How Uganda Gorilla Permits Work, Step by Step

The permit is the one part of a gorilla trip you cannot improvise. Everything else, from the lodge to the vehicle, can be rearranged; the permit is limited, dated and issued by one authority. Here is how it works, in the order you will meet it.

What a permit is

• It is issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and by nobody else. Tour operators book permits on your behalf; they do not make them.
• Each permit is for one person, one date and one sector of Bwindi, or for Mgahinga. See choosing your Bwindi sector.
• At most eight visitors are allowed with each habituated family per day, and you spend one hour with the gorillas once the group reaches them.
• The minimum age is 15 on the day of the trek. It is enforced at the briefing, where your passport is checked.

How far ahead to book

Book three to six months ahead as a rule. Book earlier for the drier months, June to September and December to February, for a fixed date you cannot move, or for a group of more than two, because you will all need permits for the same family on the same day. In the wetter months there is usually more room.

How booking works with us

1. 1.You give us your dates. We check what UWA has available in the sectors that fit your route.
2. 2.We need each traveller’s full name, nationality and passport number, exactly as on the passport.
3. 3.UWA issues permits only once they are paid for, so the permit payment is usually due before the rest of the trip. We tell you the exact amount and date.
4. 4.We hold the permits in your names and bring them to the ranger briefing. You bring your passport.

Trekking or the Habituation Experience

The standard permit gives you one hour with a fully habituated family. The Gorilla Habituation Experience is a separate permit: a smaller group spends around four hours with a family that researchers and rangers are still habituating to people, in Bwindi’s Rushaga sector. It costs more and sells out faster, and for anyone who wants to watch behaviour rather than take photographs, it is worth it.

When things go wrong

• Refunds: permits are non-refundable once they are bought. This is why we recommend travel insurance that covers cancellation.
• Illness: gorillas catch human respiratory infections. Rangers can turn away a visitor with a visible cold or flu, and they are right to. If you fall ill before the trip, tell us as early as you can.
• Changing dates: whether a permit can be moved depends on availability and on UWA’s rules at the time. Ask us before you assume either way.
• Not finding the gorillas: trackers set out before you each morning to locate the family, so sightings are very likely. They are never guaranteed, because these are wild animals.

Why we do not list the price

UWA sets permit prices, publishes them in its tariff, and changes them from time to time. A price copied onto a website goes out of date without anyone noticing, so we point you to the source instead: the current rates are on the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s website, and every quote we send includes the permit at the rate in force.