ENCOUNTERSAFRICA
6-Day Bwindi Gorilla Trek

Uganda - Fly-in safari

6-Day Bwindi Gorilla Trek

Duration
6 days
Countries
Uganda
Suited to
2-8 guests
Pricing
From USD 7,380

The journey

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest holds 459 mountain gorillas, close to half of the 1,063 left in the world, across 321 square kilometres of montane rainforest on Uganda's south-western border. This programme flies you in rather than driving you in, and that single decision is what makes six days enough. The road from Kampala runs nine to ten hours; the scheduled aircraft from Entebbe to Kihihi takes about an hour and a quarter. Two treks in two sectors is the sensible build. One permit buys one hour with one family, and gorillas do not perform to order. Trekking Buhoma on day three and Rushaga on day five gives you two different pieces of forest, two different families and a second chance at good light. You cross between them on day four along the Neck, the narrow corridor of forest that links the northern and southern blocks of the park. Uganda charges USD 800 for a gorilla permit against Rwanda's USD 1,500, which is why travellers who want more than a single hour come here. June to August and December to February are the drier months, when the ground underfoot is firmer, though Bwindi is rainforest and rain is possible in any week of the year.

Your camps, day by day

Stay 1

Arrival on Lake Victoria

You land at Entebbe and are met on the airside walk to the terminal, then driven ten minutes to the Protea Hotel by Marriott Entebbe on the lake shore. The rest of the day is yours: the botanical gardens next door are a short walk, and the shoreline is a good place to see palm-nut vultures and pied kingfishers before dinner.

Stay 2

Flight into Bwindi

The scheduled Aerolink aircraft leaves Entebbe mid-morning and reaches Kihihi in about an hour and a quarter, over Lake Victoria then the tea and banana country of Kigezi. A ninety-minute drive brings you to Buhoma Lodge, ten cottages on the forest edge with the tree canopy dropping away below the verandas. Afternoon on the Munyanga River waterfall trail.

Stay 3

First Trek, Buhoma

Briefing at Buhoma park headquarters at half past seven, then you walk into the forest behind trackers who have been with the family since dawn. Buhoma holds Mubare, the group first opened to visitors in 1993, along with Rushegura, Habinyanja, Katwe and Muyambi. When you reach them, the clock starts: one hour, seven metres back, no flash.

Stay 4

Across the Neck

Four hours south around the forest along the Neck, the narrow corridor of trees joining northern and southern Bwindi, through terraced hillsides worked to the ridgeline. You arrive at Gorilla Safari Lodge, set at the Rushaga trailhead itself. In the afternoon you take a dugout canoe out on Lake Mutanda, with the Virunga volcanoes stacked along the southern skyline.

Stay 5

Second Trek, Rushaga

Rushaga has more habituated families than any other sector: Nshongi, Kahungye, Bweza, Busingye and Mishaya among them. The country here is steeper and more open than Buhoma, so the walking is harder but the sightlines are better. Your second hour is the one most people remember, because you already know where to stand and what to watch.

Stay 6

Kisoro and Onward

After breakfast you drive two hours down to Kisoro, past Lake Mutanda and under Muhabura, for the scheduled aircraft back to Entebbe. The flight follows the western arm of the Rift before turning east over Lake Victoria. You arrive with time to connect to an evening long-haul departure, or to take a day room if your flight is later.

Safari highlights

  • Two gorilla permits: one trek in Buhoma, one in Rushaga
  • Scheduled light aircraft in to Kihihi, out from Kisoro
  • Buhoma Lodge on the forest edge above the Munyanga valley
  • The Neck drive linking northern and southern Bwindi
  • Dugout canoe on Lake Mutanda below the Virunga volcanoes
  • Uganda's USD 800 permit, against USD 1,500 in Rwanda

What is included

Included

  • 5 nights accommodation, per person sharing
  • Two Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla trekking permits at USD 800 each, including park entry on both trek days
  • Scheduled light aircraft: Entebbe to Kihihi on day two, and Kisoro to Entebbe on day six
  • Road transfers: Entebbe airport to hotel, Kihihi airstrip to Buhoma, Buhoma to Rushaga via the Neck, and Rushaga to Kisoro airstrip
  • Full board at Buhoma Lodge and Gorilla Safari Lodge, with house wines, local beers and spirits at both
  • Bed and breakfast plus dinner on the Entebbe night
  • Guided Munyanga River waterfall trail at Buhoma, with Bwindi park entry for that day
  • Dugout canoe outing on Lake Mutanda, and a porter for each of the two treks
  • Emergency medical evacuation cover for the duration of the programme

Not included

  • International flights to and from Africa
  • Uganda visa or East Africa Tourist Visa fees
  • Travel and medical insurance, which is compulsory on this programme
  • Champagne, premium wines and imported spirits
  • Gratuities for guides, trackers, porters, drivers and lodge staff
  • Gorilla habituation permits, golden monkey permits and Batwa cultural visits
  • Items of a personal nature, including curios, spa treatments and laundry in Entebbe

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Uganda gorilla permit cost in 2026?

A Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla trekking permit costs USD 800 per person per trek for foreign non-residents, and that rate holds into 2027. UWA discounts it to USD 600 in the low-season months of April, May and November, though discounted permits cannot be rescheduled. The permit covers park entry, guides, trackers and one hour with the family. This programme includes two of them.

Is gorilla trekking cheaper in Uganda than Rwanda?

Yes, by a wide margin. Uganda charges USD 800 per permit; Rwanda charges USD 1,500. On a two-trek trip that is a USD 1,400 difference per person before anything else, and Ugandan lodges sit well below Volcanoes National Park equivalents. The trade-off is access: Bwindi is a flight or a long drive from Entebbe, while Rwanda's park is a two-hour road transfer from Kigali.

How much does a 6-day Bwindi gorilla trek cost?

This programme starts at USD 7,380 per person sharing in shoulder season and runs to about USD 7,680 in peak months. That covers five nights, two gorilla permits at USD 800 each, the light aircraft from Entebbe to Kihihi and back from Kisoro, all road transfers including the Neck crossing, full board with house drinks in Bwindi, porters and evacuation cover.

Are international flights included in the price?

No. International flights to and from Africa are excluded, so you book your own long-haul into Entebbe and out again. Everything inside Uganda is included, which on this trip means both scheduled light aircraft sectors, Entebbe to Kihihi and Kisoro to Entebbe, plus every road transfer. Budget roughly USD 900 to 1,400 return from Europe and USD 1,300 to 2,000 from North America.

Why do two gorilla treks instead of one?

Because one permit buys one hour, and that hour is weather, terrain and luck. A first trek can be a two-hour climb ending in thick vegetation with poor sightlines; the second is usually calmer because you know what to expect. Trekking Buhoma and Rushaga also puts you with two separate families in two sectors, roughly four hours apart by road.

When is the best time to go gorilla trekking in Bwindi?

June to August and December to February are the drier months and the forest floor is firmer, which makes the climb easier and the photography better. March to May and September to November are wetter, but the forest is greener, lodges are quieter and UWA sells discounted USD 600 permits in April, May and November. Bwindi receives rain in every month of the year.

How fit do I need to be to trek gorillas in Bwindi?

Reasonably fit. Bwindi rises from 1,160 to 2,607 metres and treks run from 40 minutes to eight hours on steep, muddy, root-tangled ground. The minimum age is 15. A porter, included here, carries your daypack and pulls you up the worst sections for roughly USD 20. Sedan chairs can be arranged locally for travellers who cannot manage the climb.