National Park Rules and Regulations in Uganda – Policies for Uganda park visitors
National park rules and regulations in Uganda – National Parks in Uganda have got policies governing them. Travellers are advised to read, understand and adhere to the rules and regulations of respective National Parks if they are on their memorable and enjoyable stay in Uganda the Pearl of Africa.
These rules and regulations are put to promote wildlife conservation and ensure the safety of both travellers and wildlife natural habitats promoting sustainable tourism in Uganda. These rules and regulations apply before entering the National Park, during your stay in the National Park and when in the presence of wild animals.
If you are trekking Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks, Gorilla tracking rules and regulations are given during the pre-Gorilla tracking briefing. The rules and regulations of National Parks in Uganda include:
Park Rules and Regulations
Keep with all your official receipts for inspection.
Do not camp or make campfires except at designated
Do not litter in the park
Do not drive off the tracks
Don not bring dogs or other pets into the park
Do not pick flowers or any plant in the national park
Do not use sounding motor horns which disturb animals
Do not drive beyond 40 kilometres
Driving in the park must be between 7:00am and 7:00pm
Do not use firearms in the park
Gorilla tracking Rules and Regulations
If you are visiting Bwindi Forest or Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks for Mountain Gorilla tracking, there are special rules and regulations which you must follow. These are meant to protect and conserve the endangered Mountain Gorillas for future generations. The rules and regulations of Mountain Gorilla trekking are divided into two as follows:
Gorilla Trekking Rules and Regulations before you set out:
Do not visit the Mountain Gorillas when sick of cold of flu. Mountain Gorillas share 99.9% of human genes, which make them susceptible to human illnesses especially the communicable diseases.
Minimum age to Mountain Gorilla tracking is 15 years. All children aged below 15 years are not allowed to trek Gorillas. However, if a child is almost celebrating his/her 15th birthday, the parents write a consent letter to Uganda Wildlife Authority, asking permission for their children to trek Gorillas. They however take full responsibility for anything that happens to the child during Gorilla trekking.
Do not litter in the National Park If you want to ease yourself, the human waste must be buried 30 cent metres deep to keep the natural environment clean and fresh.
Each Gorilla family is visited by a group of eight tourists maximum or less
If you are doing Gorilla habituation experience, only four people are allowed to visit a semi habituated Gorilla family.
Keep within your group and do not move alone in the jungle
Rules and Regulations when with the Mountain Gorillas
Keep a distance of seven meters away from the gorillas. This is to prevent the spread of human-wildlife diseases.
Do not eat in the presence of the gorillas
Do not smoke in the presence of gorillas
Do not drink while with the gorillas
Do not use a flashlight camera
The time to spend with gorilla is strictly 1 hour
Do not touch the gorillas
Do not run when a gorilla charges
Do not look direct into the eyes of the gorillas
Speak at a low tone voice
Turn back your faces when sneezing or squeezing.
Make sure you follow the cautions of park rangers with whom you go for Gorilla tracking. The dos and don’ts of Gorilla tracking are similar to those of Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park and other chimpanzee habitats in Uganda
Other useful information to know when visiting Uganda National Parks are:
Park entrance fees are per 24 hours. Any minutes beyond this, a traveller is asked to pay again for another day.
You must carry your identification documents for clarification. Any client without clear documents may be denied access to the National Park.
The only currencies accepted for National Park entrance and the activities are US Dollars or Uganda Shillings. No other currency is accepted
Tourist activities in the National Park such as boat cruise; lion tracking are paid separate from Park entrance fee.
Children below 5 years are exempt pay park entrance fees.
Please note: All tariffs in Uganda are set by Uganda Wildlife Authority and are subject to change without prior notice.