How Much Does a Uganda Safari Cost in 2026/27?

Ask ten people what a Uganda safari costs and you'll get ten very different answers, and most of them will be right. A week in the north with a rhino walk and a boat trip is a very different trip from sixteen days of fly-in lodges and gorillas, and the price reflects that.

This guide uses real Kikooko itineraries and the Uganda Wildlife Authority's current tariff to show where the money goes. Prices are in US dollars, per person, and based on a group of six unless we say otherwise. They rise for couples and fall as the group grows. We confirm the exact figure for your dates when you enquire.

The short answer

Plan on roughly $320 to $420 per person per day for a comfortable, guided Uganda safari, with the top end of the market at about four times that. Here is how it looks across our itineraries:

• Around $2,250 for 7 days (Uganda Big 5 Positive Impact Safari). Wildlife and community visits in the north.
• Around $4,210 for 10 days (Explore Western Uganda). Gorilla tracking included.
• Around $4,380 for 12 days (Kikooko Budget). The classic loop, with simple lodges. Gorilla tracking is optional and not in the price.
• Around $24,210 for 16 days (Kikooko Luxury). Fly-in lodges, gorilla tracking and a gorilla habituation day.

Our Uganda safari price table lists every itinerary with prices for two, four and six travellers.

What a safari costs per day, by style

Divide each itinerary by its length and a pattern appears. These are group-of-six prices per person per day.

• Community and wildlife week: about $320 a day. The Uganda Big 5 Positive Impact Safari is a mid-range week around Murchison Falls, with rhino tracking at Ziwa and time with the communities your trip supports. It stays in the north, so it has no gorilla permit to pay for.
• Primates and lakes: about $380 to $420 a day. The Uganda Primates Positive Impact Safari (9 days) and Explore Western Uganda (10 days) both include gorilla tracking, which accounts for $800 of the price before anything else is counted.
• Budget classic: about $365 a day. Kikooko Budget uses simple guesthouses and community camps, but it covers a lot of ground: Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Ishasha, Bwindi, Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mburo over 12 days.
• Luxury: about $1,510 a day. Kikooko Luxury is the one that looks surprising next to the others, so here is what is in it.

Why the luxury safari costs so much

At about $24,210 per person for six travellers (and $30,220 for two), Kikooko Luxury is not a typical trip. It is also a different kind of trip, and the price is real.

You stay in some of Uganda's best lodges, including Apoka in Kidepo, Nile Safari Lodge, Kyambura Gorge Lodge and Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp, all on full board. You fly to Kidepo, from Kidepo to Pakuba and from Kisoro back to Entebbe instead of spending days on the road. And you do not just track gorillas once: the trip includes a standard gorilla permit and a full gorilla habituation day, plus chimpanzee tracking and golden monkeys.

That last item matters for the budget. A habituation permit is the most expensive wildlife permit in Uganda, and it is a separate fee from the standard one. See below.

What the price includes

Every Kikooko itinerary includes the same core, so you are comparing like with like:

• A 4WD safari vehicle, fuel and an English-speaking professional guide
• Accommodation as listed, meals as per your chosen plan and drinking water
• Park entrance fees and the activities named in the itinerary (game drives, boat trips, community visits, tree planting)
• Airport transfers and cover from the AMREF Flying Doctors
• A prepaid phone for the trip, fruit along the road and a Ugandan rolex

Gorilla tracking is the one thing that varies. It is included on Explore Western Uganda, the Primates safari and Kikooko Luxury, and optional on Kikooko Budget, so add $800 per person if you want it there. Each itinerary page lists exactly what is in and out.

The big line items: park fees and permits

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) sets the price of every permit, and it is the same whichever company you book with. These are the current rates for foreign non-residents, from UWA's official tariff and its letter of 26 February 2026:

• Gorilla tracking permit: $800. This covers the guide, your park entry for the day and a community contribution. It stays at $800 when the tariff changes on 1 January 2027.
• Gorilla habituation experience: $1,500, rising to $1,800 on 1 January 2027. Four hours with a gorilla family that is still getting used to people.
• Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale: $250, rising to $300 on 1 January 2027. Chimpanzee habituation goes from $300 to $400.
• Golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga: $60.
• Park entry: about $40 per adult per day, and $45 at Murchison Falls. It is valid for 24 hours.

On a Kikooko itinerary these are already inside the price wherever the activity is listed. If you build a trip on your own they are what you pay on top of lodging, a vehicle and a guide. Our guides to gorilla permits and chimpanzee permits cover how booking works.

When it costs less (and when it costs more)

UWA now discounts its two most popular permits in the quietest months. In April, May and November, a gorilla permit is $600 instead of $800, and chimpanzee tracking is $200 instead of $250. For a couple that is $400 off on gorillas alone.

There is a catch: these discounted permits cannot be rescheduled. If you can fix your dates, they are a real saving. These are also the rainy months, so trails are muddier. Our guide to the best time to visit Uganda explains what to expect. Tell us your dates and we'll quote the permit rate that applies.

The other timing rule is about booking. Since 1 March 2026 UWA no longer lets operators hold permits for seven days without paying. A permit is secured only when it is paid in full, so popular dates can go quickly. For July to September and December to February, booking three to six months ahead is the safe approach.

How group size changes the price

The vehicle, fuel and guide cost the same whether two people share them or six, so every traveller you add lowers everyone's share. On the Uganda Big 5 Positive Impact Safari, six travellers pay about $2,250 each, four pay about $2,520 and two pay about $3,620. Explore Western Uganda goes from about $4,210 for six to about $6,000 for two.

If you are travelling as a couple, it is worth asking whether friends or family would like to join. If you are not, a couple's price is still a fair one for a private trip with your own vehicle and guide.

What is not in the price

A few costs sit outside any itinerary price. It helps to budget for them early:

• International flights to Entebbe.
• Visa. Most visitors apply online for an eVisa through Uganda's official immigration portal. A single-entry tourist visa costs $50. Use only the official site: the government has warned about look-alike sites that charge far more.
• Travel insurance. Choose a policy that covers medical evacuation and the cancellation of non-refundable permits.
• Health. Uganda no longer asks for a yellow fever certificate at entry, but the WHO and the CDC's Uganda page still recommend the vaccine for travellers aged nine months and over, and the CDC recommends malaria medicine. Our yellow fever guide has the details. Ask a travel clinic well before you go.
• Tips, laundry and personal spending, plus any optional activities that are not in the itinerary.

Four ways to get more for your budget

• Go in the low season if your dates are flexible. Saving $200 on a gorilla permit is a night or two of nicer lodging.
• Share the vehicle. Moving from two travellers to four saves roughly 15% to 30% per person, depending on the route.
• Choose the right length. More days is not always better value. Our guide to how many days you really need compares the options.
• Book early. The best lodges near Bwindi and the best dates fill first, and permits are only secured when they are paid.

Where to start

If you want one wildlife week with real community contact, begin with the Uganda Big 5 Positive Impact Safari. If gorillas are the priority, look at Explore Western Uganda. If you want to see everything side by side, use our Uganda safari tours comparison.

Not sure what fits your budget? Tell us your dates, who is travelling and roughly what you would like to spend, and we'll suggest a route and a price within 24 hours. You can plan your Uganda safari here. New to safari planning in general? Our safari planning 101 is a good place to begin.