Travelling in Rwanda and Uganda: gorilla and chimp permits

Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park is booked on the Rwanda Development Board's official booking portal, or through a tour operator as part of your trip. Explore Africa can book the permit for you. If you book it yourself, enter each traveller's full details as they appear in their passport, because documents are checked at the park gate. Bookings are first come, first served, and permits can be booked in advance. The official pages do not set a required lead time, so secure yours as soon as your dates are fixed. Musanze, the nearest town, is about 90 minutes' drive from Kigali. On the day, report to the park offices at Kinigi by 7 am for the briefing.

After the morning briefing, your group is allocated a habituated gorilla family. The walk in can take from about 30 minutes to four hours or more, depending on where the family is that day, and the walk back can take as long. The gorillas live at about 2,500 to 4,000 metres, so even a short trek can feel demanding. Walk slowly and drink plenty of water. Porters are available for a small charge to carry your daypack and help with footing. Once you reach the family you may stay for one hour. Keep 7 metres away, keep your voice low, do not use flash, and do not visit if you have a cold, flu or another contagious illness. Visit Rwanda also encourages the Gorilla Friendly Pledge, which asks visitors to keep their distance and wear a face mask. Long trousers and sleeves, sturdy walking shoes or boots and rain gear are recommended.

The Rwanda Development Board says that if you cannot reach your gorilla family all day because the group has moved, you are offered another chance or a full refund. If you track all day and still do not make contact, 75% of the fee is refunded. There is no refund for late arrival, flight delays, not turning up, or cancelling your trip for any other reason. This is one reason we build some spare time into gorilla journeys and recommend travel insurance.

Nyungwe National Park, a mountain rainforest in Rwanda's south-west, is about five to six hours' drive from Kigali, or a 40-minute flight to Kamembe. The park is managed by the Rwanda Development Board with African Parks. Its 2025 to 2026 pricing lists chimpanzee tracking at US$150 per person for international visitors, including the guide. Park entry is extra, at US$100 per adult for a day visit or one night. Children under 15 cannot take part, and each of the three chimpanzee communities takes a maximum of eight visitors a day. A full-day chimpanzee habituation experience is listed at US$200 per person for up to four adults, also from age 15. Porters are US$5 for a half day or US$10 for a full day. The park does not take cash, and cancellations made 30 days or less before arrival attract a charge. Book through the Nyungwe National Park website, or ask us to arrange it.

In Uganda, permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Its tariff says gorilla and chimpanzee permits for foreign non-residents can only be booked through licensed tour operators, so this is something Explore Africa arranges for you. Since 1 March 2026, permits must be paid in full at the time of booking; they can no longer be held unpaid. As at November 2026, the standard gorilla permit for foreign non-residents is US$800 per person, or US$600 in April, May and November, and it includes the guide, park entry for the tracking day and a community development contribution. Low-season permits cannot be rescheduled, and changing other permits late costs 25% of the permit fee. Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park is US$250 per person at the standard rate, or US$200 in April, May and November, and the standard permit includes the guide, that day's park entry and a nature walk. In Kyambura Gorge, in Queen Elizabeth National Park, it is US$100, with the guide included and park entry extra. The UWA rates page has the current tariff.

UWA's rules say you must not go into the forest if you are unwell. Gorilla tracking has a minimum age of 15 and a maximum of eight visitors per group. For chimpanzees, UWA's tariff sets a minimum age of 12, but its Kibale park page says 16, so check with us before booking for anyone under 16. Keep at least 10 metres from the animals, do not eat, drink or smoke during tracking, and do not use flash. Your time with the gorillas or chimpanzees is limited to one hour, except on a habituation experience. In Kibale, tracking starts from the Kanyanchu visitor centre at 8 am, 11 am or 2 pm and usually takes two to five hours in all. Paths can be steep, muddy and slippery, so wear long trousers, a long-sleeved shirt and sturdy boots, and carry rain gear and water.

In Rwanda, many travellers add Akagera National Park for savannah wildlife, the Kigali Genocide Memorial, and cultural visits near Volcanoes National Park. In Uganda, Kibale is about an hour's drive from Fort Portal, and chimpanzee tracking pairs well with game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park and gorilla trekking in Bwindi. Park entry fees for these are separate from primate permits, with two exceptions: Uganda gorilla permits include the guide, park entry for the tracking day and a community contribution, and Kibale chimpanzee permits include the guide and that day's park entry.

Rwanda Development Board, gorilla permit booking portal. Visit Rwanda, Come visit the gorillas. Nyungwe National Park, pricing scheme 2025 to 2026. Uganda Wildlife Authority, rates, conservation tariff, Kibale National Park and tariff changes letter of 26 February 2026. Checked 11 November 2026.