Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Uganda – Everything You Need To Know.
This is your Complete Guide to Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. Gorilla sightings in Bwindi is one of the most popular activities for tourists in Uganda. Gorilla Trekking Tours in Uganda may sound a little expensive but they are the most rewarding for most tourists in Uganda.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that takes you deep into the dense, mist-covered jungle of southwestern Uganda. Home to nearly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, this UNESCO World Heritage Site offers a rare opportunity to see these magnificent primates in their natural habitat.
Accompanied by expert guides and trackers, you’ll hike in the forest, encountering diverse flora and fauna along the way. The moment you come face-to-face with a gorilla family is truly magical, making the challenging trek worthwhile.
With limited daily gorilla permits available, Bwindi provides a sustainable and intimate wildlife experience that also supports conservation and local communities.
Bwindi National Park Uganda
Older than 25000 years, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in south-western Uganda. The park lies 520kms from Entebbe International airport on the edge of the Rift Valley. Bwindi National Park is famed for being is one of Africa’s most ancient and biologically diverse rainforests. The park is home to over 400 plant species and a habitat for some of the world’s rarest wildlife.
Home to half the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, Bwindi is habitat to nearly 459 mountain gorillas. Over the years, this National park has emerged as a top destination for primate lovers from allover the world. Without any doubt, Bwindi “impenetrable forest” is one of the best places on earth to experience gorilla trekking. Every year, thousands of tourists get a lifetime opportunity to come face-to-face with these majestic creatures in their natural habitat.
Bwindi National park was the first primate destination to be habituated for tourism. In 1993, the Mubare gorilla group was habituated for tourism in Uganda. Since then there has been steady progress with increase in sustainable gorilla trekking experiences every year. As of 2025, Bwindi has 27 habituated gorilla groups, with nine available for tourism and one dedicated to research.
For the nature lovers, The park supports a large number of flora and fauna. The park is strategically located across a landscape of steep ridges and deep valleys. This amazing scenery forms a watershed for five major rivers, which flow into Lake Edward. These rivers include Ivi, Munyaga, Ihihizo, Ishasha, and Ntengyere rivers. With this amazing terrain, Bwindi National park boasts of an extremely rich ecosystems that offers the best Gorilla Trekking Tours in the whole world.
Getting to Bwindi Forest
There are mainly 2 ways you can go on a Gorilla Trekking safari in Bwindi National Park. You can choose to travel by air or by road depending on your budget and preferences.
By Air
Flying is the fastest way to reach Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. If you plan to fly from Entebbe to Bwindi, you have the option of taking a scheduled domestic flight or a chattered flight for your gorilla trekking tour. Flying from Entebbe to Bwindi is the most preferred option since most tourists arrive in the country through this airport. However, there is also the option to fly to bwindi from the Kajansi airfield. There are many scheduled domestic flights connecting Entebbe and Kajansi to Bwindi National game park.
Before booking your flight to Bwindi, its very important to know the sector from which you will be trekking from. This will determine which airstrip you should be flying to. Tourists trekking from Buhoma or Ruhija trailheads in the north of the park should book flights to the Kihihi airstrip or the Kayonza airstrip.
If you are going for a gorilla trekking experience in the southern trailheads of Rushaga or Nkuringo, flying to Kisoro might be the best option. The journey from Entebbe Airport to Bwindi by air typically takes about 3.5 hours. This includes at least 2 hours of flight and an additional 1.5 hours by road to your trekking sector.
By Road
Road to Bwindi national park- Gorilla Trekking Tours in Bwindi National Park Uganda
Flying to Bwindi might be the fastest way to travel but going by road definitely offers more adventure for tourists. If you plan to travel by road to Bwindi, you will need to rent a reliable 4×4 for your gorilla trekking tour. The journey by road is certainly much longer but goes through some really amazing scenery and allows you the opportunity to tour other National game parks along the way. Its therefore not surprising that traveling by road to Bwind is the most used mode of transport for many tourists.
The journey to Bwindi from Entebbe takes about 9-11 hours by road. There are several routes you can take to reach Bwindi. The choice of route normally depends on your interests and the amount of time at your hands. Whichever route you choose to take, you will finally arrive in the remote town of Butogota from where you can have a 20KM drive to the park entrance at Buhoma.
Tourists often choose the Kampala, Masaka, Mbarara, Queen Elizabeth Bwindi route. This is because it allows visitors view the equator, pass Lake Mburo National park before visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park. If you are driving through Queen Elizabeth you will have the lifetime chance to view the very rare tree climbing lions in Ishasha.
Most popular routes used by travelers traveling by road include the following:
- Entebbe through Kampala, Kabale to Nkuringo. )Best route to Nkuringo Sector)
- Kampala through Kabale, Kanungu to Buhoma. (Longest but most used)
- Kampala through Kabale to Ruhijja. (Best route to Ruhijja Sector)
- Kampala through Ntungamo Kihihi to Buhoma. (Shortest route)
Activities in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Park
Bwindi is a popular destination for gorilla trekking enthusiasts. Needless to say is gorilla trekking is the main activity in this game park. Be that as it may, there are other activities you might enjoy in Bwind. These include:
- Chimpanzees, baboons, and elephants spotting.
- Birding with over 350 bird species.
- Wildlife with variety of reptiles and amphibians.
- Nature walks and hiking.
- Cultural experience with the Bakiga and Batwa people.
Key Facts about Mountain Gorillas
The mountain gorillas are a subspecies of the Eastern Gorillas, one of the 2 major gorilla species in the world. The other is the Western Gorilla species. With just 1,063 mountain Gorillas still living, the creatures are considered endangered with nearly half their population living in Uganda.
These creatures live in two high altitude groups. One is in borders of Rwanda, DR Congo and Uganda. Apart from this Virunga group, the second gorilla group exclusively stays in Bwindi National Park. Mountain gorillas share up-to 98% of the human DNA and can suffer from human illnesses. Its for this reason that tourists are encouraged to keep reasonable distance to minimize chances of disease transmission.
Mountain Gorillas are one of the most giant creatures in the world. An adult male mountain gorilla can weigh upto 180Kgs. They are also one of the most powerful animals in the world. Their physic means they need lots of food and spend more than a third of their day feeding. These vegetarians largely feed on leaves.
Mountain Gorillas live in small families of about 10 family members. There is always one dominant male considered the head of the family. When young ones grow into adults, they leave the family and join other members to make their own family. By leaving their parent families, gorillas avoid inbreeding with fellow family members. Gorillas can live for over 40yrs.
Gorilla Habituation
Gorilla habituation is the process of slowly introducing wild Mountain Gorillas to people. Rangers gently introduce the gorillas to the sight and presence of humans. Gorillas are habituated for research, care and conservation purposes. The process generally transforms this otherwise wild gorilla to learn to bein the presence of humans.
If you are planning a Gorilla Trekking Tours in Bwindi National Park Uganda, you will need to particularly know the difference between a standard gorilla trek and a habituation experience.
While a standard gorilla trekking safari give an hour in the presence of already habituated gorillas, a habituation experience safari offers 4 hours in the presence of gorillas that are still being habituated. A habituation safari does not just offer you longer times in the presence of gorillas but offers more insights into the lives of these giant creatures.
Gorilla habituation tours are only carried out in Bwindi National park in the Rushaga sector. You can carry out a habituation safari any month of the year although many prefer doing so in the sunny dry season. The dry season typically starts in June to August and December to February. March to may are the most rainy season in Bwindi National park.
Even though most travelers prefer to have their habituation safari in the dry season, may visitors who are interested in photography actually love to take their experience in the wet season. This is because the forest looks more misty and gives photographs a more wild appeal.
Gorilla Families in Bwindi National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a renowned mountain gorilla trekking destination. The park is home to 27 habituated gorilla families. The Gorilla families are located in Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo. Each habitualized family offers diverse trekking experiences for trekkers.
The Buhoma sector has 7 habituated gorilla families, Ruhijja has 6 families, Rushaga has 10 while while Nkuringo has 4 habituated mountain gorilla families. The smallest gorilla family in Bwind consist of 5 members. The largest on the other hand has 17 family members.
Gorilla Permits in Uganda
Gorilla trekking permits or plainly referred to as gorilla permits are an official document from the Uganda Wildlife Authority authorizing visitors to participate in gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience.
A gorilla permit grants a single person to participate in a single gorilla trekking experience. The gorilla permit authorizes travelers to stay in the presence of gorilla family for one hour in standard trek or 4 hours in a habituation safari.
Gorilla trekking permits are not transferable neither are they reusable. Permits are allocated to particular sectors so you may not use a permit in a sector for which it was not issued for without attracting more costs.
Cost of gorilla permits
The cost of a gorilla trekking permit in Bwindi National Park depends on your nationality. Foreign non resident visitors pay $800 per permit. Foreign residents pay $700 while visitors from East African Community pay UGX 250,000.
Gorilla habituation permits in Bwindi impenetrable national park cost 1,500 USD per person for foreign non residents. Foreign residents pay $1,000 while Africans also pay $1,000 USD per person. Citizens from the East African Community pay UGX 750,000 UGX per person for a 4 hour habituation experience in Rushaga.
Validity of Gorilla Permits
Gorilla trekking permits are valid for only the date and sector for which it was issued. Permits are also only valid for the person for whom they are reserved. You may not resale your permit or use it in a sector other than where it was issued for. Its important to remember to carry your original gorilla permit when going for your trekking safari experience.
Gorilla Permit Availability
The availability of gorilla trekking permits can be limited especially in the peak season. To ensure that you get your gorilla trekking permit, its advisable to reserve your permit in advance with a reputable company. Last minute booking of gorilla permits is possible but greatly discouraged to avoid inconveniences and frustration.
Booking Gorilla Permits in Uganda
Gorilla permits in Uganda are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). UWA is a government body that manages tourism and wildlife conservation in the country and are the sole issuer of gorilla trekking permits in Uganda.
If you are arriving for a Gorilla Trekking Tour in Bwindi National Park Uganda, you have two ways of getting your gorilla permit. First you may buy one directly from Uganda Wildlife Authority, or you can ask your car rental or safari company to reserve one for you. Most reputable car rental and safari companies offer this service at no extra charge. At Uganda Car Hire we offer Car rental with gorilla permits to our clients without charging them extra.
Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Experience
If you already have a gorilla permit, your Bwindi gorilla trekking experience typically begins with an early morning drive from your lodge to the headquarters of your trekking sector. Remember to carry your original trekking permit.
Park staff then scan for authenticity of your gorilla permit. Once that is done, the perk staff will take you through the perk rules to be followed during your gorilla trekking adventure.
Visitors are then assigned experienced guides that will lead them with park rangers in their trek. Each group is assigned a gorilla family that they will be looking for and your guide will lead you in the forest hike in search of habituated gorilla families.
The forest hike may go on for several minutes or even hours before you spot the gorillas. Regardless of how long it takes, you are sure that finally you will spot them with the help of the very experienced gorilla trekking guides. When you finally spot the gorillas you will have one hour in the presence of the gorillas. A gorilla habituation experience on the other hand lasts up to 4 hours.
Best time to visit Bwindi np For Gorilla Trekking Tours
If you are wondering what is the best time for gorilla trekking we have you sorted. Gorilla trekking can be carried out any time of the year. Rain or shine, your gorilla trekking experience will end with sighting the giant creatures.
Although you can have a gorilla trekking safari any time of the year, visitors often prefer the dry season. The dry season in Uganda is between the month of June to August and December to February. The peak of the rainy season is often between the months of March to May.
Whatever season you choose to take your gorilla safari in Uganda, be sure to carry appropriate clothing as there is some rain in Bwindi almost all year round with temperatures often falling below 20 degrees celsius.
What to Pack For Your Gorilla Safari in Uganda
Gorilla trekking safaris are carried out in the dense tropical rain forest of Bwindi. The conditions there can sometimes be extremely cold and muddy. The presence of tropical savanna also means there are tones of insects in the forest. To have a successful gorilla trekking safari, we recommend you pack the following:
Pack sturdy, waterproof hiking boots, long-sleeved shirts and Jean pants for protection, a rain jacket, sun glasses, a Camera with spare battery, insect repellent, sunscreen, a hat, and binoculars, along with energy snacks and plenty of water.
Gorilla trekking and wildlife safari – Bwindi gorilla safari packages
Many travelers love to combine their gorilla trekking safari with some wildlife package activities. At Uganda Car Hire we can help you design a safari package that adds wildlife to your primate holiday.
We can design a package that adds either queen Elizabeth National park to your Bwindi package. Alternatively you can have a round trip safari that adds Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National park in your travel package. Here you will be able to have amazing game drives and boat cruises with your gorilla trekking package.
Accommodation in Bwindi On Your Gorilla Trekking Tours
If you are wondering where you will be staying on your Bwindi gorilla Safari we have a few suggestions for you. There are a lot of tourist lodges in Bwindi ranging from Luxury forest lodges to mid range accommodation to budget lodges and camping zones if you rented a 4×4 with a rooftop tent.
Luxury accommodation in Bwindi National Park include the following:
- Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge $299 Per Night
- Gorilla Forest Camp $320 Per Night
- Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge $490 Per Night
- Buhoma Lodge $380 per night
- Mahogany Springs Lodge $300 per night
- Bwindi Lodge $480 per night.
If you are looking for mid range accommodation in Bwindi for your gorilla trekking Safari, here are some options.
- Mutanda Lake Resort $150
- Chameleon Hill Lodge $125
- Ichumbi Lodge $180
For budget accommodation in Bwindi, you can get sleeping for less than $100 at the following lodges and guest houses.
- Nshongi Camp
- Bunyonyi Safari Resort
- Ruhija Community Rest Camp
- Rushaga Gorilla Lodge
- Bwindi Neckview Lodge
Safety Tips To have a Safe Gorilla Trekking Safari
Safety is a very important aspect of your vacation. Its important to ensure that both you and the gorillas stay safe all the time. Here we discuss some of the tips you should exercise to have a successful safe gorilla trekking safari in Uganda.
1) Do Not Touch The Gorilla
Gorillas are wild animals. Even though they are not known for being extremely violent, you should not consider petting it however friendly it might seem. Secondly Gorillas share 98% of their DNA with humans. Its possible to pass on diseases from animal to human vice vasa.
2) Do not do Flash Photography
One of the main moments of a gorilla trekking holiday is the photo moment. Understood you want to have some really amazing photos but your flash lights will scare the primates and potentially put you in danger. Remove the flash light on your camera.
3) Avoid Direct Eye Contacts With the Gorilla
Gorillas like many wild animals do not take lightly over gazing at them. Most wild animals interpret direct sustained eye contact as a sign of aggression. It may create fear and animals respond with aggression when faced with signs of aggression towards it.
4) Wear long sleeved shirt with Insect repellant
Its advisable to have a long sleeved cotton shirt and jeans. These will help protect you from scratches and insect bites. A good practice is to apply some insect repellants before you start the hike.
5) Choose a reputable travel Company
The cost of having a gorilla safari is a bit high. It also demands good planning with solid knowledge of the processes involved. Booking your gorilla trekking safari with a reliable company ensures you don’t get scammed but also have your trip planned by experts to avoid last minute disappointments. You can book your gorilla safari with Uganda Car Hire and rest assured everything will be taken care of.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the questions most of our travelers ask about Gorilla Trekking Tours in Uganda and Bwindi in particular. These answers might be of great help yo you if you are planning to visit Uganda for a primate safari in Bwindi.
Is Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Safe?
Has anyone been hurt in gorilla trekking?
Where is the safest place to go gorilla trekking?
Is Rwanda better than Uganda for gorilla trekking?
How to stop a gorilla from attacking you?
