Uganda or Rwanda? It is the first question almost everyone asks about seeing mountain gorillas, and the honest answer on our tours is slightly surprising: every gorilla trek in this guide takes place in Uganda, mostly in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The real choice is whether you also want Rwanda, for its golden monkeys, its gorilla conservation story and Kigali, and how much else you want to see.
This guide is for anyone comparing gorilla trekking tours. We line up every gorilla tour on our Uganda and Rwanda tours pages, from a four-day short break to six weeks overland, with who each suits and its honest drawback. Bring boots you do not love too much.
The quick answer
- If you have only a few days, pick the Uganda Gorilla Trek Short Break.
- If you are 18 to 35 and want chimps too, pick Essential Uganda.
- If you want both countries, with golden monkeys in Rwanda, pick the Uganda & Rwanda Gorilla Safari.
- If you want comfort and a short trip from Kigali, pick Luxury Rwanda & the Gorillas of Uganda.
- If you want gorillas plus the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti, pick Gorillas & East Africa Safari.
Every gorilla trekking tour compared
| Tour | Days | Price from | Physical rating | Group size | Flights included | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uganda only | ||||||
| Uganda Gorilla Trek Short Break: Bwindi & Lake Mburo – 4 Days | 4 | £2,195 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | A short independent break |
| Essential Uganda: Chimpanzees & Gorilla Trek – 9 Days | 9 | £2,210 pp | High | Max 16 | No | 18 to 35s, with chimps |
| Chimps & Gorillas of Uganda: Kibale, Bwindi & Lake Mburo – 11 Days | 11 | £5,308 pp | Not stated | Max 14 | No | Chimps and gorillas, small group |
| Rwanda and Uganda | ||||||
| Remarkable Rwanda & the Gorillas of Uganda – 9 Days | 9 | £3,192 pp | High | Max 12 | No | Rwanda's conservation story and a Uganda safari |
| Uganda & Rwanda Gorilla Safari: Bwindi & Volcanoes NP – 10 Days | 10 | £4,290 pp | High | Max 12 | No | Gorillas and golden monkeys |
| Luxury Rwanda & the Gorillas of Uganda – 6 Days | 6 | £3,968 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Comfort, from Kigali |
| Gorillas and a big safari | ||||||
| Luxury Uganda, Rwanda & Kenya: Gorillas & the Maasai Mara – 13 Days | 13 | £9,730 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Luxury, with the Maasai Mara |
| Gorillas & East Africa Safari: Bwindi, Mara & Serengeti – 18 Days | 18 | £5,468 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Four countries in East Africa |
| Overland, camping | ||||||
| Overland from the Gorillas to Victoria Falls – 42 Days | 42 | £5,123 pp | Medium | Max 22 | No | Six weeks, ending at Victoria Falls |
| Overland from Victoria Falls to the Gorillas – 43 Days | 43 | £5,658 pp | Medium | Max 22 | No | Six weeks, ending in Nairobi |
Prices are per person, twin share, live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). The lowest price can apply to a later departure, so check the dates you want on each tour page.
Ask us which gorilla tour fits →
So, Uganda or Rwanda?
Uganda is where the gorilla treks happen on all of our tours. Uganda-only trips add chimpanzee tracking in Kibale, game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Mburo, and, on Essential Uganda, the source of the Nile at Jinja.
Rwanda is the starting point for several tours. Depending on the tour, it adds the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the Gorilla Doctors headquarters in Musanze, the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and, on the Uganda & Rwanda Gorilla Safari, a golden monkey trek in Volcanoes National Park.
Gorilla permits are included on every tour except the two overland trips, where the permit is optional.
Uganda only
Four days, straight to the gorillas
Uganda Gorilla Trek Short Break: Bwindi & Lake Mburo – 4 Days
- 4 days
- From £2,195 per person
- Max 12 people
- Starts and ends in Kampala, Uganda
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Four days from Kampala with a driver-guide in a 4WD safari vehicle and no tour leader, for up to 12 travellers aged 15 and over. You stop at Lake Mburo National Park for a game drive, then spend two nights in a lodge at Bwindi for one gorilla trek with a habituated family, led by park rangers, with all meals included from the first dinner.
Suits: travellers short on time, or adding gorillas to a longer East Africa trip. The honest drawback: there is no tour leader, the drives are long, and the trek can be strenuous.
For 18 to 35s, with chimpanzees
Essential Uganda: Chimpanzees & Gorilla Trek – 9 Days
- 9 days
- From £2,210 per person
- Max 16 people
- Starts and ends in Entebbe, Uganda
- Physical rating: high
- Flights not included
- Departures in February, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Nine days from Entebbe for travellers aged 18 to 35, in groups of up to 16 with a local leader and driver-guides in six-seater 4WD vehicles. Both the chimpanzee permit in Kibale and the gorilla permit in Bwindi are included, with two nights at Jinja for optional rafting, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Mburo. You stay in a guesthouse, permanent tents, cottages and lodges.
Suits: active travellers aged 18 to 35. The honest drawback: the treks can be long, muddy and strenuous, there are shared bathrooms in places, and porters are not included.
Chimps & Gorillas of Uganda (11 days) covers similar ground for four to 14 travellers aged 16 and over, with an expert tour leader, 4×4 vehicles with pop-up roofs, four nights at Buhoma in Bwindi and most meals included. The drive to Bwindi takes about eight hours, and the gorilla trek can take over six hours on steep, muddy slopes.
Rwanda and Uganda
Gorillas and golden monkeys
Uganda & Rwanda Gorilla Safari: Bwindi & Volcanoes NP – 10 Days
- 10 days
- From £4,290 per person
- Max 12 people
- Kampala, Uganda to Kigali, Rwanda
- Physical rating: high
- Flights not included
- Departures in January, July, August, September, October, November
Ten days from Kampala to Kigali with a tour leader, for no more than 12 travellers aged 16 and over, overland by minibus and across the border at Cyanika. You spend two nights at Lake Mburo, with a walking safari, a night drive and a boat safari, three nights at Bwindi for the gorilla trek, and two nights at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda for a golden monkey trek, finishing with a Kigali city tour. Both permits are included.
Suits: anyone who wants both countries in one trip. The honest drawback: the gorilla trek can last up to eight hours on steep, muddy ground, two drives take around six hours, and Lake Mburo has no lions or elephants.
Rwanda's conservation story and a Uganda safari
Remarkable Rwanda & the Gorillas of Uganda – 9 Days
- 9 days
- From £3,192 per person
- Max 12 people
- Starts and ends in Kigali, Rwanda
- Physical rating: high
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Nine days from Kigali with a tour leader and local driver-guides in two six-seater 4WD vehicles, for up to 12 travellers aged 15 and over. In Rwanda you visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial, Gorilla Doctors in Musanze and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, then cross into Uganda for two game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, a lodge overlooking the Kazinga Channel, Ishasha and a gorilla trek in Bwindi.
Suits: wildlife lovers who want the conservation story too. The honest drawback: the drives are long, the trek can be long and strenuous, and porters are not included.
Comfort, from Kigali
Luxury Rwanda & the Gorillas of Uganda – 6 Days
- 6 days
- From £3,968 per person
- Max 12 people
- Starts and ends in Kigali, Rwanda
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Departures in January, May, June, July, August, September, October, December
Six days with a leader for up to 12 travellers aged 15 and over: two nights at the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, or similar, with the Ntarama Church and Nyamata Genocide Memorial, then three nights at Gorilla Heights Lodge, or similar, whose cottages have private balconies over the Bwindi forest canopy. The gorilla trek can take up to four hours, and there is a Batwa Cultural Trail.
Suits: travellers short on time who value comfort. The honest drawback: it is a short trip at a premium price, and porters are not included.
Gorillas and a big safari
Luxury Uganda, Rwanda & Kenya (13 days) pairs a Bwindi trek and three nights at Gorilla Heights Lodge, or similar, with a flight from Kigali to Nairobi, Lake Nakuru and three nights in the Maasai Mara. Gorillas & East Africa Safari (18 days) crosses four countries, from Musanze and Queen Elizabeth National Park to the Maasai Mara, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, with a window seat for everyone in 4WD vehicles; expect long, bumpy drives.
Overland, camping
The six-week overland trips, Overland from the Gorillas to Victoria Falls (42 days) and its reverse, Overland from Victoria Falls to the Gorillas (43 days), cross six countries by safari truck with a local leader, a driver and a cook, mostly camping in two-person dome tents. Both include the chance to trek to see mountain gorillas near Kisoro, but the gorilla permit is optional and not included in the price.
How to choose
By time available. Four to six days: the short break or Luxury Rwanda. Nine to 11 days: Essential Uganda, Remarkable Rwanda, the Uganda & Rwanda Gorilla Safari or Chimps & Gorillas. Two weeks or more: the big-safari combinations or the overland trips.
By budget. Essential Uganda and the short break usually cost the least of the permit-included tours; the luxury trips cost the most. Live prices are in the table above.
By fitness. Every gorilla trek can be steep and muddy. Trek times on the tour pages range from up to four hours on Luxury Rwanda to up to eight hours on the Uganda & Rwanda Gorilla Safari.
By what else you want. Chimps: Essential Uganda or Chimps & Gorillas. Golden monkeys: the Uganda & Rwanda Gorilla Safari. The big savannah parks: the Kenya and Tanzania combinations.
When to go
The short break departs all year, and most of the other tours run in most months. The months for each tour are in its fact panel above.
Before you travel, check the FCDO travel advice for Uganda and Rwanda.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the gorilla treks take place on these tours?
In Uganda, including on the tours that start in Rwanda: in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest on most tours, and near Kisoro on the overland trips.
Is the gorilla permit included?
Yes, on every tour here except the two overland trips, from the gorillas to Victoria Falls and from Victoria Falls to the gorillas, where it is optional.
Can I see golden monkeys as well as gorillas?
Yes, the Uganda & Rwanda Gorilla Safari includes a golden monkey trek in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.
Can I see chimpanzees and gorillas on one tour?
Yes, Essential Uganda and Chimps & Gorillas of Uganda include both permits.
How fit do I need to be for gorilla trekking?
Fit enough for a steep, muddy forest walk. The tour pages give trek times of up to four hours on the shortest and up to eight hours on the longest.
Is there a short gorilla trekking trip?
Yes, the four-day Uganda Gorilla Trek Short Break from Kampala and the six-day Luxury Rwanda & the Gorillas of Uganda from Kigali.
Ready to meet the gorillas?
Tell us how long you have and what else you would like to see, and a Travelisto specialist will compare the gorilla trekking tours with you.
Keep planning
- All escorted tours in Uganda
- All escorted tours in Rwanda
- Escorted tours in Kenya
- Safari and beach holidays
- Kilimanjaro routes compared
- Uganda holidays
- Rwanda holidays
Prices are live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). Tour details and dates can change; your specialist will confirm everything before you book.
