Rwanda and Uganda
An hour, and nothing else is like it
Two countries, the same animals, and a genuine choice between them that comes down to effort against ease.
The regions
| Region | Country | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Volcanoes | Rwanda | Mountain gorillas, two hours from Kigali, with the best lodges in either country |
| Nyungwe | Rwanda | Chimpanzees, a canopy walkway and montane rainforest |
| Bwindi | Uganda | Mountain gorillas in steeper, denser, wetter forest, at a lower permit price |
| Kibale | Uganda | The best chimpanzee tracking in Africa |
| Queen Elizabeth and Ishasha | Uganda | Savanna, tree-climbing lions and a contrast to the forest |
Rwanda or Uganda
| Rwanda | Uganda | |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Two hours by road from Kigali, on excellent tarmac | A long drive or a light-aircraft hop from Entebbe |
| Permit | The most expensive in Africa | Substantially less |
| The trek | Steep and muddy, usually one to four hours each way | Steeper, denser and often longer |
| Lodges | Among the best-designed on the continent | Good, and fewer at the top end |
| Other wildlife | Chimpanzees at Nyungwe | Chimps, savanna game, the Nile, tree-climbing lions |
| Suits | Short trips, honeymoons, anyone who wants it comfortable | Longer trips, and travellers who want the wilder version |
What the hour is actually like
You walk, sometimes for twenty minutes and sometimes for four hours, with trackers who have been with the family since dawn. The forest is steep, wet and dense; you will be muddy and you may be using your hands.
Then you stop, put the bags down, and spend one hour at seven metres from a family of gorillas going about an ordinary morning. The hour is strictly enforced and it goes very fast.
The honest fitness note
This is a hard morning, not a gentle one. Altitude, mud, gradient and no path for much of it. Porters are available, inexpensive, and worth taking — they carry your bag and, when it matters, pull you up a slope.
People of a wide range of ages and fitness do it successfully every day. But nobody should book it expecting a stroll, and a honeymoon that includes it should have a soft day either side.
Permits
- Numbers are limited daily and allocated centrally — this is a hard cap, not a pricing tactic
- Peak season sells out months ahead; the agency books them on your behalf
- A permit is for one trek with one family, on one specified day
- Minimum age is 15 in both countries
- The permit fee funds the conservation programme that is the reason these animals still exist
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