The Complete Guide to Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

Why Uganda Is the Home of Gorilla Trekking

Nearly half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas live in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. With over 20 habituated families, Uganda offers more trekking permits and more varied trailheads than anywhere else on Earth.

Gorilla Permits: Cost & How to Book

A Uganda gorilla permit costs USD 800 per person and includes park entry, ranger guides, and one hour with a gorilla family. Permits are limited to eight visitors per family per day and sell out months in advance in high season. Zen Safaris secures permits on your behalf as soon as your dates are confirmed.

A mountain gorilla family in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

How Difficult Is the Trek?

Treks range from one to six hours each way depending on where the family slept the night before. Bwindi's terrain is steep and often muddy, but porters (around USD 20, and a direct boost to local families) carry your bag and lend a helping hand. Anyone with moderate fitness can do it — trekkers in their seventies complete it regularly.

What to Pack for Gorilla Trekking

Dress for a rainforest, whatever the season:

• Sturdy waterproof hiking boots with ankle support
• Long trousers and long-sleeved shirt (nettles and branches)
• Gardening gloves for gripping vegetation
• Rain jacket and a dry bag for your camera
• 1.5 litres of water and a packed lunch (provided by your lodge)

The Hour with the Gorillas

When the trackers whisper that the family is close, you leave your bags and walk the final metres in silence. Then it happens: a 200 kg silverback feeding calmly an arm's length away, juveniles tumbling through the vines, a mother cradling her infant. You keep a 10-metre distance, wear a mask, and have exactly one hour — the fastest hour of your life.

Close encounter with a silverback gorilla