Gorilla Trekking: My most memorable travel experience

We asked Val, a Hayes & Jarvis Africa travel expert, to share her most memorable travel experience – gorilla trekking in Uganda.

Trekking with gorillas was something that had always been on my bucket list long before I started working in the travel industry.

So my expectations were very high. And I’m thrilled to say, the experience of seeing wild gorillas up close absolutely blew my expectations out of the water. It was a trip I will never forget, and I love sharing my experience with anyone who will listen.

So if gorilla trekking in Uganda is a dream of yours, hopefully my experience will give you some insight into what to expect, when is the best time to go and what to pack.

Best time to go

I flew into Entebbe Airport in Uganda, during a short dry season that runs from December until early February in Uganda. This is one of the optimum times for gorilla trekking as the ground tends to be dry, although everyone told me that gorilla trekking is definitely a year-round activity. The other longer dry season between June and September is also popular, but that means spots for this extremely limited experience fill up fast. 

Where to stay

With a range of stunning lodges in the vicinity, it was hard to pick where to stay, but I was so happy with my choice of Mahogany Springs Lodge. The authentic lodge is built in harmony with the natural environment and has a beautiful, peaceful atmosphere only five minutes from the entrance of the national park. Waking up feeling like I was deep with the rainforest was a perfect way to start the day. All the staff were incredibly friendly and made me feel like a treasured guest. I loved hearing their stories about the old days when gorillas used to come right up to the lodge, and other crazy encounters that are just part of their daily job.

The gorilla trekking

The day of the gorilla trek started at 7:30am. I went to the central meeting point at Bwindi Forest National Park where I received a thorough briefing on what to expect, how to protect the environment and safety precautions. The local school gave a presentation and shared stories about the gorillas and sang songs which was very sweet. It was also nice to find out more about how our permit fees get reinvested into conservation and to the local community. 

The rangers start their day at 5am by heading off into the rainforest to find the gorilla families, which gives trekkers a very high success rate of seeing them. They let us know which gorilla family we’ll be trekking to see, and we formed groups of no more than eight trekkers. We are given the option to start walking from there or drive around 30 minutes to start the walk closer, which is what I did. 

Meeting the gorillas

The walk itself wasn’t too hard as it hadn’t rained in the preceding days, so the ground wasn’t too muddy. Some of the terrain was quite steep, but the rangers were available to help with porterage.

Once we neared the viewing site, we had to be extremely quiet and we were told not to make eye contact with the gorillas. The rangers stayed behind while we continued a short distance ahead, and there they were!

“The trek went through utter wilderness for a couple of hours and the reveal of seeing adult male gorillas who can weigh up to 195kg brought me to tears.“

I saw the Habinyaja gorilla family. This family group is made up of 12 gorillas – with one silverback, a couple of black backs, adolescents, females and babies. The babies were so adorable. They were tiny, around five times smaller than the silverback, and they were playfully climbing trees, rolling around and jumping on each other. It made my heart melt!

What was so surprising was that the gorillas acted completely natural. They continued playing and didn’t show any reaction or concern towards us. They must be used to the fact that we only stay for around one hour so as not to disturb them too much.

Once our time was up, we cut a path back through the middle of the dense rainforest. The return trip was quite steep, however I was on such a high after witnessing the gorillas, the time passed very quickly.

My gorilla trekking tips

• Take a good camera
• Bring light layers for the trekking
• Pack excellent walking shoes, and wear them in beforehand
• Arranging a porter helps the local community
• Take a moment to put the camera down and enjoy the spectacular feeling of being with the gorillas
• The gorilla trekking fees are cheaper in Uganda than Rwanda

Explore Uganda

Uganda has so much to offer, so extend you stay with other incredible wildlife experiences such as rhino trekking, chimp trekking and game drives as part of a tailor-made trip to discover more of Uganda.

Uganda Wildlife Tour

• 14 Days
• from £10,399 PP

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Gorillas in Uganda Tour

• 5 Days
• from £3,899 PP

Enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience of tracking gorillas through the mountains of Uganda on this customisable holiday. Your Ugandan adventure begins…

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East Africa Safari Tour

• 13 Days
• from £6,599 PP

Whether you’re travelling to East Africa for the first time or you are returning for another much-awaited holiday, this customisable…

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Gorilla Trekking Rwanda

• 10 Days
• from £6,999 PP

This ten-day itinerary combines the arts and culture of bustling Kigali and the thick bamboo forests of the Rwandan jungle….

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Adventure holidays

At Hayes & Jarvis, our team of Uganda gorilla trek experts are here to help plan out your ideal trip. We’re always on hand to discuss your options and ensure you get the maximum from your experience. If you’d like to talk to Val directly about an Africa trip, you can schedule a call with her directly here!