Updated 15 October 2026

The US$800 gorilla permit is paid to the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the government agency that runs Uganda’s national parks. Most of it funds UWA’s work: rangers, gorilla monitoring, anti-poaching patrols, park roads and staff, not only in Bwindi and Mgahinga but across parks that earn far less. A fixed share goes to the communities around the gorilla parks: US$10 from every permit, plus 20% of park entry fees, under Uganda’s revenue-sharing programme. The permit includes park entry, but not transport, lodges, porters or tips, which go directly to the businesses and people you pay.

Running the parks

Gorilla permits are one of UWA’s largest sources of income. Every habituated family is visited by trackers every day of the year, including days with no tourists, and rangers guide and protect each trekking group. Patrol teams remove snares set for antelope, which can also maim gorillas, and respond to animals leaving the park to raid crops. Park roads, ranger posts, radios, uniforms and salaries all have to be paid for in a remote, steep and very wet forest.

Because gorilla trekking earns so much, it also helps fund parks with fewer visitors and higher costs, such as those in the north and east of the country. In that sense, your permit supports conservation well beyond Bwindi.

The share for local communities

Uganda’s wildlife law requires UWA to share park revenue with neighbouring communities: 20% of park entry fees, plus a gorilla levy of US$10 for every permit sold for Bwindi and Mgahinga. The money goes through local governments to parishes along the park boundary, where communities choose projects such as classrooms, health posts, water tanks, roads, livestock and support for farmers whose crops are damaged by wildlife. The aim is that the people who bear the costs of living next to the park also see a benefit from it.

The system is not perfect. Payments have sometimes arrived late, and communities divided among many parishes may receive modest sums. But it is one of the oldest such schemes in Africa, and it is a real, legally fixed share of what you pay. Our guide to the impact of gorilla tourism on local communities looks at the benefits and the problems in more detail.

Health monitoring and research

UWA employs veterinarians and works with Gorilla Doctors, a non-profit veterinary group, to watch the health of habituated gorillas and treat injuries caused by snares or serious illness. Researchers, including those at the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation in Bwindi, study gorilla behaviour and ecology, and regular censuses track the population. These partners also rely on donations and international grants, so the permit is one part of a wider funding picture rather than the only source.

Has it worked?

The results are among the best in wildlife conservation. Mountain gorillas numbered about 250 in the Virunga volcanoes in the early 1980s. The latest complete counts found 604 in the Virungas and 459 in Bwindi and neighbouring Sarambwe, at least 1,063 in total, and in 2018 the IUCN moved the subspecies from Critically Endangered to Endangered. Tourism revenue, protection and community support all played a part. Read about how tourism helped save mountain gorillas.

Why the price has risen

UWA has raised the permit price over time, most recently to US$800 for foreign non-residents, with a lower US$600 rate in April, May and November. The higher price helps cover rising costs, keeps visitor numbers limited without reducing income, and keeps Uganda well below Rwanda’s US$1,500. See our guide to the Uganda gorilla permit for current prices and rules.

Making more of your money reach local people

Much of the local benefit of gorilla tourism comes from spending outside the permit. Hiring a porter for about US$15–20 gives a day’s income to a local family, and local porter associations share the work among people living around the park. Lodges that employ local staff and buy local food, community walks, craft cooperatives and Batwa-led experiences all keep money in the area. Tipping rangers, trackers and porters directly also rewards the people who make the trek possible; see our tipping guide.

Frequently asked questions