A group of hikers makes their way along a narrow path through dense, green forest.

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The Short Gorilla Trek

A no-frills three-day trip to Bwindi for one gorilla trek and back, for travellers short on time but not on intent.

Enquire about this trip See the day by day

Duration3 Days / 2 Nights

Group size2 – 6 travellers

Best monthsJune – September, December – February

From$1,540 per person sharing

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The Trip in Short

Some travellers have four extra days for Uganda. Some have three. This trip is for the second group. It gets you from Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, onto the mountain for a gorilla trek, and back out again, without pretending you have time to also do Queen Elizabeth or Kibale justice.

Bwindi holds roughly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas across 331 square kilometres of forest that has never been logged, which is the reason it is called impenetrable and the reason it still has gorillas. The trek itself runs anywhere from two to six hours depending on where the habituated family has moved overnight, followed by a fixed hour of observation once rangers find them.

The road in is nine hours from Entebbe on a good day, so this itinerary treats the driving as part of the trip rather than something to rush. You will see the country change from Kampala’s traffic to the terraced hills of the southwest along the way.

Park entry fees and gorilla and chimp permits in Uganda are set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Highlights

One-hour gorilla encounter in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Overnight at a lodge on the edge of the park
Drive through the terraced hills of southwestern Uganda
Equator photo stop at Kayabwe
Certificate presentation after the trek

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Where You Go, Stop by Stop

Day 1

Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 2

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi

Day 3

Return to Entebbe

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Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1: Entebbe to Bwindi

Pickup at Entebbe and a long, scenic drive south-west, roughly eight to nine hours with a lunch stop en route through banana plantations and rolling tea country. You will cross the equator at Kayabwe, worth the ten-minute photo stop it always turns into. Arrival at your lodge on the edge of Bwindi in the late afternoon, with the evening free to rest before an early start.

Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi

An early breakfast and a briefing at park headquarters, where rangers assign trekking groups of eight based on overnight tracker reports on each gorilla family's location. The walk through the forest can take two to six hours depending on the terrain and how far the family has ranged; once found, you get a fixed hour with them before heading back out. Afternoon free at the lodge to recover.

Day 3: Return to Entebbe

A more relaxed morning before the long drive back north, retracing the route with a second stop at the equator if you missed a good photo the first time. Drop-off at your Entebbe hotel or the airport in time for an evening flight.

From

$1,540

Enquire about this trip

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What the Price Covers

Included

2 nights' accommodation on a full-board basis
Gorilla trekking permit ($800)
Private 4x4 vehicle and driver-guide
All transfers and park transport
Bottled water in the vehicle
Park entrance fees

Not included

International flights and Uganda visa
Tips for guide, lodge staff and porters
Porter fee for the trek (around $15–20)
Alcoholic and premium drinks
Travel insurance

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Before You Book

Is three days enough for Bwindi?

It is enough for the gorilla trek itself, which is the point of the trip, but it does not leave room for anything else Bwindi offers, such as the longer forest walks or a Batwa cultural visit. If you want both, look at a four or five-day version instead.

How fit do I need to be?

Moderately fit. Bwindi's terrain is steeper and muddier underfoot than Mgahinga's, with real elevation change inside the forest. A walking stick, provided free at park headquarters, helps more than people expect.

What is the single supplement?

Most lodges on this route charge a single supplement of $60–120 a night; ask when booking if you are travelling alone and would rather not share.

Are the roads paved the whole way?

Tarmac as far as Kabale, then a mix of gravel and murram for the final stretch into Bwindi. It is a bumpy last hour or two, not a bad one.

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Where This Trip Goes

Kibale National Park

Uganda · National Park

A rainforest near Fort Portal holding thirteen primate species, including well over a thousand chimpanzees, in one of East Africa's densest wildlife concentrations.

Lake Bunyonyi

Uganda · Lake

Africa's second-deepest lake, terraced into southwestern Uganda's hills with 29 islands, and one of the few East African lakes safe for swimming.

Rwenzori Mountains National Park

Uganda · Mountain

A glaciated UNESCO World Heritage range on the DRC border, climbing through forest, bamboo and moorland to Margherita Peak, Africa's third-highest point.

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The Short Gorilla Trek