be simple and carry items you may be in a position to keep under your supervision. Having so many bags is inconveniencing as they occupy your legroom making you feel uncomfortable especially if you are sharing the vehicle with others.

• A camera to keep photos of your gorilla trekking experience. Mountain gorillas are frightened by unfamiliar occurrences in their presence.
• Garden gloves in case you need to hold a tight grip when you trip and fall while walking on the slippery slopes.
• Safari boots are comfortable enough to walk through the soggy and slippery jungle.
• Safari hat with a foldable large brim to protect yourself from water dripping off the trees.
• A torch as lights may run low in the night. This area is mainly served by solar energy, but less sunlight may sometimes be received.
• Insect repellant to keep away from buzzing insects in the jungle.
• Long trousers and shirt in wilderness-friendly colors. m
• A pair of binoculars to get a clearer look at far-ranging features
• Backpack with your gorilla trekking gear so they are not scattered in the wilderness.
• Flip flops to change into after the gorilla trek.
• Shoe bags to put in your shoes so they do not stain your other items when repacking. 
• Toiletries, in case your lodge doesn't provide 
• Extra cash for on-ground purchases, as credit cards are not commonly used for African transactions.
• First aid kit with emergency medication
• Travel adaptor and charger in case your battery runs low on power
• Duffel bag that you can carry in case you get no assistance

Contact us for your bookings today.