Gorilla Trekking Permits Explained: How to Book in Uganda & Rwanda
Permits sell out months ahead and cost up to $1,500 a person. Here is exactly how, when and where to secure yours.
March 4, 2026 . Patience AtuhaireEast Africa packs an extraordinary range of parks into a small area. These are the ones worth building a trip around.
Maasai Mara, Kenya
Big cats, the Great Migration and classic open plains. The benchmark by which other reserves are measured.
Bwindi & Volcanoes
The homes of the mountain gorillas, split across Uganda and Rwanda. Trekking here is the headline act of any East African safari.
Murchison Falls, Uganda
The Nile squeezes through a six-metre gap and explodes downward. Cruise to its base past hippos and crocodiles, then game drive the northern plains.
Queen Elizabeth & Amboseli
Queen Elizabeth offers tree-climbing lions and the Kazinga cruise; Amboseli serves up huge elephant herds beneath Kilimanjaro.
How to combine them
The smartest itineraries pair one or two primate parks with one or two savanna parks, keeping drive times sensible and the wildlife varied.
Quick takeaways
- Maasai Mara for big cats and migration.
- Bwindi and Volcanoes for gorillas.
- Murchison for the Nile and big game.
- Pair primate and savanna parks for variety.
