How and Where To Buy Gorilla Permits in Uganda

Are you planning to go gorilla trekking in Uganda? Then the first thing you out to buy or book before anything else is the gorilla permit. The permit, a government document that allows you into the Bwindi Impenetrable or Mgahinga National Parks, will determine the location of your accommodation and the route to the gorilla park.

Uganda offers less than 170 gorilla permits per day. Yet, the gorilla trekking experience demand is higher than the available permits. Last-minute bookings are highly disappointing for many travelers. At Encounter Africa, we highly recommend travelers start preparing for the trip months before the planned date to avoid the scuffle for finding gorilla permits.

Other than the scarcity of gorilla permits, in this post, we cover so much more information you have to know before you start planning the gorilla trekking safari.

What is a gorilla permit?

A gorilla permit is a pass or ticket tourists buy from Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) for a guided gorilla trekking activity in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga National Park. A gorilla permit will enable tourists to track gorillas and spend an hour silently watching them, an activity commonly known as gorilla trekking. 

At the briefing point, just before a pair of rangers and a tracker lead you into the gorilla forest, the park warden verifies your permit to make sure you acquired it through the proper means. They usually ask for your passport, check for the trekking date and trailhead allocation. Then they’ll allow you to join the trekking group.

After trekking for an unspecified time looking for the location of a habituated gorilla family, the gorilla permit allows you exactly an hour sitting or standing silently and watching the gorillas 10 meters away. 

The money that buys the gorilla permit pays for everything from rangers’ services to gorilla conservation efforts. It pays for the habituation process each gorilla family undergoes to get used to human presence. And control the negative impact your visit could bring to the gorillas and their habitat.

What is included with a gorilla permit in Uganda?

The gorilla permit in Uganda includes only guided access to gorillas and one hour with the gorillas. With your gorilla permit, you can trek with a controlled group of not more than seven other tourists flanked by two armed rangers and following the guidance of a local expert tracker. The tracker/guide keeps you informed of everything gorilla tracking during the trek and when with the gorillas.

The permit will only allow gorilla trekking once at a date stated on the ticket. After the trek or if you miss the hike, the permit becomes invalid and cannot be used or claimed.

The permit does not include any other expenses on your trips like accommodation, meals, transportation, and logistical costs. It only covers the gorilla trekking activity, and anything before or after the activity has nothing to do with the permit.

How much does a gorilla permit cost in Uganda?

A gorilla permit in Uganda costs $700 per person per trek for foreign non-residents above 15 years old. Foreign residents with work permits pay $600 and UGX 250,000 for East African Nationals.

A habituation permit costs $1,500 per person. The habituation permits allow tourists to stay with a semi-habituated gorilla family for four hours—three hours more than the regular permit allows.

Why is gorilla trekking so expensive?

Mountain gorillas are endangered, with merely above 1000 gorillas remaining in the wild. Gorilla tourism is a vital element in their conservation and continued growth in numbers. However, conserving wild giant creatures in inhabitable mountain forests is an expensive venture that requires serious financing efforts from all players.

The gorilla trekking permit is so expensive because it pays for the most challenging conservation efforts of sustaining the survival and growth of the gorilla population in their natural habitats. These places are harsh to humans, yet they have to supervise, protect, and control the gorilla’s survival. 

Gorilla trekking alone requires a team of rangers to stay with the gorillas from dusk to down. That helps the trackers trekking with tourists quickly locate the gorillas and assure everyone of seeing the gorillas. The gorilla trekking system is costly, making the permit quite pricy.

How many gorilla permits are available in Uganda?

With 20 habituated gorilla families and only eight people allowed to visit a single family per day, there are 160 gorilla permits available in Uganda per day.

Bwindi Impenetrable forest issues 152 gorilla permits per day, while Mgahinga National Park issues only 8 gorilla permits per day. Bwindi permits are issued at four different sectors that give easy access to habituated gorillas and can not be transferred from one sector to another. That means that when you book a permit for a sector in Bwindi, you cannot track gorillas of another sector in Bwindi.

With 5 habituated gorilla families, the Buhoma sector, in the north of Bwindi, issues 40 gorilla permits. Ruhija in the west issues 24 permits, Rushaga, in the south, issues 48, and Nkuringo, in the south, issues 24 gorilla permits per day. 

When you book your permit, make sure that you understand clearly the park sectors where you’ll book your accommodation and buy the gorilla trekking permit for that sector. 

Where to buy gorilla permits in Uganda?

The Uganda Wildlife Authority, commonly referred to as UWA, is the only authorized gorilla permit issuer in Uganda. UWA is a government body in charge of managing wildlife conservation and tourism.

Tourists can buy the permits directly from UWA offices in Kampala or contract a licensed local tour operator to buy them on their behalf. Usually, the tour operator will charge you a logistical fee for booking your permit. Nonetheless, the gorilla permits in Uganda are sold at face value; that means the price of the permit is the same no matter where you buy it.

Contact our tour consultants at info@gorilla-tracking-uganda.com to help you buy your gorilla trekking permit for your chosen tracking dates.

How to get gorilla permits

Walk into UWA head office in Kampala at Plot 7 Kira Road and buy your gorilla permits. If you can stand the logistical bureaucracy, call the office at 0800100960 or send them an email at info@wildlife.go.ug. The only requirement you should carry is money (cash or card) and your valid passport.

However, a simpler way is to buy your permit through a licensed tour operator, who will take care of all the ground logistics, including rescheduling the permit when you change your travel dates. They’ll ask for your passport and full payment for the permit.

The tour operator will then send you a scanned copy of your booked permit showing your name, date, and tracking via email to ensure you get the permit on your arrival. 

To avoid fraudulent transactions, read our detailed post on finding a trusted tour operator.

Can you buy last-minute gorilla permits?

Yes, you can buy last-minute gorilla permits from tour operators who get the permits from UWA in bulk, hoping to sell to last-minute travelers. 

During the high season, gorilla permits in Uganda are in high demand and usually sell out months in advance. If you’re planning a last-minute gorilla trekking safari to Uganda, contact our tour consultants at info@gorilla-tracking-uganda.com; we usually have a couple on standby.

Can you cancel a gorilla permit?

Yes, you can cancel your gorilla permit and receive a refund only if you’ve fully paid for the permit. You don’t get a refund on cancellation when you book with a deposit.

If you have fully paid for your gorilla permit, UWA’s following cancellation policies apply. 

• 91 days + before trekking – 75% refund 
• 46 to 90 days before – 50% refund 
• 9 to to 45 days before – 25% refund 
• 0 to to eight days before – No refund 

However, if the park warden establishes (on-site) that you can not trek due to illness, you’ll get a 50% refund on your gorilla permit. Human diseases can be fatal to gorillas, so the warden on-site does due diligence to verify everyone’s health before allowing gorilla trekking.

If you unknowingly let the permit expire beyond the trekking date, that’s it; the gorilla permit will be unusable.

On the other hand, you or your tour operator can reschedule your permit to another date a week before the tracking date. UWA can allow the rescheduling of your gorilla permit twice, for up to two years ahead. A third reschedule incurs a 25% penalty fee. 

Also, you can push your gorilla permit to another date if it’s partly paid with a deposit. That can only be done once; you’ll have fully paid the permit for a second reschedule. 

You can book a gorilla permit for up to two years ahead with a 30% deposit. UWA requires you to pay 70% of the permit price 90 days before your trekking date; otherwise, the permit is canceled.  

Suppose you don’t see the gorillas after effortlessly trekking for hours. In that case, UWA may authorize to reschedule the permit to the following day, subject to availability. If there’s no availability, UWA will approve a refund of 50% of the permit price on confirmation from the warden. 

Book With Encounter Africa

Cut your planning time and book your gorilla trekking safari with Encounter Africa Safaris. We plan custom-made gorilla safaris that include gorilla permit processing, accommodation, and transport.

Last-minute booking, don’t even worry about that because we’ve stashed away several permits hoping you would ask. No waiting, no promises. Email us at info@gorilla-tracking-uganda.com to talk to our tour consultants right now.