Gorilla trekking is the most fascinating and popular activity in Uganda. Most people who have had an encounter with wild gorillas fail to find the right words to describe the experience. Some remember it as the best wildlife experience they had. Before COVID-19, Uganda rarely offered discounted gorilla permits. This was mainly because more and more travelers chose to track mountain gorillas in Uganda. Before gorilla trekking became very popular, Uganda would charge $600 for gorilla permits during peak seasons. Discounted gorilla permits would be sold at $450 during the low months of November and April. Fewer travelers come into the country in April and November because of the heavy rains. Heavy rains reduce visibility and makes forest trails difficult to pass through because of mud.
In 2017, things changed because it became impossible to find permits during the peak season. Tourists started booking gorilla trekking even during the low months in order to have a chance of seeing the great primates. Uganda stopped offering discounted gorilla permits because the demand was simply too much. Moreover, Rwanda increased the price for gorilla permits to $1500. Because gorilla trekking is expensive in Rwanda, many tourists opted to cross to Uganda for cheaper tours. As tourists flocked into Bwindi and Mgahinga National parks, for gorilla trekking, the government increased the price of gorilla permits to $700. Even this increase couldn’t deter tourists from coming because it was still far cheaper than what was charged in Rwanda.
And then COVID-19 struck. Suddenly the crowds in Bwindi disappeared and the gorillas were left alone. Uganda went into lock down like almost every country in the world and tourism came to a standstill. As Uganda and countries slowly reopened, gorilla tourism was slow to pick up. In order to attract more tourists, the country was forced to introduce discounted gorilla permits. Through the Uganda Wildlife Authority, various incentives and promotions were launched to encourage more visitors into the country. These 
incentives included reducing the price for gorilla permits and park entrance fees. The Uganda Wildlife Authority revealed that the price of permits would reduce from $700 to $400 beginning from December 31st. In addition to discounted gorilla permits, park entrance fees for Murchison falls national park, Kidepo valley national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Semuliki national park and Lake Mburo national park were reduced by 50%. The fees for bird watching was also reduced by 50%. There was even a reduction for the price of chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park and other primate tracking destinations managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Are there still discounted gorilla permits in Uganda? Unfortunately, no. Gorilla permit discounts and reduced park entrance fees ran from 31st December 2020 to 30th June 2021. It is no longer possible to get discounted gorilla permits in Uganda. Discounted gorilla permits in Rwanda still exist but they still do not compare to what Uganda has to offer. That said, tourism has never gotten back to what it was before the pandemic. If that remains the case, there could be more incentives and discounted gorilla permits in Uganda in the future. For now, let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for good news especially for the budget travelers.
