Gorilla Trekking Permit: Rwanda vs Uganda Prices and How to Book

Permit prices by country and traveller type

Rwanda has one rate for all foreign non-residents. Uganda splits its permit into tiers by residence and region, so many travellers pay less there. The Rwanda portal also runs promotional rates for residents and regional citizens, but the printed rates are not applicable from June to October.

The DRC also issues permits at $400 (US $400) for trekking, though Virunga sells visits in packages and its own pages print no official standalone permit price.

Booking a Rwanda permit

Tracking can be booked directly online or via local and international tour operators as a package. On the RDB portal, bookings are first come first served and the permit is generated automatically once your application is complete. Rwandan nationals pay in full at booking.

You supply your name, nationality, passport number and date of birth. Permits are non-transferable and you show your passport at the briefing. Tourists with erroneous, incomplete or false applications are denied entry at the park gate regardless of a paid permit, so check every document field.

If you want a slot far ahead, an advance booking option lets you pay 40% to 99% of the visiting fee when a slot is available, with the balance due before 30 days to confirm the permit. Processing takes about 1 day and cash payment at the park is not permitted.

Booking a Uganda permit

Book through the Uganda Wildlife Authority or through an operator who holds the permits. You need the same personal details, and permits are issued per habituated group at 8 permits per group daily.

Documents that can void a permit

Rwanda is strict here. Park staff verify documents at the entry gates, and a wrong, false or expired document means denied entry even when the permit itself is paid and valid. If staff have doubts about your documents, send supporting papers to reservation@rwandatourism.com before your visit.

Lead time and daily permit pools

Operators advise booking a permit about 5 months ahead, and permits can sell out four months ahead in peak season. For the June to August and December to February peaks, guides recommend at least 6 months. In quiet seasons a last-minute permit is sometimes possible.

Supply differs sharply. Uganda issues more than 200 permits per day in Bwindi plus about 8 in Mgahinga. Rwanda issues only 96 permits per day in total, 8 per troop.

If your dates are fixed and close, Uganda has more room, and last-minute Rwanda permits are rare.

Included and extra costs

In Uganda the permit explicitly covers only the guided trek and the one hour with the gorillas. In Rwanda the RDB portal does not state what the permit covers, and Visit Rwanda describes the day as a briefing at park headquarters followed by a trek to the park boundary, with included items not stated officially. Most of our tours are sold without the permit, so you add it on top. 1 Day Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Tour In The Volcanoes National Park from Universal Ventures costs $342 per person for 12 hours and states the gorilla permit is bought separately, the same as Rwanda Gorilla Trek in Volcanoes National Park at $260 per person.

Some tours do include it, for example 1 Day Gorilla Trekking Safari Tour at $2,650 per person and 1 Day Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Tour at $2,687 per person.

Other Volcanoes National Park add-ons

If you stay an extra day around Kinigi, official RDB rates include golden monkey tracking at $100 (US $100) for a foreigner, the Mount Bisoke hike at $75 (US $75), the Dian Fossey tomb hike at $75 (US $75) and the Musanze caves at $50 (US $50). Most add-on activities also report at 07:00 at Kinigi. Crossing borders adds paperwork too.

Rwanda visa fees on Irembo include a V1 Holiday single entry at $50 (US $50), a multiple entry at $70 (US $70) and the V11 East Africa Tourist Visa at $100 (US $100), which covers Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya for 3 months, useful if you trek in both countries on one trip.

Rwanda rules

The RDB portal prints that no refund is made in case of late arrivals, flight delay, absence or cancellation of trip for any other reason. A no-show on your visiting date makes the permit expired. Missing your scheduled trekking date can leave the permit non-refundable.

There are three escape hatches. If a gorilla group moves and you fail to track all day, you get another chance or a full refund. If you tracked all day and found no gorillas, 75% of the tracking fee is refunded.

And you can reschedule a confirmed permit for a fee of 20% of the application fee, approved automatically more than 7 days before the visit and subject to RDB approval within 7 days.

Uganda rules

Uganda refunds on a ladder tied to how far ahead you cancel, and 50% may be refunded for illness established on site.

Timings

In Rwanda you report to the Visitor Information centre at park entry at 07h00, with the briefing at the RDB offices in Kinigi. Musanze is a 90 minute drive from Kigali, so most trekkers sleep near the park the night before. Uganda treks last between 2 and 7 hours with 60 minutes of observation.

Rwandan hikes last anything from 30 minutes to four or more hours at altitudes of 2,500m to 4,000m, and tracking can run between 90 minutes and the whole morning depending on the family assigned. Uganda also has no flash photography under its authority rules.

Rules at the gorillas

Both parks enforce the same core rules. The minimum age is 15 years in Rwanda. You keep 7 meters, about 22 feet, from the gorillas, viewing time is one hour and a maximum of 8 visitors join each group.

Do not visit if you have a cold, flu or other contagious illness, keep your voice low, avoid rapid movements and do not litter. Rwanda's Gorilla Friendly Pledge adds a facemask at all times and leaving no waste in the park, with hiking boots, waterproof clothing, long sleeves and gloves recommended.

Getting there

Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park sits in the Virunga Massif, the dormant volcano chain spanning Rwanda, Uganda and the DR Congo. For a Uganda trek from Rwanda, the Katuna (Gatuna) border connects Kabale in Uganda to Rwanda, and Chanika (Cyanika) connects Kisoro District to Burera District of Rwanda, which is how our Kigali departure tours reach Bwindi.

Who qualifies for the promotional rates

The promotional rates apply to Rwandan and East African citizens at $200 (US $200), foreign residents at $500 (US $500) and Africans or African foreign residents at $500 (US $500). Foreign residents need residence status of four consecutive months to qualify, and a diplomat's spouse and children may use resident rates. Proof at booking includes a national ID, valid passport, resident ID, diplomatic card or residence proof of at least 6 months for African foreign residents.

The foreign non-resident rate of $1,500 (US $1,500) is not discounted in this scheme. Permits went from US$750 to US$1,500 in a past RDB tariff rise, and 10% of permit revenue now goes to local communities.

A separate low season discount

RDB also runs a 30% discount on gorilla permits from November to May, but only for combined trips that add Akagera and/or Nyungwe, with 2 nights in one park plus a hotel receipt and one paid activity, or 1 night in each park on consecutive nights with the activity. One discounted permit is allowed per 3-day, 2-night stay, and the programme's current run is not confirmed on the portal.

The decision table

A foreign non-resident saves $700 (US $700) per person on the permit by trekking in Uganda. Uganda also refunds part of the fee if plans change. Rwanda trades that saving for speed, a shorter transfer and a tighter, 96-permit daily pool.

Compare full trips before you decide, using our rwanda vs uganda gorilla trekking breakdown. Our own Uganda tours show how the permit and the travel days add up. 3 Days gorilla trekking Safari tour in Uganda from Dav Safaris costs $2,600 per person over 3 days, and 3 Day Uganda Gorilla Trekking and Batwa Pygmies Experience costs $1,860 per person. In Rwanda, 2 Days Gorilla & Golden Monkey Trekking Safaris costs $715 per person with the permit bought separately.

What the park rules require of you

You must not visit if you are sick with a cold, flu or other contagious illness, because gorillas are vulnerable to human infections. Guides keep you 7 meters from the animals, you wear a facemask at all times under the Gorilla Friendly Pledge, and you keep your voice low and movements slow. Only 8 visitors join each group, which keeps the encounter controlled.

The trek itself runs at altitudes of 2,500m to 4,000m in Rwanda and can last four or more hours, so sturdy boots, waterproofs, long sleeves and gloves are recommended. Porters can carry backpacks and cameras and help on the route, and gumboots, raincoats and gloves can be hired at park headquarters.