The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) will no longer print gorilla permits from their office but send them to the respective companies’ email address directly instead.
Effective today, 23rd January 2026, UWA has announced that it will no longer print gorilla permits from its office in Kamwokya, near the Uganda museum. This has been announced in an email inviting tour operators for a meeting, which will take place on 3rd February 2026 at Protea Hotel in Kololo to discuss the various issues the operators have been facing in accessing the Authority’s services.
This move by UWA to stop printing Gorilla permits but send them to the company’s email directly is welcome because it is one of the measures to cut out middlemen and impersonation. Previously, an individual would go to UWA and purchase permits under a certain company’s name without their knowledge and consent, and this was causing a lot of problems in case the “impostor” did not deliver all services to the clients.
For a couple of years now, the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) and Uganda Wildlife Authority have been intensifying measures to professionalize the tourism industry and ensure that only registered and licensed tour operators are allowed to handle visitors to Uganda and curb down fraud and this could be one of the measures to streamline Uganda gorilla permit bookings because gorilla trekking in Uganda is the biggest tourism product with very high demand and has had a fair share of controversies over the past, including ongoing court cases against former UWA employees on allegations of issuing fraudulent gorilla permits and causing a huge financial loss to both the institution and government.
Going forward, you should only use legitimate tour operators as listed on the Association of Uganda Tour Operators website, like Achieve Global Safaris, to book your gorilla permits and plan your safaris and tours in Uganda. Contact us now.
Gorilla trekking in Uganda happens in Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and you can combine your gorilla trip with wildlife safaris and other activities like coffee tours and cultural experiences and we are here to help you create a dream safari in Uganda.
UPDATE: The new policy affects both gorilla and Chimpanzee permits and it is also meant to strengthen UWA’s internal control, keep the integrity of their systems, enhance accountability, and service delivery.
