Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) manages all of Uganda’s national parks, wildlife reserves, and primate trekking programs. For self-drive visitors and independent travellers, UWA is the single booking entity for every park entry, every gorilla permit, every chimpanzee permit, and every guided park activity. Understanding how the UWA system works — the online portal, the backup phone booking process, what to bring on the day of your activity, and the fee schedule across all parks — is essential preparation for a Uganda wildlife trip. This 2025 guide covers the complete UWA operational picture for independent visitors.
UWA Fee Schedule 2025: All Activities
Gorilla Trekking
- Mountain gorilla trekking permit (Bwindi or Mgahinga): USD $800 per person per trek
- Gorilla Habituation Experience (GHEX, 4-hour encounter): USD $1,500 per person (Rushaga sector only)
Chimpanzee Trekking
- Kibale Forest chimp trekking permit: USD $250 per person
- Chimp Habituation Experience Kibale (full-day): USD $250 per person
- Budongo Forest chimp trekking (near Murchison Falls): USD $80 per person
- Kyambura Gorge chimp trek (Queen Elizabeth NP): USD $50 per person
Park Entry Fees (Non-Resident Adults)
- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest NP: USD $40 per person per day
- Murchison Falls NP: USD $40 per person per day
- Queen Elizabeth NP: USD $40 per person per day
- Kibale Forest NP: USD $40 per person per day
- Mgahinga Gorilla NP: USD $40 per person per day
- Rwenzori Mountains NP: USD $40 per person per day
- Kidepo Valley NP: USD $40 per person per day
- Mount Elgon NP: USD $35 per person per day
- Lake Mburo NP: USD $35 per person per day
- Vehicle fee (all parks): UGX 30,000 (approximately USD $8) per vehicle per day
Boat and Activity Fees
- Murchison Falls boat trip (2 hours, Paraa to falls base): USD $30 per person
- Kazinga Channel boat trip (2 hours, QENP): USD $30 per person
- Top of Murchison Falls hike: USD $10 per person
- Mgahinga golden monkey trekking: USD $60 per person
How to Book via UWA Online Portal
The UWA online booking portal is at ugandawildlifeauthority.com. Navigate to “Book Online” in the main navigation. The system shows availability for gorilla permits, chimp permits, and golden monkey permits by date and sector. Green calendar dates = available permits. Red dates = fully booked for that sector. Process: Select activity → Select date → Fill in participant details (full name as in passport, nationality, date of birth, passport number) → Select payment (Visa or Mastercard via the Pesapal payment gateway) → Receive confirmation email. The Pesapal payment gateway occasionally times out on first attempt — retry with the same card before switching to a different card. If the payment page doesn’t load, clear browser cache and use Google Chrome as the browser (Firefox and Safari have known compatibility issues with the UWA portal as of 2025).
When the Online System Fails: Backup Booking
The UWA online portal experiences technical downtime occasionally. When the portal is unavailable or showing no availability despite trying different browsers and devices, the backup process:
- Phone: UWA Kampala head office: +256 414 355 000 (office hours Monday-Friday 08:00-17:00 EAT). Staff can check all sectors and dates across their full permit allocation — they sometimes have permits available that are not showing on the website due to a system update lag.
- Email: uwa@uwa.or.ug — for written permit enquiries. Response time is 1-3 business days — not suitable for urgent bookings.
- UWA sector ranger stations (direct): Buhoma sector: +256 772 770 003. Rushaga sector: +256 782 653 244. These sector numbers can provide date-specific availability and occasionally process bookings directly when the central system is having issues.
On the Day: What to Bring
- Booking confirmation (printed or digital copy on phone)
- Original passport (matching the name and number on the booking exactly)
- Payment for park entry fee (paid separately from the permit at the ranger station): USD $40/person/day for Bwindi NP entry
- Porter hire fee (UGX 50,000-80,000 / approximately USD $14-22, paid in cash to the porter directly at the ranger station — no card payment for porters)
- Walking stick (provided free by UWA at the ranger station — take one, they are useful)
UWA Physical Offices in Uganda
- Kampala HQ: Plot 5, Kintu Road, Nakasero (near the city centre). Open Monday-Friday 08:00-17:00. All permit enquiries, complaints, and complex booking situations handled here.
- Entebbe Airport desk: Arrivals hall, Entebbe International Airport. Staffed during international flight arrival times. Can process permit bookings for visitors arriving without pre-booking (subject to availability — do not rely on this as your primary booking method for peak season).
