Permit Policy

A gorilla permit is a document issued by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the government body that manages Uganda's national parks and wildlife. The permit grants one person permission to trek to one habituated gorilla family, for one hour of contact time, on one specific date.

Permits are the single most important logistical element of any gorilla journey. Without a valid permit, you cannot enter the gorilla trekking area. There are no exceptions to this rule, and we cannot obtain permits on the day of travel.

• ✦Cost: $800 per person
• ✦Duration: one hour with the assigned gorilla family
• ✦Group limit: maximum 8 permits per gorilla family per day
• ✦Available across all four Bwindi sectors and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
• ✦Issued directly by UWA. No other body can issue valid permits.

The gorilla habituation experience is a fundamentally different encounter and requires a different permit:

• ✦Cost: $1,500 per person
• ✦Duration: a full day with the family, typically 4 to 6 hours
• ✦Group limit: maximum 4 permits issued per day, for the entire country
• ✦Available in Rushaga sector, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest only
• ✦You are present with a gorilla group in the process of habituation, accompanied by IGCP researchers

After your deposit is received and your journey is confirmed, we arrange the application for your gorilla trekking permits through official channels, specifying your names, nationality, dates, and preferred sector. UWA issues the permits, subject to availability; Bwindi House does not allocate gorilla families.

We provide written permit confirmation before we request final payment. You will know your permits are secured before the balance is due.

Once issued by UWA, gorilla permits:

• ✦Are date-specific and tied to a single gorilla family
• ✦Can be refunded on UWA's tiered schedule, by how far ahead you cancel
• ✦Can often be rescheduled to a later date, subject to UWA approval and a surcharge
• ✦Are not freely transferable between guests on demand

These conditions are UWA policy and exist to protect the strict conservation framework around habituated gorilla families. For the full refund tiers, reschedule rules and emergency provisions, see our gorilla permit cancellation and refund guide.

Bwindi has four trekking sectors: Buhoma, Rushaga, Nkuringo, and Ruhija. We discuss which sector best suits your dates, fitness level, and accommodation preferences. While we do our best to honour sector preferences, final assignment is subject to UWA availability. We will always confirm your sector before final payment is requested.