
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park cost 2024 – 2025
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park cost 2024 – 2025 : Gorilla trekking is among the activities which take place during tours around Bwindi impenetrable national park.
The cost of gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park varies depending on several factors and some of the costs incurred include gorilla permit fees, accommodation costs, transport costs and fees for additional activities.
- Gorilla permit fees
The cost of a gorilla permit for Bwindi national park in 2024 from 1st July 2024 will be 800 USD per person for foreign nonresidents, 700 USD for foreign residents, 300,000 Uganda shillings and 500 USD for individuals of the rest of Africa.
The fees paid for the gorilla permit is inclusive of park entrance fees for Bwindi national park and services of a trained guide.
In Uganda, gorilla permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) which is responsible for managing gorilla trekking activities around the different parts of Bwindi national park.
Tourists can get permits for gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park by contacting tour operators who book the permits from the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Due to the limited number of gorilla permits issued daily booking of permits in advance is a wise decision especially during high or peak tourist seasons which are during the dry season.
Gorilla permits are issued for gorilla trekking in different sectors of Bwindi national park including Rushaga sector, Buhoma sector, Ruhija sector and Nkuringo sector. Another destination for gorilla trekking in Uganda is Mgahinga national park.
During gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park, tourists visit gorilla families found in different sectors of the national park and spend time with them with a group of 8 individuals allowed to track 1 gorilla family daily.
Gorilla permits are also issued only to individuals above the age of 15 years who are allowed to engage in gorilla trekking experiences around the different parts of Bwindi national park during their tours in Uganda.
When visiting Bwindi national park for gorilla trekking, the permit fees take up a big part of the cost of the gorilla trekking experience as compared to other costs incurred by the tourists during their safaris at the destination.
The cost of a gorilla permit is an individual cost and is not a shared fee during tours around Bwindi national park. After getting the gorilla permit, tourists can visit Uganda and enjoy an encounter with the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
The gorilla trekking experience starts with a briefing at the park headquarters in the different sectors of Bwindi national park before tourists are led into the Bwindi impenetrable forest to search for and spend time with the gorillas in their natural habitat.
- Accommodation cost
After or before engaging in Gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park, tourists require places to stay for their safaris.
Accommodation costs during gorilla trekking vary depending on the type of accommodation, duration of stay at the lodge, room type, meal plan and season of stay among other factors.
The type of lodges where tourists can stay during their gorilla trekking experiences in Bwindi national park include budget lodges, midrange lodges and luxury lodges. The cost of the budget lodges can be about 100 USD per night while midrange lodges can range from 150 USD to 300 USD per night and luxury lodges around Bwindi national park cost about 320 USD and above per night.
The room type also affects the cost of accommodation during gorilla trekking tours in Bwindi national park in a way that different rooms are charged differently at the lodges. Single room fees are different from fees charged for double or twin rooms and triple rooms and also family rooms.
Single rooms cost about 100 USD in budget lodges, 140 to 180 USD in midrange lodges and over 300 USD in luxury lodges around Bwindi national park. These prices vary depending on the lodge where the tourists stay for the gorilla trekking tour in Bwindi.

Double rooms cost about 150 USD in budget lodges, 250 USD in midrange lodges and approximately 350 USD per person in luxury lodges. Triple rooms and family rooms cost over 500 USD at the different lodges in Bwindi national park.
Different lodges also have varying children policies which also affect the cost of the gorilla trekking tours in Bwindi national park. Some lodges charge children about 50% of the adult rate while other lodges offer children below the age of 12 years free accommodation. For some lodges children below the age of 5 years sharing a room with an adult are not charged hotel fees.
The cost if accommodation in Bwindi national park also depends on the meal plan which can be bed and breakfast, half board or full board basis.
- Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park cost 2024 – 2025 : Transport costs
When traveling to Bwindi national park for gorilla trekking, tourists can fly or drive to the park for their safaris.
The cost of flights to Bwindi national park from Entebbe are about 353 USD per person for a one way flight and about 540 USD per person for a return flight. The airstrips in Bwindi include Kisoro airstrip and Kihihi airstrip.
Driving costs during tours to Bwindi national park range from 100 USD to 300 USD per transfer. The cost of transport depends on the vehicle type, starting point of the tour, driving distance and also the vehicle hire company.
The duration of the drive from Kampala to Bwindi national park takes about 8 to 9 hours using the Kampala-Mbarara-Kabale route.
- Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park cost 2024 – 2025 : Activity costs
The cost of additional activities which tourists engage in during gorilla trekking tours in Bwindi national park also affects the price of the tour.
Some of the additional activities include birding which costs 40 USD, Batwa forest experience at a fee of 40 USD per person, nature walk fees ranging between 40 to 60 USD depending on the trail used for the activity.
Factors which affect the costs for gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park include the number of people, duration of the tour, accommodation type, means of transport and also the time of travel for the gorilla tour.
