With your chances of seeing gorillas at 90%, Bwindi gorilla trekking is what Uganda is renowned for. Few wildlife experiences can match the undiluted thrill of sitting with a gorilla family as they forage and interact with each other. Set deep in the rainforest, it’s a charmingly gentle scene; the gorillas are habituated to our presence but they remain watchful, perhaps as curious of us as we are of them.
Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is part of the great rainforest that blankets equatorial Africa and it provides sanctuary to half of the world’s thousand or so remaining mountain gorillas. It is also one of the most biologically diverse forests in Africa and gorilla trekking is just part of the Bwindi experience. This is a destination where you can search for other rare primates such as the golden monkey and enjoy sightings of endemic birds as well as clouds of dazzling butterflies. There are local communities to meet and hiking trails to explore plus opportunities to go mountain biking or on a boat cruise.
Bwindi gorilla trekking takes place from specialist lodges set in the park itself or scattered around its edges. There is a good range of accommodation available complete with honeymoon suites as well as larger family units and you’ll find something to suit all budgets from budget-friendly camps to top-of-the-range lodges with butler service and a complimentary massage.
Accessible by road or air from Uganda’s international entry point of Entebbe, Bwindi Forest is usually part of a larger itinerary within Uganda or destinations further afield. Keep it local and you can add Uganda’s heavyweight safari destinations like Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls to the experience as well as one of Africa’s best chimpanzee trekking destinations Kibale Forest. Go further afield for the Serengeti, Masai Mara, Kruger Park or Zanzibar each a tried-and-tested combination with Bwindi.
Browse our recommended Itinerary Ideas or simply contact us with your requirements and we’ll recommend an itinerary or will tailor-make one for you.
An equatorial location gives Bwindi Forest a predictably damp and humid climate but its relatively high altitude makes it cooler than you may think – it’s best noted that a gorilla trek can be a cold and wet experience.
Nevertheless, the year has two distinct dry seasons which are without doubt when to go to Bwindi for gorilla trekking if you want the most comfortable and rewarding experience. The first dry season is from mid-December to early February and the second from early June to late September. These periods offer the easiest conditions for hiking in the rainforest and generally the best gorilla sightings as well as a reduced malaria risk.
The best time to visit Bwindi also coincides nicely with some of the best times to experience other parts of Uganda. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest is easier during the dry seasons while game viewing in Uganda’s safari destinations – Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks – is most rewarding during the dry seasons as large concentrations of animals such as elephants and buffalo build up at water sources.
Further afield, some advance planning could see you enjoying Africa’s top travel experiences. Bwindi’s December to February trekking season coincides with Cape Town under sunny summer skies as well as the Serengeti wildebeest migration at one of its most dramatic moments – the predator-filled birthing season.
Bwindi’s June to September trekking season is a great time to be in the Masai Mara – the wildebeest migration is now moving across crocodile-filled rivers – while Southern African safari destinations are their best for safaris. The weather in the Kruger Park, Botswana, Victoria Falls and Namibia is mild and dry, the malaria risk at its lowest, and game viewing is at its best.
Use our handy guide below on when to go to Bwindi or simply contact us and tell us when you’d like to go and we’ll be happy to have that conversation.
Set in and around the Bwindi Forest, Bwindi gorilla trekking lodges provide the specialist bases from which to enjoy this unique experience. After all, a gorilla trek is no ordinary walk in the park: you’ll need trackers and guides to find them plus a home-cooked meal, a hot shower and a comfortable bed at the end of the day.
Bwindi accommodation has a good range of options for the gorilla trekker with great views, private bathrooms and spacious rooms as standard. There are luxurious trekking lodges with butler service and an on-site spa as well as all-round camps and budget-minded lodges. And although children have to be 15 years or older to go gorilla trekking in Bwindi, we have lodges with four-sleeper family chalets and age-appropriate activities such as drumming and animal tracking.
Several of our recommended trekking lodges are located at the Bwindi Forest National Park and offer a more immersive experience. They have unspoilt views of the rainforest, the quickest access to the start of the trekking trails, and it’s not unusual to see a gorilla family strolling through the lodge grounds on occasion.
Accommodation located further from park tends to be more affordable and offers a more varied range of activities (mountain biking or boat trips for example) plus you are still only a short drive away from the trekking trails.
Our recommended Bwindi accommodation also gives you the opportunity to experience other elements of the landscape. Depending on where you stay, you could join a local church service, visit a community project or go hiking with panoramic views of lakes and volcanoes. Bird watchers will find plenty to keep them interested around the lodge grounds and several lodges offer specialist bird guides to find the less obvious species.
Browse our recommended Bwindi gorilla trekking lodges below or simply contact us with your requirements and we’ll suggest an appropriate lodge for you.
Set within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, the iconic lodge has been beautifully reimagined for a new era. The palm-thatched 10-villa retreat, nestled seamlessly in its lush cloud forest surroundings, takes sustainable luxury to another level.
A gorgeous honeymoon suite is among the rooms on offer at this intimate lodge, set on a private stretch of river with stunning views of Bwindi Forest. Forest walks & community visits are among the activities to enjoy after your gorilla trek.
Set on the edge of the forest & close to the starting point for gorilla treks, this 10-chalet camp even offers a complimentary post-trek massage. Eco-friendly & solar-powered, Buhoma sits unobtrusively in the forest & gorillas have been seen in the lodge gardens.
Overlooking the primeval Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge offers a truly unique Uganda jungle safari experience. Separated by nothing more than an idyllic stream, the gorillas themselves are frequent visitors to the finest lodge in Bwindi!
We appreciate that time is often a factor in planning an itinerary and so we have a stand-alone Bwindi gorilla safari – an intensive 4-day tour dedicated to gorilla trekking in Bwindi Forest National Park. But if you have more time, then you have the opportunity to experience so much more in Uganda. It is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world and has easy connections to the top safari and beach destinations in East and Southern Africa.
Several of our most popular tours remain within Uganda, delivering itineraries with a great blend of bio-diversity and affordability. Combining easily with a Bwindi gorilla safari, the country’s two safari destinations – Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls National Park offer the best sightings of classic savannah animals – elephants, hippos and lions – plus some of the world’s best bird watching. Both parks offer chimpanzee trekking as an activity but Uganda’s best chimpanzee experience is at Kibale Forest, a teeming rainforest reserve complete with aerial walkway.
Your Bwindi gorilla safari will use Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport as its entry and exit point, a convenient travel hub from which to access other African destinations such as Tanzania, Kenya, Victoria Falls and South Africa. Consequently, we offer multi-layered, multi-experience itineraries across the continent with the same standard accommodation all the way whether it’s for families or a honeymoon couple.
There is also a happy symmetry to a Bwindi gorilla trek if you are planning a big game safari too. The two gorilla trekking seasons coincide with some of the most dramatic chapters of the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti or the Masai Mara. Head to Southern Africa during the June – September trekking season and you have the Kruger Park, Botswana and Victoria Falls at their best. There are also opportunities to combine your Bwindi gorilla safari with the tropical ambience of Zanzibar or the warm embrace of Africa’s Mother City: Cape Town and the Cape Winelands.
Browse our recommended tours below for inspiration but if you’d like us to tailor-make an itinerary based on your needs and budget, then simply contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
Our team of destination experts will design a holiday to meet your budget and interests. Let’s start planning your tailor-made African safari today!
Put your gorilla trek at the centre of a multi-experience tour: Bwindi gorilla trekking combines with a great range of destinations from the drama of the Serengeti and Victoria Falls to the laid-back ambience of Zanzibar and Cape Town.
Uganda’s well-established network of ground and air logistics begins and ends in Entebbe, home to the country’s international airport and travel hub for the region. This means we can offer tours as multi-country itineraries, great news for honeymooners and romantic travellers who want to slow things down at a beach hideaway after their trek – and equally good for wildlife lovers and photographers looking for a new set of animals and landscapes.
And by happy coincidence, Bwindi’s gorilla trekking seasons coincide perfectly with another safari highlight: the annual wildebeest migration in the Serengeti and Masai Mara; book far enough in advance and you can witness either of the migration’s two major events: the river crossing or birthing seasons, both laden with drama.
Alternatively, fly south for the heavyweight safari destinations of Botswana, the Kruger Park and Zambia for excellent Big 5 game viewing under clear blue skies – Bwindi’s June to September trekking season sees these destinations at their best.
We have a wide range of tours that combine Bwindi gorilla trekking with Africa’s top travel destinations, designed for discerning travellers and honeymooners as well as families with children and trekkers on a budget. Browse our most popular destination combinations below and visit our Itinerary Ideas page for inspiration or simply contact us with the destinations of your choice and we will tailor-make an itinerary for you.
