3 Oct 2023
UgandaWe have hotel reservations for Bwindi, but need to buy gorilla tracking permits. How can we buy the permits?
In Uganda, international visitors must buy gorilla tracking permits via a tour operator. Only Ugandan residents can buy permits directly from the office in Kampala.
I recommend travelling with a tour operator that is registered with the Uganda Tourism Board. In addition, you may check they are registered with
the Association of Uganda Tour Operators, the Exclusive Sustainable Tourism Association, and/or YUTO.
You'll need to give the tour operator the name of the lodge where you are staying. This is because gorilla tracking is an early morning activity so ideally they'll book permits for a gorilla family that is a short walk / drive from your lodge.
Charlotte Beauvoisin
Charlotte is a travel journalist and guidebook author based on the edge of Kibale Forest, Uganda. She is an expert contributor on East Africa for the Bradt Uganda Guidebook and has written for Lonely Planet, The Daily Telegraph and Fodor's. She also volunteers with Conservation Through Public Health where she works with Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda's most prominent gorilla vet.
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