Gorilla trekking: the complete guide
The pillar. What trekking involves, where to do it, the rules, photography and how to book.
Start here
Permits and costs 2026
Permit prices for all three countries, what they include, refund rules and full trip budgets.
Uganda or Rwanda?
A side-by-side comparison from an operator that sells both, including the routing most people miss.
Best time to trek
Month by month: rain, crowds, lodge rates and how far ahead to book permits.
How hard is the trek?
Terrain and walking times by sector, altitude, porters, sedan chairs and trekking over 60.
What to pack
The six items that matter, camera settings for a dark forest, and what to leave at home.
Where to go
Uganda gorilla safaris
The country guide: parks, wildlife, routes, visas and how a Uganda safari fits together.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Four sectors, around 20 habituated families, and how to choose between them.
Rwanda gorilla safaris
Volcanoes National Park, Kigali, lodges and the two-hour transfer that makes short trips work.
Congo gorilla trekking
Virunga's US$400 permit, Kahuzi-Biega's lowland gorillas, and an honest word on access.
Mgahinga Gorilla NP
One family, three volcanoes, golden monkeys and the Batwa Trail.
Lodges near the gorillas
Where to sleep in each Bwindi sector and near Volcanoes, from bandas to the best in the region.
Still weighing it up?
Send us a rough idea and we will reply with a plan, not a brochure.
Also
Practical advice and field notes
The guides above cover the trek. Two other sections cover everything around it:
- Travel advice — visas, vaccinations, money and tipping, flights and transfers, safety and responsible travel
- Field notes — longer writing from our guides on what the hour is actually like, the green season, photography and sector choice
- Experiences — chimpanzees, golden monkeys, birding, habituation and the Batwa Trail
- Conservation — how the population recovered and what your permit pays for