A Gorilla Permit is a document that allows persons of 15 years and above to venture into the jungles of East and Central Africa to search for gorillas and spend one hour in their presence.

This document is only issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) for Uganda and Rwanda Development Board (RDB) for Rwanda gorillas.

Although Gorilla Permits are only issued by any of the two mentioned Tourism Bodies, they can be obtained in two ways-directly from these Authorities/Bodies or the faster and stress-free process by trusted Tour Operators or Safari Companies.

With the second option, you will need to provide your passport details and payment for permit plus commission to cover administration costs for the Company.

However, it would be unwise to just entrust the Tour Operator/Safari Company with booking permits and still go through the stress of planning accommodation and transport when the Company can actually plan your entire Gorilla Safari in Uganda and Rwanda.

For permit booking directly from Uganda Wildlife Authority or Rwanda Development Board (mainly for travelers who are outside the respective countries) have options of sending email to the Board or Authority’s reservations office to inquire on the availability of gorilla permits for the dates you intend to trek the mountain gorillas.

After checking and confirming positive, you will be requested to send passport details and pay deposit with scanned copies of receipt.

After bookings have been done, you will receive scanned copies of gorilla permits on your email and you can now go ahead to pack and make other necessary arrangements for your gorilla safari.

Gorilla trekking in Rwanda is conducted within Volcanoes National Park are presently 12 gorilla groups are open for trekking all year round.

With only 8 permits provided for each gorilla group, a maximum of 96 gorilla permits can be sold each day.

For Uganda, the adventure is undertaken within Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks, although the mobility and unreliability of these Giant Apes in Mgahinga makes most travelers to avoid it hence most Uganda gorilla tours are carried out in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Prior to embarking on gorilla treks, participants are informed of the gorilla family to trek and this usually depends on personal interests, age and level of physical fitness especially for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park that boasts of over 20 habituated gorilla groups distributed across the four trekking regions of Ruhija in the East, Nkuringo and Rushaga in the south and Buhoma in the Northern part of the Park.

Perfect time to book for Gorilla Permits

It is recommended for travellers to book Gorilla Permits at least 3-4 months in advance for low season (wet season) or 6 months during peak season (dry season).

The earlier you purchase the gorilla permit, the faster and less stressful it is to get the permits especially for peak season (months of January, February, May, June, July, August, September and December).

How much do gorilla permits cost?

In Rwanda, gorilla permits cost $1500 per person for all categories of travelers while in Uganda, they cost about $700 for foreign non-residents (trekkers that don’t live and work in Uganda), $600 per person for foreign residents (visitors who live and work in Uganda hence a work permit will be required alongside passport details when booking for the gorilla permit) and Shs 250,000 for East African Community Citizens (Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi).

Remember, just like you will be required to present an air ticket before boarding a plane, a gorilla permit is needed for getting into the jungle to search for mountain gorillas.

Your full details-name, date of birth, nationality and passport number will be required when booking for gorilla permits.