Money
Most of it is not going to the lodge
Which is why a gorilla quote looks different from any other safari quote, and why a bundled per-night figure is so misleading here.
The shape of a gorilla invoice
On most safaris the beds dominate. On a gorilla trip the permits frequently exceed everything else, and they go to a national authority rather than to any lodge or operator.
That is the commonest surprise on a first quote, and it is entirely structural. It is also why we insist on itemising: a bundled nightly rate on a gorilla trip conceals the fact that most of the money is not buying accommodation at all.
What the accommodation bands buy
| Per person per night | What it buys |
|---|---|
| US$800 – 1,200 | Established camps in genuinely good locations, a private vehicle throughout, light-aircraft hops between parks rather than long road transfers, and guiding that is a profession rather than a job. The entry point to a safari that does not compromise. |
| US$1,200 – 1,800 | Camps on private land, where the rules change: off-road driving to a sighting, night drives, walking with an armed guide, and a cap on how many vehicles may attend anything. Usually the point at which people stop comparing safaris on price. |
| US$1,800 – 2,500 | The camps people name when they get home. Six to ten tents, an owner or manager who is present, a guide assigned to you for the stay, and food that would hold its own in a city. |
| US$2,500 – 4,000 | A guide who travels with you from park to park rather than being handed over at each one, private charters on your own schedule, and small camps taken whole for your party. |
| US$4,000 and up | Exclusive-use houses and villas with their own staff, mobile expedition camps built for your route, and private aircraft between countries. Bought for privacy and control rather than for thread count. |
Indicative planning ranges only, per person per night sharing, for a fully inclusive safari — accommodation, meals, park and conservancy fees, guiding, and transport between parks. They are what we see in the market, not a quote and not an official tariff. Your quote will be exact and itemised. International flights are not included.
Read those as accommodation only, with the permits on top.
The lines to expect
- Permits, per person per trek, fixed by the authority. Rwanda’s are substantially higher than Uganda’s.
- Accommodation, as above, and in Rwanda concentrated near the top of the range.
- Transfers, which in Uganda can be long road days and in Rwanda are short.
- Park fees for other activities — golden monkeys, chimpanzees — each with its own permit.
- Porters and tips, small amounts that matter locally and should be budgeted rather than improvised.
Where to spend and where not to
Spend on a second permit. Two treks transform the odds of the morning you are picturing, and no room upgrade comes close to that.
Spend on proximity. A lodge near the trailhead buys you sleep and a shorter pre-dawn drive, which on a demanding day is worth more than square footage.
Do not spend on the assumption of better access. There is none to buy. Group sizes are capped, the hour is the hour, and everybody on the mountain that morning paid the same authority the same amount.
The cheaper version that still works
Uganda, two permits, a good mid-range lodge near the right sector, and ten days that include chimpanzees and a savanna park.
That trip costs meaningfully less than a short Rwandan one and contains a great deal more. Whether it is better depends on whether you mind the driving — but it should be on the table, and it frequently is not.
How we are paid
A commission from the agency that operates the trip, calculated on what you book. We earn nothing on the permits, which are a pass-through to the authority.
That is worth knowing when you read the paragraph recommending you buy a second permit rather than a better room.
Ready to turn this into a real itinerary?
Send us your dates, who is travelling and roughly what you want to spend per person per night. Our gorilla specialist comes back within 24 hours with a plan built around them and a costed quote.