Safari journal

Everything here is written by the people who run the trips. Guides, drivers and planners who were in the park last week. We publish when there is something worth saying, which means fewer articles than a content calendar would produce and none of them written to fill a slot.

Most of it answers what guests actually ask us. When gorilla permits go on sale. What the Mara looks like in April. Whether a six year old will cope with a long day in a vehicle.

A silverback mountain gorilla at close range

26 June 20269 minute read

The gorilla habituation experience: four hours instead of one

The gorilla habituation experience is a Ugandan permit giving four hours with a mountain gorilla group instead of one. UWA prices it at USD 1,500 per foreign non-resident, rising to USD 1,800 on 1 January 2027. It starts at 6:30am and must be bought through a licensed operator.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

15 June 20268 minute read

The chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale

Kibale's chimpanzee habituation experience is a USD 300 Uganda Wildlife Authority permit that buys up to four hours with a chimp community from a 6:30am start, rather than the single hour a standard USD 250 tracking permit allows. It rises to USD 400 on 1 January 2027.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A golden monkey in the bamboo zone of the Virungas

13 June 20267 minute read

Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga and Volcanoes

Golden monkey trekking is a guided walk to a habituated troop in the Virunga bamboo. Two parks sell it: Mgahinga in Uganda, where UWA charges foreign non-residents USD 60 for the permit, and Volcanoes in Rwanda, where RDB charges USD 100.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A chimpanzee in the canopy of Kibale Forest

11 June 20268 minute read

Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale: what it costs and what you see

A Kibale chimpanzee permit costs USD 250 for foreign non-residents, USD 200 in April, May and November, and USD 300 from 1 January 2027. It includes park entrance, a guide and one hour with the chimps. UWA reports over 90% sighting success; low-season permits cannot be rescheduled.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

4 June 20267 minute read

Nyungwe Forest: the canopy walk, the chimpanzees and the fees

The Nyungwe canopy walk costs USD 40 per international visitor, guide included, in groups of two to eight. Park entry is charged separately on top — and it is a cumulative total for your stay, not a nightly rate. Chimpanzee tracking is a separate USD 150 permit.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

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Safari journal

Articles tagged Chimpanzee tracking

The gorilla habituation experience: four hours instead of one

The chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale

Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga and Volcanoes

Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale: what it costs and what you see

Nyungwe Forest: the canopy walk, the chimpanzees and the fees

Reading this because you are actually going