Uganda
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Home to nearly half of the world’s mountain gorillas. Four sectors — Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, Nkuringo — each with different habituated families and varying trek difficulty.
Primate
Gorilla Trekking: An Intimate Encounter
A guided, hour-long audience with one of Earth’s last 1,000 mountain gorillas — in the mountains where they were first protected.
Gorilla Trekking
The Experience
A mountain gorilla trek is unlike any other wildlife encounter. After a briefing at the park headquarters, a small group of no more than eight travellers sets off on foot, led by trackers who have followed your assigned family since dawn. The hike can take anywhere from an hour to most of a day, climbing through bamboo, vines and equatorial mist.
When you reach the family, the protocol is hushed and respectful: seven metres of distance, no flash, and exactly sixty minutes in their presence. What follows is an experience guests describe more like a quiet meeting than a sighting — a silverback dozing, juveniles tumbling, a mother nursing — entirely unbothered by your presence.
What Sets It Apart
Designed for the Discerning
01
Permits Secured in Advance
We hold a small allocation of Bwindi and Volcanoes permits each season — including the rare habituation experience permits in Uganda for guests who want four hours instead of one.
02
Luxury Lodges at the Trailhead
Stays at Bisate Lodge, Sabyinyo Silverback, One&Only Gorilla’s Nest or Bwindi Lodge — each within a short drive of the park gate, so you trek rested and return to a hot bath and a fire.
03
Private Porters & Guides
Every guest is paired with a personal porter (carrying your pack, assisting on slopes), and you travel with your own Still Wild Safaris guide for the entire safari.
Where to Experience It
Our Recommended Locations
Rwanda
Volcanoes National Park
The setting of Dian Fossey’s research. Treks begin at high altitude with views of the Virunga volcanoes, and lodges sit minutes from the park boundary.
Uganda
Mgahinga Gorilla Park
The quiet alternative — one habituated family, dramatic Virunga scenery and the chance to combine gorilla and golden monkey treks in one day.
From the Field
In Pictures
Ready to Plan?
Explore Gorilla Trekking — privately, with us.
Our travel designers will hand-craft a journey around gorilla trekking — paired with the right lodges, the right guides and the right time of year. Start the conversation; we’ll take it from there.
