One of our top Uganda gorilla safaris, this 15-day safari treks gorillas in Bwindi, chimpanzees in Kibale, and golden monkeys in Mgahinga across 7 parks.
Ultimate Guide for Booking African Gorilla Tours, Safaris & Hikes
African gorilla tours in Uganda and Rwanda start with a meeting at the park office, where you are assigned a group to visit. Groups have up to eight people each, and each group visits one gorilla family.
How long the trek takes depends on the assigned group. Less fit visitors are typically given easier, closer groups, while fitter visitors may be assigned longer, harder treks. In Uganda, treks can last from 30 minutes to seven hours.
When you find the gorillas, you spend one hour with them, staying at least 7 meters away at all times (see the full rules further down). After the hour is up, you return to the starting point, receive a gorilla trekking certificate, and the trek concludes.
Gorilla Hikes in Rwanda
To trek gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, you need a permit priced at USD 1500 per person. Only people over 15 can obtain this permit.
Gorilla families in Rwanda include: Bwenge, Ugenda, Hirwa, Kwitonda, Agashya, Sabyinyo, Umubano, Amahoro, Karisimbi, Susa, Titus, Igisha, Isimbi, Noheli, Kwisanga, Kigoma, Muhoza, and Urwego. See our full list of Rwanda gorilla families for more.
Read more about Gorilla trekking in Rwanda here
Gorilla Hikes in Uganda
To trek gorillas in Bwindi or Mgahinga, you need a permit priced at USD 800 per person. Only those aged 15 and above can obtain a permit.
Gorilla families in Uganda include: Nshongi, Rushegura, Nkuringo, Habinyanja, Mubare, Oruzogo, Bitukura, Mishaya, Busingye, Kahungye, Nyakagezi, Katwe, Christmas, Mukiza, Muyambi, Mucunguzi, Posho, Binyindo, Kutu, Bikingi, Bushaho, Bweza, and Hirwa. See our full list of Uganda gorilla families for more.
Read more about Gorilla trekking in Uganda here.
Where to See Mountain Gorillas in Africa
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has four trekking sectors: Nkuringo, Rushaga, Ruhija, and Buhoma. Rushaga and Buhoma tend to suit older visitors best, given their gentler terrain.
- Nkuringo, in the west, has 3 to 4 gorilla groups. Visitors can stay in Rushaga and trek in Nkuringo, or vice versa, given the short distance between the two.
- Rushaga, in the south, has the most gorilla families of any sector, and is close to Rwanda, only a four hour drive from Kigali.
- Ruhija, in the east, offers some of the easiest and most accessible treks.
- Buhoma, in the northwest, is home to Bwindi’s oldest habituated family and offers excellent trekking.
Read about Bwindi gorilla trekking here.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is Uganda’s smallest national park, covering 33.7 square kilometers, bordering Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It isn’t often highlighted as a primary trekking destination on African gorilla tours. The park is named after Mount Gahinga, meaning “piles of stones,” and became a game sanctuary in 1930 before being designated a national park in 1991.
Mgahinga is home to three of the Virunga Volcanoes: Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Muhabura, and Mount Gahinga, and currently has one habituated group, the Nyakagezi family, known for the elderly silverback Bugingo, whose long tenure with the group is considered unusual.
Read about Mgahinga gorilla trekking here.
Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park sits within the wider Virunga Massif, which spans eight volcanoes across Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The park itself covers 160 square kilometers and protects five of these volcanoes, bordering Mgahinga National Park in Uganda and Virunga National Park in Congo.
The park is also home to animals such as bushbucks, buffaloes, elephants, golden monkeys, and baboons, and was once home to Dian Fossey, the American primatologist who studied and protected mountain gorillas here. She founded the Karisoke Research Center, which continues to operate today.
Read about Volcanoes gorilla trekking here.
Choosing Between Uganda and Rwanda for Your African Gorilla Tour
Uganda may suit tourists who want to combine gorilla trekking with broader wildlife viewing, since the country offers access to several other national parks, and its permits are generally cheaper. Rwanda, by contrast, centers its tourism more heavily around gorilla trekking itself, and tends to offer shorter travel times, with Volcanoes National Park only a few hours’ drive from Kigali International Airport, whereas reaching Uganda’s gorilla parks from Entebbe can take most of a day by road (flying into Rwanda and driving to the Ugandan parks is a faster alternative).
Uganda offers gorilla habituation, allowing visitors to spend four hours with a gorilla family as researchers work to acclimate them to human presence, an experience not currently offered in Rwanda. Road conditions tend to be more consistent in Rwanda, while some roads to Uganda’s parks can be rougher, especially during the rainy season. Rwanda’s Kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony also adds a unique cultural element that Uganda does not currently offer an equivalent to.
Uganda has more gorilla families and issues more permits daily than Rwanda, and Bwindi is known for having one of the highest primate counts of any park in the region, along with a wider range of accommodation from budget to luxury, while lodges near Volcanoes National Park tend to skew toward the higher end.
Ultimately, the choice comes down to budget and the kind of experience you want on your African gorilla tour, since the core trekking experience itself is broadly similar in both countries.
Conservation Behind Every African Gorilla Tour
Gorilla tourism supports both visitors and conservation. Permit revenue helps protect the gorillas, supports nearby communities, and funds rangers and wardens, while also creating jobs and supporting local development, playing a meaningful role in the wider global effort to protect mountain gorillas. Much of today’s trekking is possible thanks to the pioneering conservation work of Dian Fossey at Volcanoes National Park, described above.
Accommodation Near Gorilla Trekking Parks
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: In Buhoma, top lodges include Engagi Lodge, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Buhoma Lodge, Bwindi Volcanoes Lodge, and Sanctuary Forest Camp. In Ruhija, options include Ruhija Safari Lodge, Bakiga Lodge, Ruhija Friends Resort, and Broadbill Forest Camp. Rushaga has budget options like Rushaga Havens Lodge and mid-range choices like Ichumbi Lodge. In Nkuringo, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge is the standout luxury option, alongside Nkuringo Lodge and Gorilla Heights Lodge.
Mgahinga National Park: A quieter trekking destination with fewer nearby lodges, close to Bwindi’s Rushaga and Nkuringo sectors, as well as Lake Mutanda, Kisoro, and Lake Chahafi. Luxury options include Mount Gahinga Lodge and Mutanda Lake Resort, mid-range options include Travelers Rest Hotel, Ichumbi Hotels, and Lake Chahafi Resort, and Mucha Lodge is a solid budget choice.
