Uganda Travel Guide: Gorillas, Chimps & Safari

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, protects nearly half of the world’s mountain gorillas, with more habituated families than anywhere else. Uganda’s permits cost less than Rwanda’s, and Bwindi also offers the Gorilla Habituation Experience, up to four hours with a family still becoming accustomed to people.

Uganda adds variety, too: chimpanzees, tree-climbing lions, boat safaris and more than 1,000 bird species make it a rewarding, less-crowded destination for travelers who don’t mind longer journeys.

A classic route links the southwest’s primate forests with one or two savanna parks.

Treks begin with a morning briefing at your sector’s headquarters, then rangers lead small groups, up to eight visitors per family, into steep, dense forest. Walking times vary from an hour to most of the day. Once you find the family, you have one hour with them; the Habituation Experience allows longer with a smaller group.

Trekkers must be 15 or older. Hire a porter, wear waterproof boots, gardening gloves and long sleeves, and read our gorilla trekking guide before you go.

Road distances are long: Entebbe to Bwindi is a full day or more by road. Most luxury itineraries use scheduled or charter flights from Entebbe to airstrips such as Kihihi (for Buhoma and Ishasha) and Kisoro (for Rushaga, Nkuringo and Mgahinga), then short drives to lodges. Some travelers fly into Kigali in Rwanda instead, which is closer by road to southern Bwindi.

Permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and sell out for peak months, so book four to six months ahead.

Uganda straddles the equator, so temperatures are pleasant year-round. The drier months of June to September and December to February are best for trekking and game viewing. Rain is possible any time in the rainforest; the wetter seasons around March–May and October–November bring muddier trails, lush forests and fewer visitors.