Is gorilla trekking worth it?

Yes. It's expensive, the roads are bad, and the jungle is hard going. But when a silverback is sitting three metres from you, making eye contact, completely unbothered by your existence, there's nothing else like it. It remains one of the top three days across 45 countries of travel.

How long is the gorilla trek?

The trek to find the gorillas can last anywhere from one to eight hours depending on where they slept the night before. Once you find them, you get exactly one hour with the gorilla family, in a group of no more than eight people.

What camera gear do you need for gorilla photography?

A flexible zoom lens is essential. These gorilla photos were shot on a Nikon D90 with an 18-200mm zoom. No flash allowed - crank the ISO instead as the light under the jungle canopy is dark. No tripod needed; you need flexibility because there's no time to set up shots.

When is the best time for gorilla trekking in Uganda?

The best time is during the dry seasons: June to September and December to February. The trails are less muddy and the drive in is less terrifying. Book well in advance as permits sell out months ahead for peak dry season.

Gorilla Trekking Uganda: Photography from Bwindi

Q: How much does gorilla trekking in Uganda cost?

As of 2026, a gorilla trekking permit in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park costs USD $800 per person for foreign non-residents. Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park charges USD $1,500 for the same experience. Uganda is the more affordable option.

14 May 2010: one hour in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with a family of wild mountain gorillas.

Misty hillside villages and terraced farmland in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest region of Uganda

Gorilla Rules poster at Bwindi explaining ecotourism guidelines and what to expect with the mountain gorillas

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Where? Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, East Africa. Home to half the world's population of critically endangered mountain gorillas. The park sits near the borders of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the gorillas move freely between these countries.

Rural Ugandan village with tin-roofed houses and red dirt roads near Bwindi

Weathered mountain road through the Ugandan highlands on the way to Bwindi National Park

Getting There

This trip was something I'd been thinking about for over two years, and no amount of thinking prepared me for the real thing. We were up at 4:30am for a two-hour drive along the weather-worn mountain roads from our base camp at Lake Bunyoni. The roads were scary. It had been raining the night before so dirt had become mud and the road felt like a slippery slide on the cliff edges. The vehicle was a 15-year-old 8-seater minivan, the type you'd use for a school excursion or an airport transfer. Sunrise was at 5:30am, so we watched the jungle wake up from the road on the way in.

Into the Jungle

Once through the gates we were told about the 'gorilla rules' then made our way to the drop off point where we hit the jungle by foot. Depending on where the gorillas decide to sleep, the trek can last from 1 to 8 hours, we were on the move for only 45 minutes before finding their nest.

Two Ugandan Wildlife Authority rangers scanning the dense jungle canopy during a gorilla trek

Ugandan army soldier with AK-47 providing anti-poaching protection for the mountain gorillas

One Hour with the Gorillas

The time with the gorillas is limited to 1 hour per family per day, and each group is limited to 8 people. We were escorted by members of the Ugandan Wildlife Authority who were familiar with the gorilla family and able to communicate with them on a basic level. Also present were armed soldiers from the Ugandan army carrying AK47s to protect the gorillas from poachers, and us from the gorillas. In the past they've been hunted for body parts sold to collectors.

Photographer smiling in the Bwindi jungle with a mountain gorilla visible in the foliage behind him

Close-up of a mountain gorilla's hand gripping a branch among green leaves in Bwindi forest

Mountain gorilla resting in thick vegetation in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Mountain gorilla feeding among dense green foliage in the Bwindi jungle

If you're ever in the area, drop in and say hi to the Bitukura family for me.

Silverback mountain gorilla portrait looking directly at the camera through jungle foliage

Colorful butterfly resting on a forearm with the Bwindi jungle in the background

Gorilla fun fact: as humans are uniquely identifiable by fingerprints, gorillas can be identified by their nose prints.

Permits and Planning

Gorilla trekking permits for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park are managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. When I went in 2010 it was around $500 AUD. As of 2026, a permit costs USD $800 per person for foreign non-residents. Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park charges USD $1,500 for the same hour with a gorilla family.

I've only trekked Uganda, so what follows is half personal, half research. Rwanda doubled its permit to $1,500 in 2017 and leaned into the luxury end. Lodges like Singita Kwitonda and Wilderness Bisate sit right at the park boundary, booked out months ahead. Volcanoes is a smaller park at higher altitude with bamboo forest and open meadow, and the treks tend to be shorter and more predictable. Uganda kept prices lower and the accommodation range wider, from basic bandas to high-end lodges. Bwindi is thicker forest at lower altitude and harder to walk through. That's where 'impenetrable' comes from.

The trek itself can last anywhere from one to eight hours depending on where the gorillas slept the night before. Ours was 45 minutes. You get exactly one hour with the gorilla family once you find them, in a group of no more than eight people. It goes fast.

The first gorilla we saw was a teenager, high up in a tree. As we walked past he jumped down, looked at us for a while, unsure, then carried on eating his piece of fruit. One of the girls in our group found ants crawling up the inside of her leg under her pants. The jungle is alive, and it's in charge.

The Shoot

I shot on a Nikon D90 with an 18-200mm zoom. The canopy light was low so I kept the ISO high. People in our group popped flash in the gorillas' faces.

Dry seasons are June to September and December to February. Trails are less muddy then. I went in May, which is wet season - muddy drive and drizzle through the trek. Still worth going.

We booked through African Tour Company, who handled permits, transport, and accommodation. Based ourselves at Lake Bunyoni, about two hours from the park gate. Permits sell out months ahead for peak dry season.

The Hour

Sitting three metres from a silverback, making eye contact, the whole thing completely ordinary to him. May 14, 2010 is still one of the top three days of my life.

The gorilla trek was the final stop on a 3.5-month overland trip through 12 African countries. All photographs on this page are available for licensing and as prints.

Mountain Gorillas