Bwindi · Queen Elizabeth · Murchison Falls · Kibale
Mountain gorillas in Bwindi, chimpanzees in Kibale and the Nile at Murchison, planned from the Gold Coast and priced in Australian dollars.
Five stars. 5.0 on Google and Tripadvisor37 five-star reviews, every one of them
Mountain gorillas · Forest chimps · Tree-climbing lions
Winston Churchill called Uganda "the Pearl of Africa", and the name still fits: deep forests, volcanic peaks, wide savannahs and the longest river on earth, threaded together by red-earth roads. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park holds roughly half the world's remaining mountain gorillas, and an hour with a silverback family is the headline of any trip. Kibale has one of the highest densities of chimpanzees in Africa, Queen Elizabeth adds tree-climbing lions and a boat through hippo-filled channels, and Murchison squeezes the whole White Nile through a seven-metre gap. The roads are rougher and the lodges fewer, and the experience is all the richer for it.
Mountain gorillasChimpanzeesTree-climbing lionsThe Nile at MurchisonShoebill birdingWho you're dealing with
We're an Australian company on the Gold Coast. We plan the permits, lodges and transfers, and look after you from first call to flight home, on one contract and one invoice from Kingse Safaris Pty Ltd (ABN 37 698 821 886). Gorilla and chimpanzee treks are led by park rangers and trackers who know each family.
How booking works →
In a guest's words
It was perfect from start to finish.
Uganda, Park by Park
Scroll, and the map follows you from Entebbe to the gorillas.
Lake Victoria · Where you land
Every Uganda trip starts at Entebbe, on a peninsula in Lake Victoria. Your first night is a rest night by the lake, and the Mabamba wetland next door is shoebill country.
Best monthsAll yearFrom AustraliaConnect once or twice, no non-stop flight
How you get here
The Nile · Uganda's largest park
The entire White Nile squeezes through a gap just seven metres wide before dropping 43 metres into the gorge. The boat safari upstream runs past crocodiles, elephants and hippos, the northern bank has wide-open game drives, and the delta is shoebill country. On the drive north, Ziwa lets you track white rhino on foot.
Best monthsJune to September and December to FebruaryFrom EntebbeA road day north, usually with a rhino stop at Ziwa
Our Murchison Falls guide
Chimpanzees · Near Fort Portal
Tall, tangled rainforest with about 1,500 chimpanzees and thirteen primate species, including the largest surviving population of the Ugandan red colobus. The standard trek from Kanyanchu gives you an hour with a habituated community, with sighting success around 90 percent. Loud, fast and completely different from the stillness of a gorilla hour.
Best monthsAll year; firmest trails June to SeptemberFrom MurchisonBy road, south-west to Fort Portal
Our Kibale chimpanzee guide
Savannah · The most popular park
Uganda's most popular savannah park, from the crater lakes in the north to the Ishasha sector in the south, where lions climb into fig trees to escape the midday heat. The two-hour Kazinga Channel boat safari passes pods of twenty hippos, elephants at the water's edge and constant birdlife, and the Kasenyi plains deliver lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo.
Best monthsJune to September and December to FebruaryFrom KibaleBy road, with Kibale just to the north
Our Queen Elizabeth guide
Mountain gorillas · The headline
One of the oldest rainforests in Africa, over 25,000 years old, and home to roughly half the world's remaining mountain gorillas. Rangers and trackers lead you off-trail, sometimes for under an hour and sometimes for six or more, until you find the family. Then you sit, eight visitors, one hour. Four sectors: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo. Rushaga is the only place for the four-hour habituation experience.
Best monthsAll year; driest June to SeptemberFrom Queen ElizabethBy road through the Ishasha sector; or fly to Kihihi from Entebbe
What Uganda gorilla trekking costsMap tiles: Esri, National Geographic. Locations are indicative.
How to Experience It
The primate treks shape the trip. Around them, these are the experiences we add, depending on where you stay.
One hour with a mountain gorilla family in Bwindi or Mgahinga. The trek through dense rainforest can take anywhere from under an hour to six hours or more. Minimum age 15.
One hour with a habituated chimpanzee community in Kibale Forest. Around 1,500 chimpanzees live in the forest, with thirteen primate species in all. Watch them groom, play and race through the canopy. Minimum age 12.
A three-hour cruise upstream to the base of Murchison Falls. Crocodiles, hippos, elephants, and a wall of water at the end. The roar of the falls grows louder with every kilometre.
Open-vehicle safaris on the Kasenyi plains, throughout Queen Elizabeth and on the northern bank at Murchison. Big cats, buffalo, elephant and Uganda kob, with a driver-guide who reads the landscape.
Up to four hours with a gorilla family still being habituated to human presence. Only available in southern Bwindi, in the Rushaga sector. Fewer people, longer time, rawer experience.
In a guest's words
I can honestly say this was the best trip I’ve ever been on.
How a Uganda Trip Comes Together
Four to five nights is enough for one gorilla trek. A week adds Queen Elizabeth, and ten nights adds chimpanzees in Kibale and the Nile at Murchison. We don't sell fixed packages. Every trip is private and priced to your dates, so these are starting points.
4 to 5 nights
Bwindi, flying via Kigali
The compressed essential. One gorilla trek with a porter, comfortable lodges near Bwindi, private transfers and a driver-guide. Best for time-poor travellers, or as an add-on to Kenya or Tanzania.
From our 2027 quotes, per personA$6,300 to A$7,000Permit included, two adults, flights from Australia extra
Day 1 · Land at KigaliDay 5 · Fly home from Kigali
7 nights · Sweet spot
Bwindi + Queen Elizabeth
Two or three nights in Bwindi for the gorillas, then three nights at Queen Elizabeth for tree-climbing lions, the Kazinga Channel cruise and chimp tracking at Kyambura Gorge, with a night at each end if the flights need it. The drive between them runs through the Ishasha sector.
PricingQuoted to your datesPriced to order against current lodge and permit rates
Day 1 · Land at EntebbeDay 8 · Fly home
10 nights
+ Kibale + Murchison Falls
The full Uganda. It adds Kibale's chimpanzee trekking and three Murchison Falls nights for the Nile's most dramatic stretch, with boat cruises to the base of the falls and game drives on the northern bank.
PricingQuoted to your datesPriced to order against current lodge and permit rates
Day 1 · Land at EntebbeDay 11 · Fly home
The first figure is from our Uganda gorilla trekking cost guide, for two adults travelling privately in 2027, with the permit included and international flights extra. Everything else is priced to order against current lodge and permit rates, so there are no list prices. See our guide to what an African safari costs and real trips with the real prices. Nights shift with your dates, the permits and the lodges you choose, so treat these routes as typical shapes rather than fixed packages.
See Our Set Safaris by BudgetWhere You Could Stay
The 22 lodges and camps we recommend and use across Uganda, grouped by area in the order you would meet them on the classic loop. The final selection flexes around your dates, the permits and availability. More on our Stays page.
Close to the gorillas. We match the lodge to the sector your permit is for: Buhoma is the most accessible, Ruhija sits high and quiet, Rushaga is the habituation sector.
Bwindi, Buhoma sector
Luxury gorilla trekking in the Buhoma sector, with a private forest footpath from the lodge
Bwindi, Buhoma sector
Gorilla trekking from inside the park, a short walk from the trek meeting point
Bwindi, Buhoma sector
Buhoma-sector trekking from a community-run base with strong local impact
Bwindi, Rushaga sector
Rushaga-sector gorilla trekking, close to the Rushaga briefing point
Bwindi, Rushaga sector
Couples and families trekking the Rushaga sector, a short walk from the gate
Bwindi, Rushaga sector
Couples and gorilla trekkers in the Rushaga sector
Bwindi, Ruhija sector
Trekkers and birders heading to the quieter Ruhija sector
7 lodges
The far south-west, on the Virunga volcanoes, with one habituated gorilla family, golden monkeys and a lake base with volcano views.
Mgahinga
Gorilla and golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga, volcano hikes and Batwa visits
Lake Mutanda
Scenic gorilla-trekking base for Bwindi and Mgahinga
2 lodges
Savannah and the Kazinga Channel, with the Ishasha sector on the road to Bwindi.
Queen Elizabeth NP
Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge with savannah and Rwenzori views
Ishasha sector
Remote wilderness immersion and the Ishasha sector's tree-climbing lions
Kazinga Channel
Affordable Kazinga Channel base with riverside game on the doorstep
Queen Elizabeth NP
Family-friendly budget stay at Katunguru with wildlife crossing the grounds
4 lodges
Chimpanzee country. Kibale sits just north of Queen Elizabeth, with crater lakes around Fort Portal.
Near Fort Portal
A flagship luxury base for chimpanzee trekking, with crater-lake and Rwenzori views
Fort Portal
Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale, crater-lake scenery and Rwenzori views
Kibale
Classic tented-camp atmosphere on the forest edge, chimp trekking and Bigodi birding
4 lodges
The Nile, the falls and the northern bank game drives.
Murchison Falls
Private sole-use stays for a family or small group on the Nile
Murchison Falls
Northern-bank base for game drives and Nile boat trips into Murchison Falls
2 lodges
Your first and last night by Lake Victoria, the Nile at Jinja, and Kidepo Valley in the far north-east for a second visit.
Jinja, on the Nile
Adventure on the Nile, birding and romantic island escapes
Kidepo Valley
Remote great-value wilderness stay with sweeping Narus Valley views
3 lodges
22 lodges and camps across six areas, with the same comfort levels as our Stays page. Lodge names open each lodge's own website.
Plan Your Visit
Uganda's climate is forgiving, and gorillas and chimpanzees can be tracked all year. The seasons simply shift which experience you get: firm trails and clear skies in the dry months, a lush, quieter forest in the green ones.
What's happening
Second dry season
A shorter dry spell follows the year-end. Good trekking conditions, popular for holidays, with the rain lighter and more intermittent than the long rains.
Peak season
Dry season · Best trekking conditions · Clear skies
This is when Uganda is at its driest. Forest trails are firm, visibility is at its peak and the weather is cool and comfortable. Gorilla trekking is excellent, chimpanzee activity is high and game viewing in the parks is consistent. It's high season, so the best lodges book out early: six to twelve months ahead is ideal.
Best for a first trek and firm trails
Second dry season
Year-end travel · Good conditions · Lower rates
A shorter dry spell follows the year-end. Conditions are good for trekking and game viewing, though not quite as dry as June to September, and the rain is lighter and more intermittent. Many travellers book December for year-end breaks. Rates are often lower than in peak season, and the experience stays excellent.
Best for year-end trips and easier bookings
Green seasons
Rainy periods · Lush landscapes · Lower rates
The rains bring lush green landscapes, dramatic skies and a quieter, more intimate experience. April and May see the heaviest rain, and some lodges may close, but rates are at their lowest. October and November bring lighter, more intermittent showers. Gorilla and chimp trekking remain possible year-round, and birding is exceptional. The going is steeper and muddier, so allow for it.
Best for value, birding and a quiet forest
From Australia
There's no direct flight from Australia to Entebbe, so you connect once or twice. The question we hear most is how you then get to Bwindi, and the honest answer is that it's a long way by road, so we often fly you in.
Step one
There's no non-stop flight from Australia to Uganda, so every route connects through a hub. You fly out of your own city and we build the connections around it.
Step two
We usually route via Singapore, Johannesburg or Addis Ababa. Qantas flies non-stop from Sydney and Perth to Johannesburg, and Nairobi or a Gulf hub are possible too.
Step three
Uganda's international airport, on a peninsula in Lake Victoria. We meet you at the door.
On Lake VictoriaFirst night
After a day of flying your first night is a rest night by the lake, with nothing planned beyond dinner. The safari starts the next morning with your driver-guide, or with a light flight to the Bwindi airstrips.
UTC+3 all year · 7 hours behind Brisbane| Via | Airline | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | A common first connection | Then on to Entebbe. |
| Johannesburg | Qantas, then a connection north | Non-stop from Sydney and Perth. |
| Addis Ababa or Nairobi | Ethiopian or Kenya Airways | Connect through to Entebbe. |
| Doha or Dubai | Gulf carriers | Possible, not our usual choice. We pick the best link for your dates. |
We lock the lodges, then the flights. The gorilla permit comes first of all: for the drier months permits go months ahead, so we secure yours at quote time, then place your lodges, flights and transfers together. Once your deposit is in, that's the time to take out your travel insurance.
There's no direct flight from Australia to Entebbe. We usually route via Singapore, Johannesburg or Addis Ababa and suggest the best connection for your dates. Return fares have typically run from about A$2,000 to A$2,800 per person depending on timing and how early you book. Schedules change, so we check them when we build your trip. Smartraveller advises flying rather than driving to Bwindi and Mgahinga.
Uganda runs on UTC+3 all year, with no daylight saving. Perth is five hours ahead. Brisbane and the Gold Coast are seven hours ahead all year, and Sydney is seven hours ahead in winter and eight during daylight saving time.
The Practical Bits
The short version of what to sort before you fly. For visas and anything medical we point you to the official sources, starting with Smartraveller.
A gorilla permit is USD 800 per person (Uganda Wildlife Authority price; we confirm the current price when we book). It's non-refundable and non-transferable, groups are limited to eight people per family per day, and for the drier months permits go months ahead, so we secure yours first. The habituation experience, up to four hours in southern Bwindi, is USD 1,500 per person (Uganda Wildlife Authority price; we confirm the current price when we book) and is limited to four people per family. See our guide to what Uganda gorilla trekking costs.
The minimum age is 15 for gorillas, strictly, and 12 for chimpanzees. Bwindi is steep, dense and often muddy, and treks run from about an hour to six hours or more at around 2,000 metres. The sectors differ: Buhoma is the most accessible, Ruhija sits high and quiet, and Nkuringo is the steepest. Porters carry your daypack and help on climbs, and we recommend one. Tell us about any mobility concerns early so we can match the sector.
At our last check (17 October 2026), Smartraveller's overall level for Uganda was exercise a high degree of caution, because of terrorism, violent crime and the risk of civil unrest. It says to reconsider travel within 50 kilometres of the DRC border, and that many western parks sit within that distance. It also says security is usually required when gorilla trekking and advises flying rather than driving to Bwindi. There's an Ebola outbreak in the DRC. Read the latest at smartraveller.gov.au.
Visa rules are yours to confirm, and they change at short notice. Start with smartraveller.gov.au and Uganda's e-visa site at visas.immigration.go.ug. Yellow fever, malaria and other vaccinations are medical questions, so see a travel doctor well before you go. Smartraveller notes that yellow fever and malaria are common in Uganda. On yellow fever, we generally tell people the vaccine is worth having, as one shot lasts a lifetime, but your doctor always has the last say.
Layers, a waterproof jacket and trousers, sturdy waterproof boots with ankle support, long sleeves, gloves, insect repellent and binoculars. Smartraveller says you'll probably need cash in Uganda, though larger hotels in tourist areas may take cards. Our packing list has the rest.
A four to five night Bwindi trip with one permit came to about A$6,300 to A$7,000 per person in our 2027 quotes for two, flying in and out of Kigali, with flights from Australia extra. We price every trip to order. See what an African safari costs, real trips and how booking works.
Go Further
Uganda pairs with its neighbours. These are the three combinations we get asked about most.
The other gorilla country
Some travellers trek in both countries, with Queen Elizabeth or Kibale in between, and some of our Bwindi trips fly in and out of Kigali, two to three hours from Rwanda's own trailheads.
The classic safari
The gorillas are the add-on most of our guests pair with a Tanzania safari. In Tanzania our own guides and vehicles run your drives, and a short flight from Kigali to Kilimanjaro joins the two.
Next door
The Masai Mara and Amboseli are a short hop away through Nairobi, and a focused gorilla trip works well as the add-on to a Kenya safari.
The Big Decision
The hour with the gorillas is just as good in both countries. What changes is how you get there, what the trek feels like, what the permit costs and what else you can add.
Uganda's treks are usually tougher and the journey in is longer. Read the full Rwanda vs Uganda guide, or see our Rwanda page.
The Practical Questions
The questions Australians ask us most about gorilla trekking in Uganda, grouped by topic.
Can't see your question? Ask us directly and a real person will answer.
No questions match that search. Try another word, or ask us directly.
Go Deeper
Guides that help you decide before you commit. Real numbers, no fluff.
Straight numbers help you decide before you commit. See what an African safari costs from Australia, what Uganda gorilla trekking costs, real trips with the real prices and how booking works.
Keep Exploring
The same way of travelling, in other corners of Africa.
Start Planning
From a silverback in Bwindi to a lion in a fig tree. Tell us your dates and who's travelling, and we design the rest, from permits to lodges to the way home, with real prices in Australian dollars.
Five stars. 5.0 on Google and Tripadvisor37 five-star reviews, every one of them
“Could not have imagined how it could have been better planned and delivered.”
Call us or message us
Pick up the phone if you'd rather talk it through. We spend a good part of the year moving between Australia and Africa, so if we miss you, WhatsApp Samara and we'll come back to you whatever the time zone.
Samara Imhoof
Bookings & Client Care
Whether you're just kicking around ideas or already booked. Dates, lodges, costs, changes, payments, flights.
Free call from Australia
1800 KINGSE(1800 546 473)Jackson Potter
Founder
Lodges, agents, media, or anything commercial. This one comes straight to me.
Not sure who to ask? [email protected] reaches the whole team.
