Safari · Uganda
11 Night Uganda Gorillas & Savannah
An hour with mountain gorillas, at close range, in a forest they let you into on a permit. There are around a thousand of them left, and this is one of only three countries where you can do it.
An hour with mountain gorillas, at close range, in a forest they let you into on a permit. There are around a thousand of them left, and this is one of only three countries where you can do it.
A Uganda gorilla permit costs US$800 per person and the daily numbers are strictly capped.
Only eight people per habituated gorilla family per day, one hour with them, and permits are allocated well in advance — six to twelve months for peak season. Uganda's permit is US$800 against Rwanda's US$1,500, which is the main reason most British travellers trek here rather than there. The trek itself is genuinely demanding: steep, muddy, at altitude, and anywhere from one to six hours each way through thick forest. Porters are available and worth taking, both for your legs and because it puts money into the villages that share the park boundary. Nobody should book this without being honest about their fitness.
Eleven nights, moving west from Entebbe, ending at Bwindi.
1Arrival night on Lake Victoria, a few minutes from the airport.
Where you stay: Lakeside hotels in Entebbe rather than Kampala, which is an hour of traffic away.
Getting there: Overnight from the UK via Nairobi or Addis, about 12h total to Entebbe (EBB).
2The best chimpanzee tracking in Africa, and a gentler warm-up for the legs.
Where you stay: Forest-edge lodges, most within twenty minutes of the tracking start point.
Getting there: About five hours by road from Entebbe on decent tarmac.
3Savannah game, and the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha in the southern sector.
Where you stay: Mweya for the channel, or Ishasha in the south to break the drive to Bwindi.
Getting there: About two hours by road from Kibale.
4The gorillas. Four nights allows two trekking permits, which is the single best decision on this trip.
Where you stay: Lodges are grouped by trailhead sector — Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, Nkuringo. We match the lodge to your permit.
Getting there: Three to four hours by road from Ishasha, on rough sections.
Everything below is quoted up front. Nothing appears after you've paid a deposit.
Guide prices per person, two sharing, outside school holidays. The hotel standard is the biggest single variable.
| Standard | What that means | Guide price pp |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | Comfortable mid-range lodges, shared vehicle | from £4,899 |
| Superior | Better lodges close to the trailheads, private vehicle | from £6,299 |
| Premium | Top-tier lodges, private guide, two gorilla permits included | from £8,999 |
If there is money to spend, spend it on a second gorilla permit before any lodge upgrade. Gorillas move, weather closes in, and one hour is very short. Two treks roughly doubles the chance of the encounter people hope for, and it costs less than most lodge upgrades.
June to August and December to February — the drier months. Bwindi is a rainforest and never truly dry.
The two dry seasons make the forest trails firmer and the trekking considerably easier, and they are the peak permit months. March to May and September to November bring the long and short rains: trails turn to deep mud, treks take longer, and some roads become difficult. Permits are easier to get and lodges discount substantially. It rains in Bwindi in every month of the year — the difference is degree, not presence, and anyone telling you otherwise has not been.
We'll check permit availability before quoting, be honest about the fitness required, and tell you whether a second permit fits your budget.
Genuinely hard. Steep, muddy, at 1,500–2,500 metres, and one to six hours each way. Take a porter. If you have knee or heart concerns, talk to us and your GP before booking.
Uganda's permit is US$800 against Rwanda's US$1,500, and Uganda offers more besides gorillas. Rwanda's treks are shorter and the drive from Kigali is quicker. We'll price both.
If the budget stretches, yes. One hour is very short and weather or gorilla movement can make the first trek harder than hoped. It's the best-value upgrade on this trip.
Six to twelve months for peak season permits. They are capped at eight people per family per day and they do sell out.
Similar shapes, and the ones people most often weigh up alongside it.
Same approach, different shape. All reshapeable around your dates.
13 nights · Jul–Oct, Jan–Feb · from £4,299pp
10 nights · Jun–Oct, Jan–Feb · from £2,899pp
12 nights · May–Oct · from £6,499pp
14 nights · May–Oct · from £3,299pp
11 nights · Apr, Oct · from £2,699pp
12 nights · Jun–Oct, Jan–Feb · from £3,399pp
