Gorilla trekking Sample itinerary
Bwindi gorilla trek
- Your gorilla permit, on the day you choose
- Lodge at the forest edge
- Driver-guide from Entebbe or Kampala
Primate trekking · Bwindi · Mgahinga
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi
Tailor-made gorilla trekking safaris. Each gorilla family takes eight visitors a day, for one hour, so we book your permit first, then plan the accommodation, transport and the rest of the itinerary around that day.
Plan a gorilla trek- 8
- visitors per gorilla family, each day
- 1 hr
- with the family, once you reach them
- 15+
- the minimum age on trek day
- 7 m
- the distance you keep from them
Gorilla tracking
The trek, on film
The Virunga volcanoes, the forest and a gorilla family. Press play for sound.
On the day
Trek day
- 7:00
Check in at the park office
Bring your passport. The rangers check it against your permit, then brief the group on the rules.
- 8:00
The rangers form the groups
Eight trekkers to each gorilla family. If you’d like a shorter walk, say so at the briefing.
- Walk
Into the forest with a ranger
Trackers set off at first light to find where the family slept, and radio the way. The walk can take under an hour, or most of the day. You can hire a porter at the start.
- 1 hr
An hour with the family
Seven metres back, voices low, flash off. The hour starts when you reach them.
- Out
Walk back to the park office
Collect your trekking certificate. Your driver is waiting to take you to the lodge.
Where you trek
Four sectors in Bwindi, one family in Mgahinga
Your permit is for one sector, and the sectors are hours apart by road. So we book the permit first, then a lodge near that sector.
North Bwindi
Buhoma
Where gorilla trekking in Uganda began, in 1993. The shortest drive from Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth.
East Bwindi
Ruhija
The highest sector, at over 2,300 m. Cooler and steeper, and good for forest birds.
South Bwindi
Rushaga
The sector with the most gorilla families. The habituation experience runs here.
South Bwindi
Nkuringo
Steep trails down into the forest, with the Virunga volcanoes behind you on the ridge.
The Virungas
Mgahinga
Outside Bwindi: one family, Nyakagezi, on the slopes of the volcanoes. Golden monkeys too.
When to go
Dry and wet months
You can trek in any month. Bwindi is rainforest, so bring a rain jacket whatever the month.
- JanDry
- FebDry
- MarWet
- AprWet
- MayWet
- JunDry
- JulDry
- AugDry
- SepWet
- OctWet
- NovWet
- DecDry
Dry months
December to February, and June to August. The trails are firmer and permits go early. Book three to six months ahead.
Wet months
March to May, and September to November. Rain most afternoons and muddier trails, but permits are easier to get and the lodges are quieter.
Getting there
Getting to Bwindi
Queen Elizabeth is on the way from Kampala, so we’ll send the plan with and without a night there.
By road from Kampala
8 to 10 hours. We break it with a night on the way, at Lake Mburo or in Queen Elizabeth.
By air from Entebbe
A scheduled flight to Kihihi for Buhoma, or to Kisoro for the southern sectors and Mgahinga. A driver meets you at the airstrip.
From Kigali
The southern sectors and Mgahinga are about four to five hours by road from Kigali, across the border at Katuna or Cyanika.
What to bring
What to wear, and what to carry
- Waterproof walking boots with good grip
- A rain jacket, even in the dry months
- Long trousers and long sleeves, for nettles and thorns
- Gardening gloves, for grabbing branches
- Socks pulled over your trouser legs, against ants
- Water and a packed lunch (the lodge makes one)
- Your passport, to match your permit
- A camera with the flash turned off
- Cash for a porter
On the day
- If you have a cold, flu or a stomach bug, tell us before trek day. Gorillas catch human illnesses.
- Stay seven metres back. If a gorilla comes closer, the ranger will tell you what to do.
- No eating, drinking or smoking near the family.
- Children under 15 can’t trek.
Four hours with a family
The habituation experience
The habituation experience spends up to four hours with a family the rangers are still getting used to people. Four visitors a day, so permits are scarce. Ask us about dates.
Ask on WhatsApp
Primate trekking
Chimpanzees and golden monkeys
Kibale Forest has about 1,500 chimpanzees, the most of any park in Uganda. Tracking starts in the morning with a ranger, and you spend an hour with the group once you find them. Budongo, near Murchison Falls, and Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth are quieter places to track them.
In Mgahinga, golden monkeys live in the bamboo on the slopes of the volcanoes. Many visitors pair them with a gorilla trek, or with chimpanzees in Kibale on the way south.
Trips
Gorilla trekking safaris
Start with the trek, then add Queen Elizabeth, Kibale or Murchison. Each trip is planned around your dates.
Gorilla trekking Sample itinerary
Safari Sample itinerary
Murchison Falls
- Stand at the top of the falls
- Game drive, and a boat up the Nile to the falls
- Rhino tracking at Ziwa on the way
Safari Sample itinerary
Queen Elizabeth and the Kazinga Channel
- Boat on the Kazinga Channel, past hippos and buffalo
- Game drives on the Kasenyi plains
- On the road to Bwindi, so easy to combine
Primates Sample itinerary
Kibale chimpanzees
- Chimpanzee tracking permit
- Crater lakes around Fort Portal
- Lodge with meals
Questions
What people ask us about the trek
How far ahead should we book?
For June to August and December to February, three to six months ahead. Permits are the part that sells out, so we book them before anything else.
Is the trek hard?
It depends where the family is that day. Some groups reach them in under an hour; others walk most of the day on steep, muddy slopes. If you’re worried, say so at the briefing and hire a porter.
Will we definitely see gorillas?
Trackers find the family before you set off, so the rangers know where to walk. Sightings are very likely, but these are wild animals.
Do Ugandans pay a different permit rate?
Yes. Citizens of East African countries pay a lower rate than visitors, and foreigners who live in Uganda have a rate of their own. Tell us which applies to each person and we’ll quote it.
Can we trek from Kigali?
Yes. The southern sectors of Bwindi and Mgahinga are about four to five hours by road from Kigali. We’ll meet you at the border or in Kigali.
Can we do just the trek, without a lodge or a car?
Yes. We can book only the permit, or the permit and a driver. Book the whole trip with us, or only the part you need.
Plan your gorilla trek
Tell us your dates and how many of you. We’ll check permits for those days first, then send a day-by-day plan with a quote. For a quicker answer, WhatsApp or call the office.
