Category: Travel news

Uganda has increased the gorilla tracking permit/ticket from $700 to $800. The new price of the gorilla tracking permit is effective from July 2024 when the new Uganda financial year starts. So for all purchases of gorilla trekking permits for tracking dates starting 1^st July 2024 one has to pay $800. It has also been announced that those that had only deposited (and not paid full amount) on the gorilla permit(s) basing on the old price before this announcement will be paying the new price, hence top up amount should make $800. Only those that had paid the full fee of the old price will not be affected by the new price.

The increase in the gorilla permit means more finances available for conservation of the gorillas and their habitats, and also more revenue shared to the local communities near the gorillas. A percentage of the gorilla ticket money is sent to the communities near the gorilla parks and is used in projects that uplift the communities such building schools, hospitals, setting income generating projects, e.t.c…

The price of the gorilla tracking permit is revised every two years, so the new price of $800 is for the period of July 2024 to June 2026.

Take advantage of cheaper permit and book your gorilla trip before July 2024

The gorilla tracking will still cost $700 until June 2024 so this is the best time to book a gorilla trip to Uganda and take advantage of the old price. You will be saving $100 which can be spent on a nice budget accommodation.

Uganda still offers an affordable gorilla tour

Even with the $100 increase on the gorilla permit, the gorilla tour in Uganda is still more affordable than the gorilla tour in Rwanda where the gorilla tracking permit costs a whopping $1500.

More habituated gorilla families announced

At the start of 2024 the Uganda Wildlife Authority has also announced five more habituated gorilla families added for gorilla tracking. That would make more than 20 habituated gorilla families for gorilla tracking in Uganda. In total 194 gorilla tracking permits are available each day which improves availability even during the peak tourism season. Chances of tracking gorillas on ones dates, even for a last minute booking, are better now.

The African Painted Dogs, also called African Wild Dogs have been sighted in Kidepo Valley National Park which is located in the semi-arid Karamoja region in the far north eastern corner of the Uganda. This confirmed sighting of the wild dog by the park on 27^th June 2023 is the first after a long absence from Uganda since the wild dogs were extirpated (went locally extinct) in the 1980s.

Over the last few years, there have been reports of sightings of the wild dogs in that region such as in Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve that is also in the semi-arid north east of country, and even in as close as Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda, but these have always been treated as rumors as there was never any evidence such as a picture. The dogs are quite quick and so offer very limited chance of a long enough appearance for one take a picture. They will quickly take a dash into the bush immediately they realize they are being watched.

The ranger guide in Kidepo National Park who found the dogs around the Narus Valley was able to steal a shot of two wild dogs on his low quality phone before the dogs quickly dashed away into the bush. The low quality pictures however properly reveal the features of the wild dog. Doubts have been put to rest that the wild dogs (African painted dogs) currently exist in Uganda.

Uganda Wild Authority has immediately sent out teams into the park for further investigation to establish the extent of the wild dog occurrence in the park. There are suggestions that these could be African migrants as the dogs are capable of traveling thousands of kilometers when dispersing to look for mates and new home ranges.

What are wild dogs?

Scientific name Lyacon pictus, wild dogs are recognized by the big rounded ears and their multi-colored far coats which have irregular patches of red, black, brown, white and yellow. In fact each individual has its own unique coat pattern.

The dogs also have four toes on their long legs, differentiating them from other dogs which has five toes on the forefeet.

Most prolific of hunters

The wild dogs are perhaps most famous for their incredible hunting abilities. They are praised as the best hunters of all the predators. They almost never fail and their hunting expedition does not take long till they have put down the prey. They hunt in large packs and will carry out a strategy of hunt depending on the prey. Their common tactic is chase after the prey until it wears down, and when the prey slows down or stops to rest they pounce on it and start biting pieces off it and will eventually die from pain (a similar way hyenas eat their prey, they do not kill the prey first before eating). The dogs are light, agile, fast and are persistent runners.

Also, unlike other predators like lions that hunt at night, the wild dogs hunt during day.

The wild dogs will raise the predator profile of Kidepo Valley National Park and Uganda.

Uganda has passed the “anti-homosexuality law” that criminalizes same sex relationships and the promotion of gay activities in Uganda. The law is said to be one of the toughest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world that includes the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality, and up to 20 years in prison for promoting homosexuality.

The Uganda anti-homosexuality/anti-gay/anti-LGBT law has drawn strong condemnation from local and international human rights organizations and more importantly from world leaders of countries such as the USA President Biden, that uphold and promote the rights of the LGBT persons.

The consequences of the law are starting to bite! The international gay/LGBT rights lobby is already up in arms promoting a boycott of travel to Uganda to discourage tourists from visiting Uganda, the famed Pearl of Africa, that is included on African vacations mostly for the gorilla trekking, in addition to other popular Uganda tours include the chimpanzee trekking, trip to Murchison falls national park – home to the world’s strongest waterfalls and lots of animals, and Mabamba wetlands for the Shoebill bird, among others.

So what is the mood and intention of the law and is it still safe for LGBT/gay people to consider Uganda for a safari?

How popular is the anti-gay law in Uganda?

The above law has been passed on a moralist ground, or call it an excuse, of protecting the cultures and values of the local population. Homosexuality is looked at as a foreign vice that is against what is regarded as normal traditionally. This sentiment is carried and believed by most societies in sub-Saharan Africa.

Uganda is also a highly religious country, with more than 70% of the population identifying as Christians and a big percentage of the rest being Moslems. The law has therefore had a big backing from the ultra religious community that believe homosexuality is one of the worst sins and should therefore be fought in whatever way possible to save Uganda from the fate of the biblical “Sodom and Gomorra”.

A law of convenience for the time?

Drawing from the strong cultural and religious feelings of the local population, the law may seem like a perfect scapegoat the government really needed to sway the public away from its failures! From the assassinations and shootings that had become rampant, to corruption scandals by top government officials making the news every day, and to a total breakdown in the infrastructure of the capital Kampala, are among a sea of problems the country is drowning in. The government had attained such an image of incompetence among the population.

The anti-gay card had always worked whenever the government found itself in such a dilemma and it has not been any different this time. After finally passing and signing the ant-gay law the president has been praised as messiah of sorts for saving the “African values”. Finally the government has managed to sway the public attention from the many crises and temporarily attained some much needed public approval for this time.

A politically motivated law?

Another reasoning behind the motivation for the government to make the anti-gay law is that there is an assumption that gay rights group in the west have been heavily facilitating local organizations and political formations that are hostile to the Ugandan government. By this law, the organizations in Uganda that are found or are thought to be promoting rights of the LGBT in Uganda are sanctioned and prosecuted accordingly.

There is also a fear that the law could be used to set up and falsely accuse political opposition as gay or collaborators of promoters and persecute them. Because of the feelings of the local population about homosexuality, this would be an easy scapegoat of a law for government to use to stifle opposition.

However, experience has shown, politically motivated laws in Uganda only service a political purpose during the political season.

Why LGBT/gay persons can still visit Uganda albeit the anti-gay law

The president of Uganda clarified that the law is not intended criminalize suspected homosexuals or those that identify as gay. So there is no hunt for gay people.

Also important to note is that, as much as Ugandans want to feel strongly about their cultures and religious beliefs, Ugandans are some of the most welcoming and accommodating people irrespective of ones differences. As a gay person, no one will be interested in your sexuality as no one will ask about you, but rather everyone will want to see that you are comfortable as a visitor.