The Uganda Wildlife Authority has introduced new prices for gorilla habituation, chimpanzee habituation and some tourism activities in the country. The details of the new tariffs are presented as below,

Why the new tariffs?

These new tariffs have been adjusted to offer more support to wildlife conservation. This is important in ensuring that the protected wildlife species and its habitats thrive. The new tariffs are also aimed at enhancing visitor experience. This is through supporting better park facilities, guided tour experiences and sustainable tourism. The new tariffs will also enhance efforts to support community development initiatives.

When will the new tariffs take effect?

These new Uganda Wildlife Authority tariffs for gorilla habituation, chimpanzee habituation and others will take effect on January 1, 2027. This is due to so many reasons. Firstly, this will allow tour operators like Standard Safaris adjust bookings, since this might disrupt existing reservations and tour packages. This is also necessary for us to update our prices, especially in websites and brochures. Also, visitors are offered ample time to adjust their travel budgets before the new tariffs start.

What is gorilla habituation?

Gorilla habituation involves gradually training wild gorillas to become more comfortable with the presence of humans within their natural homes. During the gorilla habituation process, trackers and researchers visit a wild gorilla group daily for years until the primates stop viewing humans as a threat to them. After the gorilla habituation process, it becomes relatively safe for any visitor to track and view the gorillas for 1 hour.

For visitors who desire gorilla habituation experiences, they are only allowed to track and view a semi-habituated gorilla group. The visitors are of course supposed to join a team of researchers and trackers to locate the primates. At the moment, all gorilla habituation experiences are offered only in the Rushaga Sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Only 4 visitors per day are allowed to participate in a gorilla habituation experience.

What is chimpanzee habituation?

This is similar to gorilla habituation, however, the process involves familiarizing a community of wild chimpanzees to human presence. This ensures that any visitor can spend time viewing chimpanzees without being perceived as a threat by the primates. Like gorilla habituation experiences, chimpanzee habituation also involves 4 visitors tracking and viewing a semi-habituated chimpanzee community.

What follows is the visitor has to join a team of researchers and trackers in the forest to locate and view the primates. Once the semi-habituated chimpanzees are found, 4 hours are offered for the visitor to view them. Other chimpanzee habituated experiences take a full day. The best chimpanzee habituated experiences are offered in Kibale National Park. Kibale is perfect because it houses almost 1,500 chimpanzees in its forested ecosystem.

What is gorilla tracking?

Unlike gorilla habituation experiences, gorilla tracking involves hiking through trails in the forest to locate a fully habituated gorilla family. Well trained ranger trackers help guide the visitors. Once the gorillas are located each visitor is meant to view the gorillas for 1 hour without interruption. Also, unlike gorilla habituation experiences, gorilla trekking tours are done in 2 Ugandan destinations, Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks.

The number of visitors allowed to track and see each habituated gorilla family should not exceed 8. Gorilla tracking tours offer more experiences per day compared to gorilla habituation experiences. This is because there are 23 habituated gorilla families in Uganda and majority of them are offered for tracking tours. However, visitors should not hesitate to purchase their permits well in advance, at least 3 months before the trip.

What is chimpanzee tracking?

This involves visitors guided by a seasoned ranger to track a fully habituated chimpanzee community to view them in the wild. Viewing time of the chimpanzees in Uganda is 1 hour. Kibale National Park is the preferred destination to do chimpanzee tracking tours. However, Kyambura Gorge, Budongo Forest, Bugoma Forest and Kalinzu Forest offer very exciting chimpanzee tracking tour experiences as well.

What is experiential lion tracking?

Experiential lion tracking involves visitors guided to track and view a radio-collared lion in their natural home. Experienced guides from Uganda Wildlife Authority and researchers help in the guiding process. Visitors can witness the lion’s behavior up close in the wild all from the safety of a safari car. The experiential lion tracking can take up to 3 hours, depending on the location of the lion.

Queen Elizabeth National Park offers the best experiential lion tracking tours in Uganda. The advantage of doing this is that you get an opportunity of watching the lions quite close to you. There is also the chance of learning about lion behavior, their habitat and ecosystem in general.

What is Rhino tracking?

This is a guided activity that allows visitors to track and view habituated rhinoceros in their natural homes. Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch and Ajai Wildlife Reserve offer the perfect rhino tracking experiences in Uganda. Soon southern white rhinos are going to be introduced in Kidepo Valley National Park. In Ziwa, rhino tracking tours take 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on their location. However, each visitor is allowed to spend 1 hour in the presence of the rhinos.