Gorilla trekking permits for Rwanda & Uganda.
What they cost, when to book and everything you need to know before securing your trek.
A gorilla permit is required to trek mountain gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda. Permit prices, availability and booking arrangements differ between the two countries and can influence when you travel, where you stay and how your safari is planned.
We arrange gorilla permits as part of every safari we plan, coordinating them with your accommodation, transport and the rest of your journey.
Gorilla permit prices at a glance.
What does your gorilla permit include?
Your gorilla permit gives you access to a guided trek to visit a habituated mountain gorilla family. In both Rwanda and Uganda, a standard permit allows you to spend up to one hour with the gorillas once your group reaches them.
Park entry
Entry to the national park for your scheduled gorilla trek.
Ranger guides
Your trek is led by trained park ranger guides who accompany your group through the forest.
Gorilla trekking
Track a habituated gorilla family allocated to your trekking group that day.
Time with the gorillas
Once you reach the family, a standard permit allows you to spend up to one hour with the gorillas.
What isn't included
Your permit does not normally include accommodation, transportation to the park, porter services or the other arrangements surrounding your trek. When you travel with Gorilla Safari Company, we coordinate your permits with the rest of your safari.
When should you book your gorilla permit?
Gorilla permits are limited each day, and availability can become tight during popular travel periods. If your travel dates are fixed, we recommend securing your permit as early as possible.
When we plan your safari, we check permit availability before confirming the itinerary and coordinate your trekking date with your accommodation, transportation and the rest of your journey.
Plan the permit and the safari together.
Don’t choose a gorilla permit date in isolation. Particularly in Uganda, because where your trek takes place can affect where you should stay and how your entire journey is routed.
What happens if gorilla permits
are sold out?
If gorilla permits are unavailable for your preferred date, it doesn’t necessarily mean your trip can’t happen. We first look at whether there is flexibility elsewhere in your itinerary — sometimes moving the trek by a day or adjusting the order of your safari is enough to find availability.
In Uganda, we can also look at availability in a different trekking sector of Bwindi or at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Because this can affect where you stay and how the journey is routed, we check the whole itinerary rather than simply looking for a permit in isolation.
Can you change your gorilla permit?
Gorilla permits are issued for a specific trekking date, but changes may be possible if your travel plans alter. The rules differ between Rwanda and Uganda, so we handle any changes according to the requirements that apply to your permit.
Changing your trekking date
One date change is currently permitted without charge when made at least 14 days before your trekking date.
Further rescheduling is subject to a 25% charge per permit and generally allowed up to two times.
Changing your trekking date
One date change is currently permitted for a fee of US$300 per permit when made at least 7 days before your trekking date.
Any further rescheduling is not permitted.
What if you need to cancel?
Gorilla permit fees are committed when permits are secured, so cancellation and refund arrangements should always be checked before any changes are made. If your plans change, contact us first and we will confirm the options that apply to your booking.
Permit rules and charges are set by the relevant wildlife authorities and can change.Can the Gorilla Safari Company
secure my gorilla permits?
Yes. When we arrange your gorilla safari, we check permit availability for your preferred trekking dates and secure the permits as part of planning your trip.
You don't need to contact the wildlife authorities yourself or try to coordinate permits separately from your accommodation and transportation. We plan them together, because the date and location of your gorilla trek can determine where you stay and how the rest of your itinerary works.
We check availability
We check the appropriate trekking dates and locations for your itinerary.
We build your safari around it
Once we know what is genuinely available, we coordinate your lodges, transportation and the rest of your journey.
We secure your permits
When you're ready to proceed, we arrange the permits required for your gorilla trek.
Your gorilla trekking
questions answered.
Planning a gorilla safari brings plenty of questions. Here are quick answers to some of the things travelers ask us most often.
Where can I go gorilla trekking?
Mountain gorilla trekking takes place in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We specialize in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park and Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, where we arrange private, tailor-made gorilla safaris.
When is the best time to go gorilla trekking?
Gorilla trekking is possible throughout the year. The drier periods are generally popular because trail conditions can be easier, while the wetter and lower-season months can offer advantages of their own. The best time depends on your priorities, itinerary and the other places you want to combine with your gorilla trek.
How much does a gorilla permit cost?
A standard gorilla permit currently costs US$1,500 per person in Rwanda and US$800 per person in Uganda for foreign non-residents. Reduced permit rates are available during qualifying low-season periods. We arrange the permits as part of every gorilla safari we plan.
How difficult is gorilla trekking?
It varies considerably. Some treks can be relatively short, while others involve several hours of walking through steep, uneven and sometimes muddy forest terrain. Your fitness, the weather and the location of the gorillas all influence the difficulty on the day. We take this into account when helping you plan where to trek.
What is the minimum age for gorilla trekking?
The standard minimum age for gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda is 15 years. If you are planning a family safari, we can help design the wider journey around the ages and interests of everyone traveling.
Is gorilla trekking safe?
Yes. Gorilla trekking is generally considered a safe activity, although gorillas are wild animals and should always be treated with respect. Treks are carefully managed by the national park authorities and visit habituated gorilla families that are accustomed to the presence of people. You are accompanied by trained park ranger guides, with additional ranger support and trackers involved in the trekking operation. Visitors are briefed before entering the forest and must follow the rangers’ instructions throughout the trek and encounter.
How long do you spend with the gorillas?
On a standard gorilla trek, you normally spend up to one hour with the gorilla family once they have been located. The time spent trekking through the forest to find them varies from day to day. Gorilla habituation experiences in Uganda allow up to four hours with a gorilla family and offer a different, more extended experience.
How many people are in a gorilla trekking group?
Standard gorilla trekking groups are normally limited to a maximum of eight visitors per habituated gorilla family. Your safari with us may be completely private, but the gorilla trek itself is normally shared with other permit holders allocated to the same gorilla family.
Let us take care of the permits
— and everything around them.
You do not need to work out permit availability, trekking locations, lodges and transportation on your own. Tell us when you would like to travel and what you have in mind, and we will help you build the right gorilla safari around the permits that are genuinely available.
START PLANNING YOUR GORILLA SAFARI →