Wild Route Trips

Uganda

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Half the world's mountain gorillas, in forest older than the last ice age.

See the journeys

Why Bwindi

The forest is called impenetrable
because it is.

Bwindi holds roughly half of every mountain gorilla left alive, in 331 square kilometres of forest that has been standing for 25,000 years. A permit costs USD 800 against Rwanda's USD 1,500, for the same hour under the same rules.

Bwindi is not a park you drive through. It is a steep, wet, tangled montane rainforest that runs up and down ridges between 1,160 and 2,607 metres, and the only way through it is on foot behind someone with a machete. That is precisely why the gorillas are still here.

The trek is allocated on the morning, not chosen in advance. You are put with a group the rangers judge you can manage, you walk until the trackers radio in, and then you have exactly one hour at seven metres. It can take forty minutes to reach them or most of the day. Nobody can tell you which in advance, and anyone who does is guessing.

What you can decide is the month. In April, May and November the permit drops to USD 600, the forest is at its greenest, and there are far fewer people on the trails. The walking is harder underfoot. Most people who have done both say it was worth it.

Need to know
Known forMountain gorillas, 350 bird species, 120 mammals
Best monthsJune to September, December to February
Quietest monthsApril, May, November
Time neededTwo nights minimum, three if you can
Getting there9 hours from Kampala, 4.5 from Kigali
Permit or feeUSD 800. USD 600 in April, May and November
Altitude1,160 to 2,607 metres
Plan a trip here
Where to go

The places worth the drive

The northern sector

Buhoma

The oldest and most developed sector, with the widest choice of lodges and the shortest transfers from the park headquarters.

Usually the gentlest walking of the four, though no sector guarantees an easy trek.

The high one

Ruhija

The highest sector at around 2,350 metres, and the coldest. Strong for birders: this is where the Albertine Rift endemics are easiest.

Fewer lodges, fewer people, longer drives.

The most families

Rushaga

The southern sector, with more habituated families than any other and the only place in Bwindi offering the four-hour gorilla habituation experience.

Closest to Kisoro and to the Rwanda border, so it is the natural choice on a trip flying into Kigali.

The hard one

Nkuringo

Spectacular, high on the southern rim, with views across to the Virunga volcanoes.

The descent into the forest and the climb back out are the steepest in Bwindi. Worth it if you walk regularly, punishing if you do not.

When to go

The year in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

June to September

The long dry season

Firm trails, short grass and predictable roads. The busiest stretch of the year and the easiest walking.

Gorilla permits for these months sell out first, so they are booked before flights rather than after.

October and November

The short rains

Rain arrives in the afternoon and rarely lasts the day. Green country, few vehicles.

November carries the USD 600 gorilla permit. If your dates move, this is the best value in the calendar.

December to February

The second dry season

Hot and clear. Busy over Christmas and the new year, then quiet through January and February.

February is the driest month in the south and the strongest window for the Rwenzori.

March to May

The long rains

The wettest stretch. Harder underfoot, some northern tracks go difficult, a few lodges close.

April and May carry the USD 600 permit, birding peaks, and you will have the forest very nearly to yourself.

Before you go

What we tell everyone about Bwindi

01
The sector is assigned, not chosen. The Uganda Wildlife Authority allocates families on the morning of the trek. Any operator promising you a named sector months ahead is telling you something they cannot control.
02
Eight people per family per day. That is the whole supply. It is why permits in June to September and December to February go months ahead, and why the permit, not your flight, fixes your dates.
03
The minimum age is 15. There is no exception and no operator can arrange one. Younger children are welcome everywhere else on a trip.
04
Porters cost about USD 20 and you should take one. They carry your bag, they pull you up the steep sections, and the money goes to people living on the forest edge who have a direct reason to keep it standing.
05
Permits are non-refundable once issued. Travel insurance that covers trip cancellation is worth more here than on almost any other trip you will take.
Plan a trip

Tell us roughly when

Every departure is private and built around your dates, so there is no schedule to fit into. Give us an approximate day and we check lodges and permits against it.
You get back a quote with nothing hidden in it, an honest view on whether the length suits you, and an itinerary you can change. No deposit until you are sure.
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