How fit do I need to be?

You should be able to walk for several hours on steep, muddy slopes. Rangers try to give slower walkers a nearer gorilla family, and a porter can carry your bag and help you. If you have limited mobility, ask us about the carried-chair service in Bwindi.

Can I trek if I am under 15?

No. UWA's minimum age for gorilla trekking is 15. Younger children can join a family trip, and we can plan other activities for them while the adults trek.

Will we definitely see the gorillas?

The gorilla families are used to people and trackers follow them every day, so most treks reach them. They are still wild animals, though, and no one can promise a sighting.

Why do we trek gorillas in Bwindi and not in Mgahinga?

Mgahinga has one gorilla family, and it sometimes crosses into Rwanda. UWA only sells permits for it when it is in Uganda, so we book Bwindi's southern sectors, which are close to your lodge.

As early as you can. Each gorilla family takes only eight visitors a day, and permits are paid in full when booked, so we check availability for your dates first.

Can we fly instead of driving?

Yes. Scheduled flights from Entebbe reach the Kisoro airstrip in about 1 hour 10 minutes. We price flights on request, because they change the cost of the trip.

Gorillas and Golden Monkeys Safari, 4 Days

Trip style
Private trip for your own group
Starts at
Your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala, or Entebbe International Airport
Ends at
Your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala, or Entebbe International Airport
Group Size
2 to 6 guests per vehicle; larger groups on request
Activity level
Level 4: Challenging
Accommodation
Mid-range lodge near Lake Mutanda, 3 nights in the same place
Meals
Full board from lunch on day 1 to lunch on day 4
Transportation
Hired 4x4 safari vehicle with driver-guide (flights to the Kisoro airstrip on request)
Guide
English; other languages by agreement
Permits
Gorilla permit included (USD 800 FNR, or USD 600 FNR in April, May and November). Golden monkey tracking and Batwa Trail fees included.
Best season
All year. Drier months are June to August and December to February. April, May and November are quieter, with lower permit prices.

Overview

Itinerary

Price includes

Good to know

FAQs

Map

Overview

Itinerary

Price includes

Good to know

FAQs

Map

Why you will love this trip

This short primate safari takes you to the far south-west of Uganda, where the Virunga volcanoes rise above Lake Mutanda. In Mgahinga Gorilla National Park you walk through bamboo forest to find golden monkeys, a rare, bright orange-gold monkey found only in this region. The next day you trek into Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) rangers to spend one quiet hour with a wild mountain gorilla family.

Every wild day here has a people day too. On the Batwa Trail, Batwa guides whose families lived in this forest for generations show how they hunted, made fire and used plants as medicine. The walk ends with songs inside Garama Cave, and part of every trail fee goes to the Batwa community.

The trip suits travellers who have only a few days and are reasonably fit. You travel privately in a hired 4×4 safari vehicle with an experienced driver-guide, and stay three nights in one lodge near Lake Mutanda, so there is no packing every morning. The two road days are long. If you prefer, we can price flights to the Kisoro airstrip instead.

Highlights

One hour with a wild mountain gorilla family in Bwindi
Golden monkey tracking in the bamboo forest of Mgahinga
The Batwa Trail and Garama Cave, led by Batwa guides
Gorilla permit included and booked for you in advance
Three nights in one place, below the Virunga volcanoes
Private hired 4x4 with an experienced driver-guide

Day 1 :

Entebbe or Kampala to Lake Mutanda

Your driver-guide picks you up early from your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala, or from the airport. The drive to the far south-west is long, about 10 to 11 hours with stops, so we leave at first light. You stop at the Equator for photos, have lunch on the way near Mbarara, and then climb into the green terraced hills of Kigezi past Kabale. In the late afternoon the cones of the Virunga volcanoes appear above Lake Mutanda. Check in, have dinner and rest. If you would rather skip this road day, we can price a flight from Entebbe to the Kisoro airstrip, about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Overnight: lodge near Lake Mutanda. Meals: lunch, dinner.

Day 2 :

Golden monkeys and the Batwa Trail in Mgahinga

After an early breakfast, drive about 30 to 40 minutes to Mgahinga's Ntebeko gate for a briefing with UWA rangers. The golden monkey walk climbs gently into the bamboo zone on the volcano slopes. The monkeys are playful and quick, and the bright gold of their fur shows well against the green. After a packed lunch, join the Batwa Trail. Batwa guides show how their families found food and medicine in the forest, made fire and hunted, and the walk ends in Garama Cave, a lava tunnel about 200 metres long, where the guides sing in the dark. Return to the lake in the late afternoon.

Overnight: lodge near Lake Mutanda. Meals: breakfast, packed lunch, dinner.

Day 3 :

Gorilla trekking in southern Bwindi

Early breakfast, then a drive of about 30 to 40 minutes to the Rushaga or Nkuringo trekking area in southern Bwindi; the sector depends on your permit. After the UWA briefing you set off with rangers and trackers. The walk to your gorilla family can take 1 hour or more than 6, on steep and muddy forest slopes. When you find them, you stay one hour, at least 10 metres away: young gorillas playing, mothers feeding, a silverback resting nearby. At the start you can hire a porter from the local villages to carry your bag and help you on steep parts. Back at the lodge, enjoy a hot shower and a quiet evening by the lake.

Overnight: lodge near Lake Mutanda. Meals: breakfast, packed lunch, dinner.

Day 4 :

Lake Mutanda to Entebbe or Kampala

Take your time over breakfast with the volcanoes across the water, then start the long drive back, about 10 to 11 hours with stops. You pass Kabale and the hills of Kigezi and stop for lunch near Mbarara. We drop you at your hotel in Entebbe or Kampala in the evening, or at Entebbe airport if your flight leaves late at night; please share your flight time with us before booking. If you would rather break the journey, add a night at Lake Bunyonyi or Lake Mburo, or fly back from Kisoro (on request).

Meals: breakfast, lunch.

Good to know before you go

Route and terrain

The route runs from Lake Victoria to the far south-west, through Mbarara and Kabale, to Lake Mutanda near Kisoro. Roads are mostly tarmac, with shorter dirt sections near the parks. Bwindi’s trails are steep and muddy, between about 1,160 and 2,600 metres. Mgahinga starts at about 2,227 metres, and nights can drop below 10 C.

Pace and activity level

Level 4: Challenging. Most treks take 2 to 6 hours in total, but some take longer. Rangers try to match slower walkers with a nearer gorilla family, porters can carry your bag and help you on steep parts, and a carried-chair service exists in Bwindi for people with limited mobility (ask us). The golden monkey walk and the Batwa Trail are easy to moderate. Days 1 and 4 are long road days.

What to bring

Waterproof hiking boots, gardening gloves for grabbing plants, long trousers and long sleeves, a rain jacket, a warm layer for the evenings, a small backpack, water, insect repellent and a camera without flash.

Health and safety

You cannot trek gorillas with a cold, flu or other illness, because gorillas catch human diseases. Bring proof of yellow fever vaccination and ask your doctor about malaria tablets. Travel insurance that covers medical evacuation is strongly advised. Your driver-guide knows the route and carries a first aid kit.

Respect for people and wildlife

Each gorilla family takes at most eight visitors a day, and you stay one hour. Keep at least 10 metres away, never use flash, and never touch or feed the gorillas or the monkeys. Please ask before photographing people. The Batwa had to leave their forest when the parks were created; their guides share their history with dignity, so listen as a guest, not as an audience.

Booking and payment

We ask a 30% deposit by card or bank transfer to confirm your trip. The gorilla permit is paid in full when you book, because UWA requires full payment at booking. The balance is due 30 days before you arrive. You can pay by MTN MoMo, Airtel Money, bank transfer (DTB) or card via Pesapal. Low-season permits (April, May and November) cannot be moved to another date. UWA’s current prices are valid to 31 December 2026; new UWA prices start on 1 January 2027.

4-Day Gorillas and Golden Monkeys Safari

Trip facts

Why you will love this trip

Highlights

Day by day

What the price covers

Included

Not included

Good to know before you go

Route and terrain

Pace and activity level

What to bring

Health and safety

Respect for people and wildlife

Booking and payment

Questions guests ask

Where you go

Featured Trips

Trip facts

Why you will love this trip

Highlights

Day by day

What the price covers

Included

Not included

Good to know before you go

Route and terrain

Pace and activity level

What to bring

Health and safety

Respect for people and wildlife

Booking and payment

Questions guests ask

Where you go

Featured Trips

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