Best Time to See Gorillas in Uganda in 2027
The best months to trek gorillas in Uganda are June to September and December to February, but you can trek all year. Here is what each season really means.
Read the guide →Quick answer
Gorilla trekking is quieter and more intimate: you hike to a calm family on the forest floor and spend an hour watching them a few metres away. Chimpanzee trekking is louder and faster: chimps move quickly, climb high and call constantly, so it feels like a chase through the forest. Gorillas are the once-in-a-lifetime highlight, and chimps are the thrilling contrast. If you can, do both: in Uganda, Kibale (chimps) and Bwindi (gorillas) are a single day's drive apart.
Gorilla vs chimp trekking side by side
| Mountain gorilla trekking | Chimpanzee trekking | |
|---|---|---|
| Species | Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), Endangered | Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), Endangered |
| Where | Bwindi and Mgahinga (Uganda), Volcanoes (Rwanda), Virunga (DR Congo) | Kibale, Budongo, Kyambura (Uganda); Nyungwe (Rwanda); Gombe and Mahale (Tanzania) |
| Permit (foreign non-resident) | $800 Uganda; $1,500 Rwanda | $250 Kibale, reported to rise to $300 from 1 January 2027 |
| Time with the animals | 1 hour | 1 hour |
| Group size | Maximum 8 visitors per family per day | Small groups (about 6 in Kibale) |
| Minimum age | 15 | 12 |
| Behaviour | Calm, on the ground, feeding and resting | Fast, noisy, often high in the trees |
| Typical trek | 1–6+ hours, steep, at altitude | Usually 1–3 hours, flatter in Kibale |
| Sighting reliability | Very high with habituated families | High in Kibale; lower in some other forests |
| Photography | Easier: animals sit still, closer | Harder: dark canopy, constant movement |
What each encounter actually feels like
Gorillas: quiet, slow and personal
Gorilla trekking starts with a briefing, then a hike with rangers, guides and porters. Trackers go ahead to find the family, and when you reach them you leave your bags and walking poles behind and approach on foot. Then everything slows down. A silverback weighing perhaps 160–200 kg sits chewing stems; juveniles tumble over each other; a mother cradles an infant. You are asked to keep about seven metres away, but gorillas do not read the rules, and they often come closer. The hour passes very fast. Most of our guests describe it as the most moving wildlife encounter of their lives. Our gorilla trekking day guide walks you through it minute by minute.
Chimpanzees: loud, fast and electric
A chimp trek is a different energy. You often hear them before you see them: pant-hoots and screams rolling through the forest as one group calls to another. When the guides find them, chimps may be feeding high in a fig tree, drumming on buttress roots, grooming on the ground, or suddenly racing off through the undergrowth with you hurrying behind. You see more social drama, including dominance displays, hunting on rare occasions, and very obvious personalities. It feels less like observation and more like being caught up in their day. Read more in our Kibale chimpanzee trekking guide.
Which is harder?
Gorilla trekking is usually harder. Bwindi's terrain is steep and often muddy, and the forest sits at roughly 1,160–2,600 metres. Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park is higher again. Treks can be short if the family is close, or take most of a day. You can ask for an easier family when permits are allocated, and porters can carry your bag and help you on steep sections. Our gorilla trekking fitness guide explains how to prepare.
Chimp trekking in Kibale is moderate. The forest is lower and flatter, trails are better, and treks are usually shorter. The challenge is pace: when chimps move, you move, sometimes off-trail. In steeper forests such as Kyambura Gorge or Nyungwe, chimp treks can be tougher.
Permit prices compared
Gorilla permits are the most expensive wildlife activity in East Africa, because they fund the protection of a species with only around a thousand individuals left in the wild. Chimp permits cost much less.
- Gorilla trekking, Uganda: $800 per foreign non-resident. Tour operators citing a Uganda Wildlife Authority notice of 26 February 2026 report that it stays at $800 from 1 January 2027.
- Gorilla trekking, Rwanda: $1,500 per person.
- Chimp tracking, Kibale: $250, reported to rise to $300 from 1 January 2027.
Always confirm current prices before you budget; our gorilla permits page and gorilla permit cost comparison are kept up to date, and our mountain gorilla population guide explains how permit fees fund conservation.
Where to do each
Best places for gorilla trekking
- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda: the most gorilla families, four trekking sectors and the best value.
- Mgahinga, Uganda: one family, volcano scenery, golden monkeys too.
- Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda: short transfers from Kigali and a premium experience.
Best places for chimpanzee trekking
- Kibale Forest, Uganda: the most reliable chimp trekking in East Africa, with excellent supporting primates.
- Budongo Forest, Uganda: near Murchison Falls; quieter, with good forest birding.
- Kyambura Gorge, Uganda: a sunken forest in Queen Elizabeth National Park; dramatic, but sightings are less certain.
- Nyungwe Forest, Rwanda: steep, beautiful rainforest; combine with gorillas in Rwanda.
- Gombe and Mahale, Tanzania: remote lake-shore forests, the home of Jane Goodall's research at Gombe; superb but expensive to reach.
Photography: which is easier?
Gorillas are easier to photograph. They sit still, they are close, and they are often in gaps where some light reaches the forest floor. Flash is not allowed. A mid-range zoom (around 24–105 mm or 70–200 mm) and a camera that handles high ISO well will cover almost everything.
Chimps are harder. They are often high in the canopy against a bright sky, then suddenly on the dark forest floor, and they rarely stay still. Bring a longer lens (up to 400 mm), raise your ISO, and be ready to put the camera down and just watch.
Habituation experiences
For both species there is a longer, more expensive option: joining researchers and trackers with a family that is still being habituated to people. You spend up to four hours with the animals instead of one.
- Gorilla habituation experience (Bwindi, Uganda): reported at $1,800 from 1 January 2027.
- Chimpanzee habituation experience (Kibale, Uganda): a full day following a community from when they leave their nests, reported at $400 from 1 January 2027.
Rules, age limits and health
- Minimum ages: 15 for gorilla trekking, 12 for chimp tracking in Uganda.
- Distance: keep about seven metres from gorillas, and follow your guide's distance instructions with chimps.
- Health: both species can catch human respiratory illnesses. If you have a cold, flu or fever, tell the rangers; you may not be allowed to trek. Face masks are often required during the hour with the animals.
- Behaviour: no eating, drinking or smoking near the animals, no flash, keep voices low, and never stand between a group and a fleeing animal.
Which should you choose?
| If you… | Choose |
|---|---|
| Can only do one primate trek in your life | Gorillas |
| Are travelling with children aged 12–14 | Chimps (the children can join), plus gorillas for those 15 and over |
| Are on a tight budget | Chimps |
| Have limited mobility or fitness | Chimps in Kibale, or gorillas with an easier family and porters |
| Love animal behaviour and action | Chimps |
| Want close, calm photographs | Gorillas |
| Have five or more days in Uganda | Both |
Doing both: order and routes
Most of our guests do chimps first. Kibale makes a perfect warm-up, introducing forest trekking at a gentler pace, and the drive south through Queen Elizabeth National Park to Bwindi adds a savanna safari in between. A typical route is Kibale (2 nights) → Queen Elizabeth (2 nights) → Bwindi (2 nights), which fits neatly into a 7- to 8-day Uganda trip. In Rwanda, combine Nyungwe (chimps) with Volcanoes (gorillas).
For the complete picture of primate trekking in Uganda, see our gorilla and chimpanzee trekking complete guide, and browse gorilla trekking safaris for ready-made itineraries. Deciding between countries? Read Uganda vs Rwanda.