Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the organisation responsible for Uganda’s national parks and protected areas, will increase its gorilla tracking fees from July by US$100 (R1 865) for the 2024-2026 period.
As reported by eturbonews.com, the fee increase is a crucial step in meeting the growing conservation and operational budget requirements of UWA. This is necessary to effectively manage all UWA’s 13 wildlife sanctuaries, 12 wildlife reserves, 10 national parks, and five community wildlife management areas. In addition, UWA has announced the tracking of two more gorilla troops, bringing the total number of tracked troops to 28.
The increased rates have caused an uproar among private tour operators offering tourists guided excursions to see the region’s famous gorilla troops, as they questioned the timing of the announcement due to their commitment to binding contracts with tourists, made before the announcement of the fee increase.
Negotiations between the UWA and the Association of Uganda Tour Operators, mediated by the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, resulted in the postponement of the increase for bookings made before April 1, with the new gorilla tracking fees as follows:
- Gorilla permits for foreign non-residents will change from $700 (R13 018) to $800 (R14 878);
- For foreign residents, it will cost $700 (R13 018) from $600 (11 159);
- For the rest of Africa (a new category), the permit is $500 (R9 299);
- For East African residents, rates increase from UGX250 000 (R1 193) to UGX300 000 (R1 431).
The increased gorilla tracking permit rates in Uganda are still significantly lower than those in neighbouring Rwanda, which cost $1 500 (R27 897) for foreigners.
