Uganda National Park Entry Fees: Savanna Parks and Kibale

Last reviewed 2 November 2026.

Uganda's gorilla permits get the headlines, but most trips also pay park entrance, a vehicle fee and a few activity fees in the other parks. This guide reads what the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) itself publishes for Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls, Kidepo Valley, Lake Mburo, Kibale and Rwenzori. Gorilla permits are covered on our Uganda gorilla permit page.

Which UWA tariff is current?

The tariff on UWA's rates page, read on 2 November 2026, is headed "Conservation Tariff 2024 - 2026". UWA's own announcement of 25 January 2024 says the new rates took effect on 1 July 2024, and the PDF file name says July 2024 to June 2026. The rates page, however, labels the same download "July 2024 - Dec 2026". We could not find a published explanation of the difference, so we treat the 2024-2026 tariff as the latest full tariff, and note that UWA still presents it as current.

A second UWA document sits next to it: a signed letter dated 26 February 2026 (ref. TDO 93/04) with revisions that start on 1 January 2027. That letter changes mainly primate, lion and walking activities. It does not mention park entrance fees, so we cannot say whether entrance fees change in 2027. The tariff itself says fees are subject to change without prior notice.

What does park entrance cost?

UWA sorts parks into categories. Prices below are per person, per 24 hours, for foreign non-residents (FNR), foreign residents (FR), citizens of the rest of Africa (ROA) and East African Community citizens (EAC, in Ugandan shillings):

• Murchison Falls (Category A+): adults US$45 / US$35 / US$30 / UGX 25,000; children US$25 / US$15 / US$10 / UGX 10,000.
• Queen Elizabeth, Kidepo Valley, Lake Mburo, Kibale (Category A): adults US$40 / US$30 / US$25 / UGX 20,000; children US$20 / US$10 / US$5 / UGX 5,000.
• Rwenzori Mountains (Category B): adults US$35 / US$25 / US$20 / UGX 15,000; children US$5 / US$5 / US$5 / UGX 2,500.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is also in Category A, so its entrance is the same as the second line. Wildlife reserves in Category C, such as Kyambura, charge US$10 / US$5 / US$5 / UGX 2,500. For the tariff, children are aged 5 to 15 and under-5s are exempt. An entrance ticket is valid for 24 hours, and time beyond that is charged as an extra day. Entrance is independent of activity fees, except where a fee says it is included. Kibale's entry table adds a 20% discount on entrance for groups of more than 20 people on a given day.

Visitors must show identification to confirm resident status, so bring your passport or residence document if you pay a resident rate.

What do vehicle and guide fees add?

Vehicles pay on top of people. The tariff lists them by registration, not by the passenger's nationality. Foreign-registered vehicles pay in dollars, Ugandan-registered ones in shillings, per 24 hours:

• Saloon car: US$40 or UGX 20,000.
• Minibus or pick-up: US$50 or UGX 30,000.
• Tour-company vehicles and four-wheel drives: US$150 or UGX 30,000.
• Overlanders: US$150 or UGX 100,000.

Entering Murchison Falls adds US$10 for foreign-registered vehicles and UGX 10,000 for Ugandan-registered ones. The park rules printed in the same document set a 40 km/h speed limit, require you to stay on the tracks and open the gates from 7am to 7pm. Driving off the track carries a fine of US$150 per person in the vehicle, charged to the driver; hooting or littering is UGX 100,000 per incident. See our guide to wildlife, vehicles and camp safety for the practical side.

The tariff does not list a stand-alone "guide fee" for the parks. Ranger guide fees are pointed to the guided game drive table, so the guide is priced as an activity (next section).

What do launch cruises, game drives and walks cost?

All figures below are FNR / FR / EAC unless stated, from the park summaries of the 2024-2026 tariff, and exclude entrance:

• Launch cruise: Murchison Falls (to the bottom of the falls) and Queen Elizabeth US$30 / US$25 / UGX 30,000, with ROA at US$20. Lake Mburo boat rides are the same. The notes say trips take about two hours, carry up to 45 people at Murchison Falls and 40 at Queen Elizabeth, and have a minimum charge: US$120 for small boats at Murchison Falls (eight persons) and four persons at Lake Mburo.
• Guided game drive in your own vehicle, day: US$25 / US$20 / UGX 25,000 per guide at Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth; US$20 / US$15 / UGX 20,000 at Kidepo and Lake Mburo.
• Self game drive without a guide: US$10 / US$10 / UGX 10,000 per vehicle.
• UWA game-drive vehicle, where available: US$30 / US$25 / UGX 30,000 per person by day, with a minimum equal to three people (five for EAC).
• Birding and nature walks: US$25 / US$20 / UGX 20,000 in Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Lake Mburo and Kidepo; US$40 / US$30 / UGX 30,000 in Kibale, Rwenzori, Bwindi and Mgahinga.
• Chimpanzee tracking: Kibale US$250 / US$200 / UGX 180,000, which includes Kibale's entrance; Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth US$100 / US$80 / UGX 50,000, which does not.
• Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth: US$200 / US$150 / UGX 200,000, excluding a US$10 community fee and the vehicle fee; prior booking is needed.

Where does the tariff contradict itself?

Night drives are the clearest case. The general game-drive table gives night drives at US$30 / US$20 / UGX 30,000 per person, the Murchison Falls summary US$40 / US$35 / UGX 40,000, and the Kidepo and Lake Mburo summaries US$30 per person for foreigners with UGX 50,000 for East Africans. We therefore do not quote a night-drive price. Night drives are restricted to guests sleeping inside the park, and a UWA guide is mandatory. Sport fishing at Queen Elizabeth is also US$15 in the permit table and US$20 in the park summary. Ask UWA to confirm any figure that decides your budget.

What changes on 1 January 2027?

The February 2026 letter lists these revised rates (FNR / FR / ROA / EAC): Kibale chimpanzee tracking US$300 / US$200 / US$100 / UGX 180,000; Kyambura chimpanzee tracking US$200 / US$150 / US$100 / UGX 50,000; experiential lion tracking US$500 / US$300 / US$300 / UGX 250,000. It also introduces rhino tracking at Ajai Wildlife Reserve (adults US$20 / US$15 / US$10 / UGX 10,000). Separately, the letter sets low-season chimpanzee tracking at US$200 for FNR and US$150 for FR in April, May and November, non-reschedulable, without naming a park. The same letter ended the seven-day unpaid permit hold for operators from 1 March 2026; permits are now secured on full payment.

Timing matters if you travel in late December or after: see the best time for safari in Uganda.

How do you pay and book?

The tariff states that gorilla and chimpanzee permits for foreign non-residents and rest-of-Africa visitors can only be booked through licensed tour operators. Other products can be paid at the UWA reservations office or at the park gates. The payment options it lists are mobile money (Airtel and MTN), POS machines, bank transfer, direct bank transactions and UWA's online payment portal. Keep every official receipt. UWA lists reservations@wildlife.go.ug and the toll-free number 0800 100 960. Visa and entry rules are in our visa and entry guide, and health advice in our malaria guidance summary. Comparing with gorilla trekking in Rwanda? See Rwanda vs Uganda.

What we could not verify

• Whether the 2024-2026 tariff runs to June or December 2026, and what applies to entrance fees from 2027.
• A single night-drive price and the Queen Elizabeth fishing fee (the tariff contradicts itself).
• Which park the low-season chimpanzee rate applies to.
• Any lodge price or lodge detail: we do not list lodges here.

Sources

• Uganda Wildlife Authority, Conservation Tariff 2024 - 2026 (PDF on the UWA rates page), read 2 November 2026
• Uganda Wildlife Authority, rates page "UWA Rates/Tariffs", read 2 November 2026
• Uganda Wildlife Authority, news item "Changes in UWA fees for tourism products and services", 25 January 2024, read 2 November 2026
• Uganda Wildlife Authority, letter ref. TDO 93/04 "Introduction of low season gorilla and chimpanzee permit rates and revised tariff structure", 26 February 2026, read 2 November 2026
• Uganda Wildlife Authority, Booking Terms page, read 2 November 2026