Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

Stumbling through thick, dripping rainforest, you get the order to crouch and freeze; only metres ahead, calmly observing you through a stand of bamboo, is the oddly familiar face of a 200kg mountain gorilla.

Who is watching who? Find out for yourself in western Uganda's premier gorilla reserve: the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park where the chances of encountering the great apes on a gorilla trekking adventure are very high indeed.

Recommended tours for Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

For those on a tight time schedule we'd recommend either our 4-day Gorilla Trekking Safari or Gorilla Trekking Adventure; those with more time on their hands our longer itineraries blend gorilla trekking with game viewing and chimp tracking.

Try our 8-day Chimps, Gorillas & Game Adventure or our 6-day Classic Uganda Safari, all of which have a single aim: to deliver a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife experience.

Permits are limited, so book early, especially in peak season (December to January and July to August) and read more about the best time to visit on our 'When to Go to Uganda' section. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is a year-round activity but there are definitely drier months than others!

Mgahinga National Park

The Mgahinga National Park, located south of Bwindi, is also a gorilla trekking destination but it should be noted that this tiny reserve cannot be relied on to provide regular gorilla sightings.

It is however packed with smaller primates, tons of birds and remains an excellent rainforest experience. Mgahinga is also one of the last refuges for the central African pygmies.

What is Gorilla Trekking?

Gorilla trekking in Uganda - or gorilla tracking as it is sometimes called - isn't just a gentle stroll through the woods to sit down in the middle of a family group. It's a hard slog through wet, steep, unforgiving rainforest in which you'll find plenty of mud and bugs.

It also necessitates strict behavioural rules and a deep respect for the gorillas and their environment. But what wildlife experience can rival the chance to sit face to face with giant primates, with whom we share 97 percent of our biology?

Conservation

It goes a bit deeper than an awesome experience however. Somewhat controversial, usually expensive and tightly - almost obsessively - regulated, the gorilla trekking industry represents perhaps the best chance of survival for these critically endangered primates: only 700 individuals are left in the world today.

Their western and eastern lowland cousins fare a little better in the West and Central African rainforests but the fate of the mountain gorilla is firmly in our hands.

Conservation organisations, including the famous Dian Fossey Gorilla Foundation, work hard to promote the participation of locals in the conservation of gorillas, and ultimately make keeping gorillas alive more profitable than killing them or destroying their environment.

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