In this guide, you will find essential practical information to prepare for your gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Uganda. We discuss how to obtain your trekking permits, the minimum age for gorilla trekking and the best trekking locations.
Need some help? Rest assured that Roadtrip Africa is happy to help you plan your Uganda itinerary and arrange your gorilla and chimpanzee trekking permits. Feel free to contact us for more information and guidance.
Bwindi National Park protects an estimated 350 mountain gorillas, including 11 habituated groups that can be tracked.
Te park offers four gorilla trekking locations:
Roadtrip Africa partners with the beautiful Mutanda Lake Resort, from where you can visit the Nkuringo or Rushaga family.
Another trekking location is Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, which borders Rwanda and protects the Ugandan parts of the Virunga mountains.
Your gorilla trek will start early, so make sure you get there on time. Depending on where you are staying, it could be as much as a 60-90-minute drive on dirt roads to get from your lodge to the starting point of the trek. Hence, you'll probably wake up before dawn, take your packed breakfast and lunch, and drive to the starting point during the morning twilight.
Your Uganda Wildlife Association guide will start the hike with an introduction. Every group consists of a maximum of 8 tourists and some UWA rangers. You can opt for a porter to take your bag. Don't feel obliged to ask- these are local men and women who are happy to earn some income by carrying your belongings.
The trekking usually starts at 8.30 AM. Depending on where the gorillas were spotted the previous day, the time to locate them can vary greatly, from approximately one hour to five hours. Once the rangers find a gorilla family, you get to spend one hour with them. The one-hour cap is there to prevent the gorillas from becoming habituated to human interaction. Once the time is up, the gorillas are left without any human presence for the remaining 23 hours of the day.
It's important to know that you can walk completely at your own pace. The 1-hour sighting starts when the whole group is together, so don’t feel rushed by fellow trekkers.
After the gorilla sighting, you’ll return to the starting point where you parked your Roadtrip rental car. A tip for the rangers and porters is highly appreciated.
If you are planning to go on a gorilla hike in Uganda, it's recommended that you reserve your trekking permits well in advance. The Uganda Wildlife Authority issues the permits, but only to Tour Operators. As a tourist, there is no possibility of visiting their headquarters in Kampala and arranging it yourself.
Our team at Roadtrip Africa is happy to help arrange your gorilla permits. We can only do this after you have confirmed your tour or car rental booking with us in Uganda. The costs for a gorilla trekking permit are listed in the National Park section of our website, here.
To be able to arrange the trekking permits on your behalf, we'll need the following information:
Once proof of payment has been sent, we will purchase the permits on your behalf. For this service, we charge a handling fee of US$ 25 per gorilla permit and US$ 50 per gorilla habituation experience.
Kindly note that once your permits are bought, it is not possible to change the start location and/or trekking date.
Kibale Forest is Uganda's prime chimpanzee trekking location, with a 95% chance of spotting a chimp family. Trips start every morning and afternoon in Kibale Forest National Park. The costs for a chimp trekking permit are listed in the National Park section of our website here.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority issues all primate trekking permits, but only to Tour Operators. As a tourist, there is no possibility of visiting their headquarters in Kampala and arranging it yourself.
Our team at Roadtrip Africa is happy to help you arrange your chimp trekking permits. We can do this only after you have confirmed your self-drive tour or car rental booking with us in Uganda. For this service, we charge a handling fee of USD 15 per chimp permit.
For those travelling on a budget, Budongo Forest, Kalinzu Forest or Kyambura Gorge are cheaper alternatives to spot chimpanzees.
The minimum age for a gorilla hike in Uganda is 15 years. For chimpanzee trekking, you'll need to be at least 13 years old.
How strenuous the hike is, depends on the weather conditions and the proximity of the gorillas and chimps. Although the hike could potentially last 6 hours, this is rare. A moderate level of fitness (walking) is enough for participating in a gorilla or chimpanzee trek. People of various ages go trekking, including those in their end seventies. A porter can assist, and the use of a local walking stick is an excellent aid. The right clothing and boots with traction will make the experience easier as well. Enjoy!!
