Uganda Gorilla Trekking

Gorilla trekking in Uganda is a close encounter you’ll cherish for the rest of your life.

Gorilla Trekking in Uganda with Local Guides

Uganda is one of only three countries in the world where you can see endangered mountain gorillas in the wild. Home to nearly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population and a sparse population of non-habituated chimpanzees, it offers one of Africa’s most remarkable wildlife experiences.

Uganda gorilla trekking takes place in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, where experienced local guides lead small groups through the rainforest to spend an unforgettable hour observing a habituated gorilla family. It is a rare opportunity to see our closest living relatives in their natural habitat while supporting vital conservation efforts. (If you’re still at the planning stage, you may also want to explore our Rwanda Gorilla Trekking Tours.)

3-Day Tour to Uganda – Gorilla Trekking Bwindi Forest

From$1,356

This 3 day Gorilla trekking in Uganda safari experience takes you into Bwindi Forest seeking Mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat.

4-Day Short Vacation to Uganda – Gorilla Trekking Bwindi

From$1,562

A short vacation in Uganda can be best utilized on a gorilla trek, an experience that lasts a lifetime. Join us on this gorilla trekking tour

5-Day Short Holiday Package to Uganda – Gorilla Trekking

From$1,861

Looking for a Uganda Holiday Package that suits your interest? Look no further. This holiday package covers the highlights (safari, gorillas)

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6-Day Budget Friendly African Safari and Gorilla Trekking

From$2,094

Join the best budget friendly African safari you can think of. Even on a tight budget you're able to do safari and gorilla trekking.

9-Day Customized Uganda Holiday and Tour to See Gorillas

From$3,038

Looking for a Uganda safari holiday package? We got you covered. The highlights include; gorilla trekking, the big 5 safari. Explore with us.

15-Day Immersive Tour and Adventure in Uganda and Rwanda

From$5,387

Looking for a safari holiday in Uganda? Look no further. This package covers the best that Uganda can afford you including gorilla trekking.

18-Day Immersive Scheduled Safari Experiences in Uganda and Rwanda

From$6,190

This Rwanda and Uganda tour package covers the best of these two destinations. Expect safari besides primates encounters. Join us and explore.

Customise Your Trip Now

A gorilla trek is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter — some travellers want the comfort of luxury lodges and a private guide, others want to pair it with authentic cultural experiences and the region’s hidden corners. At Home to Africa, we design every journey from the ground up around your interests, budget and pace, creating an experience that feels uniquely yours.

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Where to go Gorilla Trekking in Uganda?

Gorilla trekking in Uganda takes place in the country’s southwest, close to the borders with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This mountainous, forested region protects some of the world’s last remaining populations of endangered mountain gorillas and is the centre of Uganda’s gorilla conservation efforts.

The best-known destination is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to nearly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. With several habituated gorilla families and a range of trekking sectors, Bwindi offers visitors an exceptional Uganda gorilla trekking experience. The park is easily reached by domestic flight from Entebbe or as part of a longer Uganda safari.

Around two hours south lies Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda’s second gorilla trekking destination. Smaller and quieter than Bwindi, Mgahinga forms part of the spectacular Virunga Mountains and offers the opportunity to track mountain gorillas in a striking volcanic landscape. It is also one of the few places where visitors can combine gorilla trekking with golden monkey tracking.

Many travellers choose to combine Uganda gorilla trekking with a wider safari, visiting destinations such as Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, or Kibale National Park for wildlife viewing, chimpanzee tracking, and boat safaris. The result is a journey that showcases the remarkable diversity of Uganda’s landscapes and wildlife.

Uganda Gorilla Safari Tours in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to 11 habituated gorilla families that visitors can trek, while several other groups are reserved for research and conservation. Gorilla trekking takes place from four sectors of the park: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo, each offering access to different gorilla families and forest trails.

The exact route for your Uganda gorilla trekking experience depends on where your assigned gorilla family is located on the day of your trek. Every morning, experienced rangers set out at first light to track the gorillas before guiding visitors safely through the forest to spend a memorable hour in their company.

Browse our Bwindi gorilla trekking tours and start planning your unforgettable Uganda safari.

Gorilla Trekking in Uganda’s Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Often combined with trips to Volcanoes National Park in neighbouring Rwanda, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the smaller of Uganda’s gorilla trekking destinations. As a result, there are fewer permits available than at Bwindi, but the trails are considered to be slightly less challenging. Only around 10% of Uganda’s gorilla trekking trips take place in Mgahinga, making it the more exclusive destination.

Mgahinga has one resident gorilla family, the Nyakagazi group. Consisting of around ten animals, it includes several males, two adult females and younger gorillas still learning the ropes of gorilla life.

Book your Mgahinga gorilla trek in Uganda with us!

What Does a Gorilla Trekking Tour in Uganda Involve?

While a Uganda gorilla trek is open to anyone, you will need a basic level of physical fitness since you will be walking jungle paths for several hours to reach the location of a gorilla family. Waterproof gear is essential. You should be prepared to walk (with breaks) for up to six hours, although most gorilla encounters take place between the two and three-hour mark.

Our gorilla tours in Uganda are usually operated on a small-group basis, with a national park ranger guiding groups of up to eight individuals. They depart twice daily if there’s demand, at around 9am and again at around 2pm. On reaching a gorilla group, you will have approximately an hour to enjoy their antics before you are required to return to your base.

Along the way, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter several other species on your African safari tours in search of Ugandan gorillas, from golden monkeys in Mgahinga to birds and stunning butterflies.

Limitations to Uganda Gorilla Safaris

The most important consideration for those looking to experience the wonder of gorilla trekking in Uganda is the fact only a limited number of permits are issued in any given year. Issued on a first-come first-served basis, once they’re gone, you’ll have to wait another year to complete what might be a lifelong ambition.

Permits currently cost $800 per person per trek, which is approximately half that of similar trekking experiences in Rwanda. Although this sounds expensive at first glance, the cost goes towards maintaining the country’s gorilla population for future generations. Permits will be organized by your travel company. They are not refundable, however in the rare occurrence you fail to find any gorillas, you’ll receive a 50% refund.

In addition, you will not be able to have any physical contact with mountain gorillas during your Uganda gorilla safaris. A minimum distance (of around seven meters) is always kept to protect the health of the animals – they are able to contract human diseases including the common cold and coronavirus.

For the same reason, you will not be able to begin the gorilla trek if you are displaying any symptoms of an illness.

Gorilla Trek in Uganda: A Meeting Like No Other

Encountering mountain gorillas in their home habitat is an experience you’ll never forget, and one in which Uganda excels. Follow our expert guide to gorilla trekking in Uganda, and you’ll be fully prepared for one of the natural world’s most impressive experiences.

What Is the Best Time to See Uganda’s Gorillas on Safari Tours?

Gorilla trekking tours in Uganda can take place at any time of year. Prices of the all-important permits are also now the same across the year, meaning it’s really up to you and your additional plans in Uganda when you go gorilla trekking in the country.

Because of Uganda’s equatorial location, temperatures remain constant year-round, with averages of around 26°C (79°F). More important is the timing of the rains. The long wet season lasts from March until May, with a second ‘shorter’ wet season between October and November. That said, the jungles where Uganda’s gorillas live are wet and humid outside of these months too.

Permits for the dry season months, of January to February and June through to August, can sell out up to a year ahead of time. Obtaining a permit during the wetter months is much easier.

Explore our Gorilla Safaris in Uganda

21-Day Immersive Safari and Holiday – Exploring Uganda

From$6,326

Discover Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, on an unforgettable safari featuring gorilla trekking, Big Five game drives, chimp tracking, and cultural encounters.

18-Day Immersive Scheduled Safari Experiences in Uganda and Rwanda

From$6,190

This Rwanda and Uganda tour package covers the best of these two destinations. Expect safari besides primates encounters. Join us and explore.

18-Day Uganda and Kenya Combo – Primates and Big 5 Safari

From$6,640

Explore Uganda and Kenya on an unforgettable safari featuring gorilla trekking, chimpanzees, the Big Five, Masai Mara, and breathtaking landscapes.

18-Day Immersive Safari Experiences in Uganda and Rwanda

From$6,190

This Rwanda and Uganda tour package covers the best of these two destinations. Expect safari besides primates encounters. Join us and explore.

18-Day Uganda and Kenya Combo – Primates and Big 5 Safari

From$6,640

1 Pax 2 Pax 3 Pax4 or 8 Pax 5 or 10 Pax6 or 12 PaxUSD 9,152USD 6,640USD 6,156USD 5,776USD 5,645USD 5,371

15-Day Gorilla Trekking Tour and Safari Holiday in Uganda

From$4,486

Looking for a safari holiday in Uganda? Look no further. This package covers the best that Uganda can afford you including gorilla trekking.

15-Day Immersive Tour and Adventure in Uganda and Rwanda

From$5,387

Looking for a safari holiday in Uganda? Look no further. This package covers the best that Uganda can afford you including gorilla trekking.

14-Day Customized Safari Holiday & Tour of Rwanda, Uganda

From$5,175

Looking for a trip to Rwanda and Uganda? Look no further for we have got you covered. This package unveils to you the best of Rwanda & Uganda

12-Day Gorilla Tour and Safari Vacation in Rwanda, Uganda

From$4,193

This gorilla trekking tour and safari begins from Kigali - Rwanda and departs from Entebbe - Uganda. Explore these two destinations with us..

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12-Day Customized Tour Package, Safari & Gorilla Trekking

From$3,526

This Customized Uganda Tour Package covers some of the best destinations on Uganda safari. It is possible to tweak it a bit. Explore with us.

10-Day Custom Vacation Package -Safari & Gorilla Trekking

From$3,358

This tour of Uganda lands in Kigali - Rwanda and departs from Entebbe - Uganda. Expect Big 5 safari and gorilla trekking.

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10-Day Tailor-Made Holiday & Tour in Uganda –Big 5 Safari

From$3,052

Uganda safari adventure: track gorillas in Bwindi, spot tree-climbing lions, visit Murchison Falls, Kibale & Queen Elizabeth NP. Fly in via Entebbe.

9-Day Customized Uganda Holiday and Tour to See Gorillas

From$3,038

Looking for a Uganda safari holiday package? We got you covered. The highlights include; gorilla trekking, the big 5 safari. Explore with us.

9-Day Uganda Vacation – Big 5 Safari and Gorilla Trekking

From$2,940

Looking for a Uganda safari package? Look no further. This 9-Day safari package has got your needs covered. Join us and explore Uganda..

8-Day Custom Safari (Big 5) & Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

From$2,707

This tour begins from Entebbe - Uganda and ends in Kigali - Rwanda. You will be picked from either the Entebbe Airport (or your hotel in Entebbe) and transfer to Zziwa Rhino sanctuary.