Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda: Gorilla Trekking, Permits and Planning

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwest Uganda protects nearly half of the world’s mountain gorillas, and it is where most travellers go for their first gorilla trek. The forest covers about 320 square kilometres of steep ridges and valleys along the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. The name is earned: the slopes are covered in dense undergrowth, vines and ferns, and the trails are often muddy.

The most recent census of the Bwindi population counted 459 mountain gorillas, and the total for the species across Bwindi and the Virunga volcanoes passed 1,000 for the first time. That recovery is the result of decades of protection, and gorilla tourism pays for much of it. Your permit fee goes directly to the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and a share of park revenue supports the communities around the forest.

The four trekking sectors

Gorilla groups that are habituated to people are spread across four sectors. Each has its own trailheads and lodges, and the sector is fixed when the permit is bought, so it shapes where you sleep the night before.

• Buhoma in the north was the first sector opened to visitors. It has the widest choice of lodges and is the easiest to reach from Queen Elizabeth National Park.
• Ruhija in the east sits high on a ridge. It is cooler, quieter and excellent for birding, with the trail to the Mubwindi Swamp nearby.
• Rushaga in the south has the largest number of habituated groups and is the only sector where the longer habituation experience is offered. It is the closest sector to Kigali for travellers flying into Rwanda.
• Nkuringo in the southwest has the most dramatic views, across to the Virunga volcanoes, and some of the steepest trekking.

No sector is better for the gorillas themselves. The choice comes down to permit availability on your date, the rest of your route and how much driving you want to do.

Gorilla permits

A standard trekking permit costs US$800 per person for foreign non-residents and gives you one hour with a gorilla family. Each habituated group can be visited by a maximum of eight people per day, so the number of permits is small and they sell out early for June to September and over the Christmas period. Book them four to six months ahead if you can, and treat them as non-refundable. Trekkers must be at least 15 years old.

The gorilla habituation experience in Rushaga costs US$1,500 and lets a smaller party spend up to four hours with a group that is still being habituated by researchers. It is a longer, more demanding day, and it is the closest you can get to seeing how habituation works.

What trekking day is like

You report to the sector headquarters around 7:30 for a briefing, then rangers assign you to a group according to fitness. Trackers go ahead early to find where the family nested the night before, and they guide your party by radio. The walk can take anything from under an hour to five or six hours each way, through steep and slippery terrain at altitudes of roughly 1,200 to 2,600 metres. Porters can be hired at the trailhead for about US$20 and are worth it: they carry your bag, help you on the steep sections and earn a valued local income.

When you reach the gorillas, you leave bags and sticks behind and spend one hour with them, keeping a distance of about seven metres and wearing a face mask to protect them from human illness. You will usually see the silverback, females and young feeding, resting and playing. Flash photography is not allowed. Most people say the hour passes in what feels like ten minutes.

What to bring

Waterproof hiking boots with good grip, a rain jacket, long trousers tucked into socks against ants, garden gloves for grabbing vegetation, a refillable water bottle and a packed lunch from your lodge. A walking stick is handed out at the start. A reasonable level of fitness helps a lot, but rangers set the pace for the slowest member and many trekkers in their sixties and seventies complete the walk.

More than gorillas

Bwindi is one of the most important forests in Africa for birds, with around 350 species, including many Albertine Rift endemics such as the African green broadbill, Rwenzori turaco and handsome francolin. Ruhija is the base for serious birders. The forest is also home to chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s monkeys and black-and-white colobus, although these are seen far less often than the gorillas. Community walks in Buhoma introduce Batwa culture, local farming and traditional healing, and they are a good use of the afternoon after your trek.

Where to stay

Each sector has lodges from simple guesthouses to high-end lodges, and staying in the sector of your permit avoids a very early start on mountain roads. In Buhoma, options range from comfortable mid-range lodges to luxury cottages overlooking the forest edge. Nkuringo and Rushaga have smaller lodges with views of the volcanoes. We book your lodge in the same sector as your permit and allow two nights, so you are never trekking straight after a long drive.

When to go

Trekking runs every day of the year. The drier months, roughly December to February and June to September, make the trails less slippery and are the most popular. The wet months of March to May and October to November bring heavier rain, but the gorillas are still there, permits are easier to find and the forest is at its greenest. Expect rain at any time; this is a rainforest.

Combining Bwindi with other parks

A classic Uganda route links Kibale Forest for chimpanzees, Queen Elizabeth National Park for savanna game and the Kazinga Channel, and Bwindi for gorillas. Many travellers also fly into Kigali and drive across the border to Rushaga or Nkuringo, which takes around four to five hours. To add the Big Five, a gorilla trek fits well at the end of a Kenya or Tanzania safari, as in our Big Five plus gorillas itinerary. For the bigger picture, read our guide to mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda.

Questions we are often asked

Is seeing the gorillas guaranteed?

Not formally, but sightings are very reliable because trackers follow each family every day. Almost every trekker sees gorillas.

Bwindi or Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park?

Uganda’s permit is US$800 against Rwanda’s US$1,500, and Bwindi has more habituated groups. Rwanda is quicker to reach from Kigali airport and the trekking is often shorter. Both offer the same hour with the gorillas.

How fit do I need to be?

You should be comfortable walking uphill on uneven ground for several hours. If you are worried, tell us and we will ask for a group that is usually closer to the trailhead, although nothing can be promised because the gorillas move every day.

Big Five Wildlife planning team

We plan private safaris across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, and write from time spent in these parks.