5 Days Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi
You fly from Entebbe to Kihihi airstrip, then drive into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest — over 25,000 years old, and home to more than half the world's remaining mountain gorillas. Two treks, two different families, one hour each.
Tour details
Duration: 5 days
Best for: First-time gorilla trackers who want two treks rather than one, and who can handle a steep, muddy hike to reach the family
Group size: Private tour, your group and your guide
Travel style: Safari, Gorilla trekking, Fly-in, Primates, Birding
Introduction
You fly from Entebbe to Kihihi airstrip, then drive into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. This rainforest is over 25,000 years old. It holds more than half the world's remaining mountain gorillas. From the air, you see the patchwork green of Uganda's hills before you ever set foot on the trail.
What makes this trip different: you get a face-to-face encounter with a mountain gorilla. Not a photo of one. Not a documentary about one. You stand a few meters from a wild gorilla family in their own forest.
On this journey, you will explore the following highlights:
Gorilla Tracking - The Ultimate Wildlife Encounter
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Home of the Mountain Gorillas
Kigali City - The Heart of Rwanda
Day to day programme
Day 1: Arrive in Entebbe
You land and transfer to Papyrus Guest House. Simple start, no rush.
Day 2: Entebbe to Bwindi
You fly to Kihihi, then drive about an hour to Buhoma Lodge on the edge of Bwindi. The forest sits across steep ridges and valleys, often wrapped in mist. That terrain is exactly why gorillas thrive here and why the birding is loud and colorful.
You have choices this afternoon. Visit the community hospital and meet the people who live at the forest's edge. Walk the forest trails and watch for turacos and green broadbills. Or head to the nearby waterfall if you want something quieter. You stay at Bwindi Lodge, full board.
Day 3: First gorilla trek
You meet your rangers early for a briefing. Then you head into the forest to track one of Bwindi's habituated gorilla families. The trek climbs steep hills through dense jungle, and rangers cut the path ahead of you. Porters carry your bags so your hands stay free for water and your camera.
Once you find the family, you get one hour with them. That hour is the whole trip in miniature: mud, sweat, and something you won't get anywhere else. The rest of the day is yours. Many guests use it to visit a nearby village.
Day 4: Second gorilla trek
You go out again, briefed at park headquarters, usually tracking a different family than day one. No two treks are the same. Your first outing might have been calm, with younger gorillas playing nearby. This one might put you face to face with a silverback asserting himself. That contrast is the point of doing this twice.
Afternoons stay flexible, timed around when you're back from the forest. If there's time, you can join a community walk through the area.
Day 5: Bwindi to Entebbe
You fly back to Entebbe and connect to your flight home.
Here's what you're working with
11 primate species live in Bwindi, including chimpanzee, colobus, and baboon.
350 bird species call the forest home, with 23 Albertine Rift endemics.
Over 200 butterfly species move through the canopy.
Around 400 individual gorillas remain in Bwindi, split across several habituated families.
One thing to know before you go
Gorilla permits are limited and controlled by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Only one hour with the gorillas is allowed per trek, per group, to protect the animals from stress and disease. That's not a marketing restriction. It's a conservation rule, and it's the reason these gorilla populations are still here to see at all.
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What's included
Includes
- Accommodation and full board as listed
- Internal flights within Uganda
- A private guide for all sightseeing on the itinerary
- Transfers as listed
- One gorilla trekking permit
Excludes
- Drinks
- Gratuities
- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Your Uganda visa
Accommodations
During the trip, you will stay at:
Entebbe: Papyrus Guest House, bed and breakfast.
Bwindi: Bwindi Lodge, full board, with forest views and sunrise over the canopy from the lodge itself.
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