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Sample Itinerary
This 5-day budget gorilla trekking safari keeps every cost down except the one that matters — the gorilla permit.
Parks: Bwindi Impenetrable NP
Highlights: One gorilla permit — the only cost on this route we will not recommend cutting, Budget guesthouses and community-run stays instead of premium lodges, A sector chosen for affordable accommodation close to the trek start
Best For: Travellers who want to see mountain gorillas and are happy to trade comfort and variety for a lower total price.
Group Size: Private vehicle, any group size from solo travellers to families
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Send Us Your BudgetDay 1
Arrive in Entebbe. Airport pick-up and an overnight in a simple guesthouse in Entebbe. Changing a little money into Uganda shillings here saves fees later.
Days 2–4
Entebbe to Bwindi. A long road day of roughly nine to ten hours with short stops at the Equator and in Mbarara for lunch. You arrive at a budget guesthouse or community camp near your trekking sector in the evening. Gorilla trekking. The ranger briefing at your sector headquarters, then the trek to an assigned habituated family and one hour with the gorillas. Hiking time varies from about one hour to several hours each way, depending on where the family moved overnight. Rest day or a forest walk. Recover from the trek, or take a guided nature walk or village walk, which costs a fraction of a second permit-based activity and is often the most relaxed day of the trip.
Day 5
Return to Entebbe. An early start for the long drive back to Entebbe, arriving in time for evening flights.
Your quoted price covers accommodation for every night on the route, all ground transport in a private 4x4 with an experienced driver-guide, and park entry fees for each park visited, including the gorilla trekking permit. Fuel and the driver-guide's costs across the full route are built into the quoted price rather than billed separately.
Excluded, as with every Uganda itinerary we quote: international flights, visa fees, travel insurance, tips for your driver-guide and gorilla trekking porters, and personal spending such as drinks and souvenirs. We itemise all of this clearly when we send your formal quote, so nothing arrives as a surprise once you're on the ground.
Lodging across the route is mid-range by default — the properties can be swapped for budget or luxury alternatives at the same locations without changing the underlying route, activities or duration. Tell us which tier fits your trip and we'll send a revised, fully itemised quote.
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Good To Know
UWA has at times run promotional rates and has different prices for East African residents and citizens, but there is no standard discount for foreign visitors. We will tell you if any official reduction applies to your dates; avoid anyone offering cheap permits outside official channels.
It is possible to book a permit directly with UWA and travel by public transport, but reaching Bwindi this way is slow and logistically difficult. Our public transport guide explains the realistic options.
Usually yes. Porters are local people paid a set daily fee, it is one of the few direct incomes for communities around the park, and a porter carrying your bag and steadying you on steep ground can make the trek much easier.
No. Every visitor gets the same permit, the same rules and the same one hour with the family, whether they stay in a guesthouse or a luxury lodge.
Tell us your target budget and travel dates, and we will tell you honestly whether it is realistic, where the real savings are, and which corners we would not recommend cutting.
