Gorilla trekking in Uganda

Uganda has roughly half the world's remaining mountain gorillas. They live in two places: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, which is where most trekking happens, and Mgahinga, a smaller park on the volcanoes at the Rwandan border.

The permit

A permit is a government fee paid to the Uganda Wildlife Authority. It buys you one hour with one habituated gorilla family, on one specified day, in one specified sector. Only eight visitors go to a family per day, which is why permits run out.

Rates as published by UWA and checked on 2026-08-23. Tariffs are revised periodically — we re-check before we quote you, and if they have moved you pay the real rate.

What changed in March 2026

As we understand the current rules, from 1 March 2026 foreign non-residents can no longer buy gorilla permits directly from UWA: the booking has to go through a licensed tour operator. If you have read older blog posts telling you to email UWA yourself, that advice is out of date. We would still encourage you to confirm the current position with UWA directly — it is your money and your trip, and you should not have to take our word for it.

Book early, and expect to pay in full

In the high seasons — June to September, December to February — permits are typically gone three to six months ahead. UWA takes the full permit fee at the time of booking and does not hold permits on a deposit, so a trek is not confirmed until the permit is paid. That is a rule we have no ability to bend, and it is why our own terms mirror it.

Which sector

Bwindi has four trekking sectors and they are genuinely different places, several hours apart by road. Choosing the wrong one costs you a day of driving. From Lake Bunyonyi, where we are based:

Mgahinga has a single habituated family. It is a completely different forest — open bamboo on volcanic slopes rather than Bwindi's tangle — and if you are doing two treks we would usually put one in each.

How hard is the walk?

Honestly: harder than most people expect, and manageable for most people who walk regularly. The trackers set out at first light to find the family, and you follow. It can be forty minutes or it can be six hours, at altitude, on steep wet ground, through vegetation that gives the forest its name.

You can hire a porter at the trailhead for a small fee. Take one even if you do not think you need one — it is the single best money you will spend that day, and it is direct income for someone from the villages on the forest edge.

What to bring

• Boots with ankle support, already broken in
• Long sleeves and long trousers — nettles and thorns, not cold
• Gardening gloves, genuinely
• Rain jacket. It is a rainforest, and there is no dry month
• Two litres of water and a packed lunch
• A camera without a flash, which is not permitted

The rules at the family

Seven metres' distance, one hour, no flash, and you do not go if you are ill — gorillas catch human respiratory infections and have died of them. If you have a cold on the morning of the trek, tell the ranger. UWA's policy on substituting a permit in that situation is theirs to apply, and we will argue your case, but the rule exists for a reason we support.