Everything guests ask before booking

A permit is a dated ticket for one person to visit one gorilla family on one day, issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority at USD 800. Numbers are capped, so in June–September and December–February they sell out months ahead. We buy yours before taking any deposit.

Fit enough to walk 3–7 hours over steep, muddy, trackless ground at up to 2,600 m, with breaks. You don’t need to be an athlete, but train on hills beforehand. Porters carry your pack and help on the hard sections — always hire one.

The drier months — June to September and December to February — give firmer trails and better odds of a shorter walk. The “green season” is wetter but quieter, cheaper, and permits are easier to get.

Yes — you must be 15 or older on the trek day to enter the forest with the gorillas. Younger children can join the safari portions and stay with a lodge sitter on trek day.

You stay about seven metres back, keep your voice down, and don’t eat or use flash. The family carries on as normal — feeding, grooming, dozing, playing. One hour, timed from when you reach them.

Bwindi has more families, more sectors and the higher success rate, but thicker forest and steeper ground. Mgahinga is a single family, more open, often a shorter walk, and far fewer people — but the family occasionally crosses into Rwanda.

Most nationalities need a Uganda e-visa (USD 50, applied for online) or the East Africa Tourist Visa. A yellow-fever certificate is required. Antimalarials are strongly advised — talk to a travel clinic 4–6 weeks out.

Broken-in waterproof boots, gaiters or long thick socks, garden gloves for nettles and vines, a rain jacket, long trousers and sleeves, 2 litres of water, and a dry bag for your camera. Neutral colours.

Yes, without flash. Bring a fast lens — the forest is dark. Phones work at that range. Your guide will help you get a clear line of sight without crowding the family.

Permits are non-refundable once issued by the authority — that’s their rule, not ours. Land arrangements are refundable on a sliding scale up to 60 days out. We’ll always try to move a permit date before writing it off; comprehensive travel insurance is a booking condition.