Uganda
Uganda Primates: Gorillas & Chimpanzees
Two of Africa's great ape encounters in one trip — mountain gorillas in Bwindi and chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest.
From $5,200per person
8 Days 
Gorilla trekking in Uganda means walking into one of the oldest rainforests in Africa to spend an hour beside a family of wild mountain gorillas. This is how it works, where to do it, and how we plan it so the day goes the way you imagine.
The short answerGorilla trekking in Uganda takes place in Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla national parks. Small groups of up to eight visitors walk with rangers to a habituated gorilla family and spend up to one hour with them. The permit is $800 per person for foreign non-resident visitors, and the minimum age is 15.
Just over a thousand mountain gorillas are left in the wild, and Uganda is one of only three countries where you can meet them. Mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda is tightly regulated, with small groups, limited time and strict rules, and gorilla tracking in Uganda takes place in two protected forests: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park on the slopes of the Virunga volcanoes. Both are high, green, steep and wet, and both are home to gorilla families that have been habituated to human visitors over many years of patient work by rangers and trackers.
What makes Uganda different from the other places you can see mountain gorillas is the range of choice. There are several trekking sectors, many gorilla families, lodges from simple to very luxurious, and the rest of Uganda close by: chimpanzees, tree-climbing lions, the Nile and classic savannah game drives. A gorilla visit to Uganda can be a short, focused journey or the heart of a much longer East Africa trip.
Bwindi gorilla trekking is what most travellers come for. The forest is large, dense and ancient, and its gorilla families are spread across four trekking sectors: Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the east, and Rushaga and Nkuringo in the south. Each sector starts from its own park gate with its own lodges, so the sector you choose decides which road you drive, which landscape you wake up to and which gorilla families you can be given.
Mgahinga gorilla trekking is the quieter option. The park is smaller and sits against the border with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the same volcano chain as Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park. It has far fewer habituated families than Bwindi, so permits are harder to get and it is best chosen deliberately, often by travellers who also want the golden monkeys or the volcano hikes.
Choosing a sector is the single most useful decision in planning, and it depends on how far you want to drive, how steep you want the walking to be, and what else you want to see on the way. Our guide to choosing the right Bwindi sector and gorilla family walks through the differences, and our team can match a sector to your fitness and your route.
Tell us what you have in mind. A destination specialist replies personally within 24 hours.
The day starts early with a briefing at the park gate, where rangers assign each small group to a gorilla family and explain the rules. Trackers who went out at first light have already located the family, and your guides lead you towards it on foot. Some treks take under an hour, others most of a day. The terrain is steep, often muddy, and the vegetation is thick, so a walking stick and a porter are worth having.
When you reach the gorillas you get up to one hour with them. You stay a few metres back, keep your voice low and let the family set the pace. A silverback may sit and watch you, juveniles will play, and a mother may carry an infant past close enough that you stop taking photographs and just watch. Then it is over, and the walk out is quiet.
Our guide to what actually happens on the trek describes the day hour by hour, and how fit you need to be helps you decide how hard a sector to choose.
Mountain gorillas share about ninety-eight percent of our DNA, which also means they catch our colds. The rules exist for their health. Visitors must be at least 15, no more than eight visit a family each day, and anyone with a cough, a cold or any infectious illness should not trek. Keep your distance, do not eat or drink near the gorillas, and follow your guide's instructions without exception. Tell us in advance about any health concern and we will explain what to do.
You can track gorillas in Uganda all year, and gorilla viewing in Uganda is possible in every month; the season mostly changes how muddy the trails are. The drier months, roughly June to September and December to February, usually make the trails easier underfoot, and they are also the months that sell out first. The wetter months are greener, quieter and often better value, but the paths are muddier. Our guide to the best time to see gorillas in Uganda compares the seasons in detail.
Because Bwindi is a long way from Entebbe and Kampala, plan travel time as part of the trip. Most visitors drive for a full day each way, taking in other parks on the road, while others fly to an airstrip close to the park and save the hours. A trek on its own can fit into three or four days; most guests choose six to ten days so the gorillas sit inside a wider Uganda journey. Take a look at our gorilla trekking safaris to see how those trips are put together.
Uganda has thirteen primate species, and the most rewarding add-ons sit within a day's drive of Bwindi. Kibale Forest offers chimpanzee trekking, Queen Elizabeth National Park brings game drives, boat trips and the Ishasha tree-climbing lions, and Murchison Falls gives you the Nile, big game and the famous falls. If you like the sound of the Rwandan side of the same volcano chain, our page on gorilla trekking in Rwanda explains how that country's gorilla experience differs.
Ready to see what it costs to secure your place? Our gorilla permits page has the prices, the rules and the way we book them for you.
Every one of these can be adjusted to your dates, sector and pace.
Two of Africa's great ape encounters in one trip — mountain gorillas in Bwindi and chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest.
Gorilla trekking paired with white-water rafting and a sunset Nile cruise at the river's source in Jinja.
The essential Uganda experience: a single, focused permit trek to a habituated mountain gorilla family in Bwindi.
Experience the best of Uganda in 10 days, combining thrilling wildlife safaris, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee encounters, scenic landscapes, and authentic cultural experiences.
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Uganda's three flagship parks in one comprehensive circuit — gorillas, big game and the Nile's most powerful waterfall.
A gentler Uganda introduction for families — chimpanzee tracking, boat safaris and easy game drives, no gorilla trek required.
Lodges we use before and after the trek. Tell us your budget and we match the lodge to your trek date.
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Eco-luxury bandas at the Buhoma trailhead — gorilla families have been known to wander past camp itself.
Price on request
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Stilted cottages on the forest edge, close enough that gorillas occasionally pass through the grounds.
Price on request
Stone cottages styled on traditional Bufumbira design, at the base of the Virunga volcanoes.
Price on request
Read about this lodgeStraight answers to the questions travellers ask us most.
Send us your dates and group size. We check availability first, tell you exactly what is open, and only then ask you to commit. A specialist answers within 24 hours.