Rwanda Gorilla Trekking or Uganda in 2026: Permit Prices and 14 Lodges Compared

Rwanda gorilla trekking costs USD 1,500 per permit in 2026 and Uganda USD 800, before a night’s accommodation. Rwanda suits a short trip and has the most expensive lodges; Uganda costs less and is the only country selling the four-hour habituation experience. In both, you get one hour with a gorilla family, in a group of eight at most, and the minimum age is fifteen. Of fourteen lodges and operators compared on what they publish, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge in Uganda leads at 75 of 100. Only six of the fourteen print the permit price, and seven say plainly that it is charged on top of the rate.

Rwanda gorilla trekking or Uganda: which to choose?

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is not an option at present: Virunga National Park’s own site states that gorilla treks are closed until further notice. For the season in each country see the best time for Rwanda gorilla trekking, and for the whole budget see what a Rwanda gorilla safari costs.

Permit prices in 2026

Mountain gorillas remain listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, and the permit price is how visitor numbers are held down.

How hard the trek is, and what can stop you going

• Fitness. None of the fourteen companies publishes trek difficulty or distance. Ask the lodge which families are nearest and whether porters are available.
• Age. The minimum is fifteen in both countries. Five of the fourteen publish it: Clouds, Gorilla Safari Lodge, Bisate Lodge, Singita Kwitonda and One&Only Gorilla’s Nest.
• Illness. Both authorities state that a visitor with a cold or other infectious illness may be refused. The permit is not ordinarily refundable, so a guest can lose USD 1,500 to a head cold on the morning of the trek. None of the fourteen publishes an illness policy, and only Buhoma Lodge publishes what happens to permit money if a trek is missed.
• Insurance. See high-altitude trekking insurance for cover that names the activity.

Fourteen lodges and operators, scored on what they publish

• Permit disclosure (30). Whether the company states the permit price, and whether it says if the permit sits inside or outside its rate.
• Rate disclosure (20). Whether a real rate is published for a named room, package and season.
• Trek information (20). Difficulty or distance, altitude, the minimum age and the one-hour limit.
• Conservation quantified (20). A contribution published as a figure: a percentage, a per-guest levy or a stated sum.
• Policy disclosure (10). What happens if a guest is unwell on trek day, and what happens to permit money if the trek is missed.

Which lodge is best for what

• Best documented overall: Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Uganda (75). Permit, rate and conservation figure all on the page.
• Best value in Uganda: Gorilla Safari Lodge (55), from USD 250 per person per night, with the permit and a USD 25 service fee stated.
• Top end in Rwanda: Wilderness Bisate Lodge (55), from USD 2,569 per person per night, with the permit price beside the rate. Singita Kwitonda (39) is from USD 2,720 and prints no permit price. For the groups behind them, see Singita vs andBeyond vs Wilderness.
• Clearest conservation contribution: Volcanoes Safaris (54), USD 50 per guest per night to its partnership trust.
• If you worry about losing the permit money: Buhoma Lodge (39), the only one with a published refund policy.
• Gorillas plus a big-game safari: a planner, not a lodge. See below.

Which company is best for gorilla trekking in Rwanda?

Four Rwanda companies hold a score in this index. All four sit in or beside Volcanoes National Park, so the gorillas, the one-hour visit and the group of eight are the same whichever you choose. What differs is how much each tells you before you pay.

1. Wilderness Bisate Lodge (55): best overall. The Rwanda permit at USD 1,500, stated as charged on top of a rate from USD 2,569 per person per night for a named season. Official site.
2. Volcanoes Safaris (54): best package and best conservation figure. A four-night Virunga Gorilla Safari from USD 7,240 per person, and USD 50 per guest per night to its partnership trust. It also runs lodges in Uganda, which suits a two-country trip. It prints no permit price. Official site.
3. Wilderness Bisate Reserve (50): the top of the price range. The highest rate in the index, from USD 3,518 per person per night, with the permit published but nothing on the trek itself. Official site.
4. Singita Kwitonda Lodge (39): for Singita loyalists. A rate from USD 2,720 per person per night, but no permit price and three levies named without an amount. Official site.

One&Only Gorilla's Nest and Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge were assessed but not scored, because their rates sit on pages that could not be read. To add a big-game safari in Tanzania or Kenya to the gorillas, a planner fits better than a lodge: see gorillas with a big-game safari. For the groups behind Bisate and Kwitonda, see Singita vs andBeyond vs Wilderness.

What each of the fourteen publishes

Gorilla Trek Africa prints a Uganda permit price of USD 700; the authority charges USD 800. It is the one tour operator in this index, which makes it the company a traveller is most likely to ask for a quotation. Clouds prints both USD 700 and USD 800 as seasonal figures, which reads as a dated structure. The fourteen-fold spread between USD 250 and USD 3,518 sits on top of the same permit and the same hour with the same gorillas: the money buys the lodge, the guiding and the ground operation. Our safari operator price comparison covers who publishes rates across the wider field, and how to verify a safari operator sets out the checks.

Conservation, with and without a number

• Volcanoes Safaris: USD 50 per guest per night to the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, established in 2009.
• Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge: a USD 25 per night fee, and close to USD 2 million generated for communities and conservation since 2008, by its own figure.
• Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge: a cumulative SACOLA figure of USD 3,535,583 to February 2021.
• Named without a number: Singita Kwitonda (three levies in its exclusions list), Bisate Lodge (120,000 trees planted), Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge (its Gorilla Junction Foundation) and Mahogany Springs.

Gorilla tourism is justified by visitor money funding protection, so a figure matters here more than in most categories. Singita and Bisate may contribute more than the three that publish figures; this index can only read what is on the page.

The seven ranked companies in detail

Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge: 75/100

Gorilla Safari Lodge: 55/100

Wilderness Bisate Lodge: 55/100

Volcanoes Safaris: 54/100

Wilderness Bisate Reserve: 50/100

Buhoma Lodge (Uganda Exclusive Camps): 39/100

Singita Kwitonda Lodge: 39/100

Three things to settle before you book

1. Ask whether the permit is in the price, and get the figure. Seven of fourteen say it is charged on top and six say nothing.
2. Ask what happens if you wake up with a cold. Both authorities can refuse you and the permit is not ordinarily refundable. Get the answer in writing at booking.
3. Ask for the conservation contribution as a number. Three companies publish one.

What changed in gorilla trekking in 2026

Uganda’s new conservation tariff took effect in July 2026, with the standard permit reported unchanged at USD 800. Rwanda’s booking portal labels its USD 1,500 table as promotional and not applicable from June to October 2026, with no standard-season figure published. Virunga National Park remains closed to gorilla treks with no reopening date. And Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge introduced a USD 25 per night conservation fee in February 2025. For the wider field see the luxury safari operator index and which safari country suits you.

Questions readers ask