Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Uganda: Gorillas of Bwindi by Air
5 days from Entebbe: fly to Kihihi for three nights at Bwindi's Buhoma gate, a gorilla trek with your permit included, a village walk and a forest day, then fly back.
5 days · Round trip from Entebbe · up to 12 guests
Carved wooden gorillas for sale at a craft shop on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Photo: USAID Biodiversity & Forestry, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USAID_Measuring_Impact_Conservation_Enterprise_Retrospective_(Uganda%3B_International_Gorilla_Conservation_Program)_(38483708350).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 5 days, 4 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Entebbe
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 2 h on day 2No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Active
One demanding trek day: anything from under an hour to more than five hours each way on steep, muddy forest slopes between about 1,160 and 2,600 m, with a porter to carry your pack. The other days are short flights, a road transfer of 1.5 to 2 hours each way and gentle village or forest walks of 2 to 3 hours that you can sit out.
- Meals included
- 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 870 (estimated price)
- Season
- June to September and December to February
Highlights
Why this trip
- An hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family in Bwindi, with one Uganda permit per guest included
- Flying to Kihihi instead of spending nine or ten hours on the road from Kampala
- Three nights at one lodge by the Buhoma park gate, so trek morning starts with a walk, not a pre-dawn drive
- The Buhoma village walk: farms, local crafts and the cooperatives that live off the park
- A ranger-led forest trail to the Munyaga River waterfalls on the day after the trek
- A free afternoon at the lodge, or a second gorilla trek if you want one
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 870 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 2 h, on day 2.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Entebbe
Entebbe International Airport (EBB) to your hotel in Entebbe
- Dinner
- Stay in Entebbe
- Drive about 15 min
Fly into Entebbe International Airport (EBB) on the shore of Lake Victoria. A driver meets you in the arrivals hall, and the hotel is a few minutes away, so there is no drive into Kampala traffic on a tired first day.
Afternoon
Rest, walk down to the lake, or sit out in the garden: the afternoon is yours.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the days ahead: how the light-aircraft flight works and what fits in the 15 kg soft bag (a soft bag, no hard suitcase), what the gorilla trek asks of you, how the rangers split the group between two gorilla families, and what to wear in the forest. Anything you will not need at Bwindi can stay in storage in Entebbe until you fly home. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner. Plan to land by about 4 pm to make the briefing; later arrivals are met and briefed at breakfast.
Included
- Pick-up at Entebbe International Airport (EBB)
- Briefing with your guide on the flight, the trek and what to pack
- Welcome dinner
- Luggage storage in Entebbe for anything you do not need at Bwindi
Free time: Free until the early-evening briefing
Fly to Kihihi, walk Buhoma village
Entebbe to Kihihi by light aircraft, then by road to Buhoma at the edge of Bwindi
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Bwindi (Buhoma)
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
After breakfast we fly west on a scheduled light-aircraft flight from Entebbe to the Kihihi airstrip, about 1.5 to 2 hours depending on stops, over the farmland and hills you would otherwise spend most of a day driving through. Our vehicle and driver meet the plane, and it is about 45 km and an hour and a half to two hours by road to Buhoma, past tea, banana groves and small villages, to the northern gate of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. We stay three nights at a lodge within walking distance of the park office.
Afternoon
Lunch is at the lodge. Mid-afternoon a guide from the community takes us on the Buhoma village walk: the farms on the forest edge, local crafts and food, for example a banana beer brewer or a traditional healer, and the craft cooperatives that earn from visitors.
Evening
Dinner at the lodge, and an early night before the trek.
Included
- Scheduled light-aircraft flight Entebbe to Kihihi
- Road transfer Kihihi to Buhoma with our driver
- Buhoma village walk with a community guide
Easier option: Skip the village walk and rest at the lodge after the flight.
Free time: Evening free at the lodge
Activity: The village walk is about 2 to 3 hours on dirt paths with some short climbs.
Mountain gorillas in Bwindi
Buhoma park office into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Bwindi (Buhoma)
We walk from the lodge to the Buhoma park office for the ranger briefing at about 7:30 to 8 am: how to behave near the gorillas, keeping the distance the rangers give you, and no trekking with a cold. Each habituated family takes at most eight visitors a day, so the group splits across two families; if permits can only be had for one family, the group runs at 8 or fewer, or the extra guests are offered a private date, each party with rangers, trackers and a porter for every guest.
Morning
Trackers go out at dawn to find where the family nested, and the rangers lead you to them: sometimes under an hour away, sometimes four or five, on steep, slippery slopes through thick undergrowth. Once you reach the family you have one hour with them, watching the silverback, the mothers and young feed and play a few metres away.
Afternoon
Lunch is packed for the trail.
Evening
Back at the lodge, the afternoon is free to rest, and the group meets at dinner to compare families.
Included
- Gorilla trek from Buhoma with Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers and trackers (Uganda gorilla permit included)
- One hour with a habituated gorilla family
- A porter for each guest
- Packed lunch on the trail
Easier option: Tell your guide at the briefing: rangers try to give slower walkers a family that is nearer, and porters help on the steep parts.
Free time: Afternoon free at the lodge
Activity: The hardest day: up to five hours or more each way on steep, muddy slopes between about 1,160 and 2,600 m. Gloves, long sleeves and waterproof boots help with nettles and mud.
Forest trails and waterfalls, or a second trek
Buhoma, on foot in Bwindi
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Bwindi (Buhoma)
A slower day, and the reason we stay three nights.
Morning
After a late breakfast a Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger leads the group on the Munyaga River trail from Buhoma, under tree ferns and tall forest, to a series of waterfalls. With no gorillas to find, the ranger has time for the rest of Bwindi: monkeys in the canopy, birds the forest is known for, butterflies along the stream and the plants local healers use.
Afternoon
We are back for lunch at the lodge. The afternoon is free: rest, read on the deck, or browse the craft shops near the park gate, where cooperatives sell baskets and carved gorillas. If one hour was not enough, you can trek a second time today with another permit, bought at cost when you book and subject to availability; your guide stays with the rest of the group.
Included
- Ranger-led Munyaga River waterfall trail from Buhoma
- Lunch and dinner at the lodge
Optional experiences
- A second gorilla trek with another Uganda permit (USD 800 at the time of writing, at cost, booked in advance)
Easier option: Skip the trail and spend the day at the lodge.
More active option: A second gorilla trek in place of the waterfall trail.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: The waterfall trail is about 3 hours return on forest paths, wet and slippery in places.
Fly back to Entebbe and home
Buhoma to Kihihi by road, then by light aircraft to Entebbe
- Breakfast and lunch
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
Breakfast at the lodge, a last look at the forest from the deck, then an hour and a half to two hours back by road to the Kihihi airstrip for the mid-morning flight to Entebbe, about 1.5 to 2 hours depending on stops.
Afternoon
We land around midday. Lunch is in Entebbe, and a day room near the airport lets you shower, repack the bag you left in storage and rest before your flight home. If you are carrying on to a safari in Kenya or Tanzania, or to Kigali, Entebbe has regional connections. Your guide sees you to Entebbe International Airport and checks your flight before saying goodbye. Book an international flight leaving after about 6 pm: light-aircraft times can shift with weather at Kihihi, and we do not want you racing the clock on the last day of the trip.
Included
- Road transfer Buhoma to Kihihi
- Scheduled light-aircraft flight Kihihi to Entebbe
- Lunch and a day room in Entebbe
- Drop-off at Entebbe International Airport (EBB)
Free time: Afternoon at the day room
Activity: Book a flight home leaving after about 6 pm.
- Entebbe1 night
- Bwindi (Buhoma)3 nights
- Entebbeend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Bwindi is rainforest and can rain any day; June to September and December to February are drier, with firmer trails. Gorillas are seen year-round, but trek length depends on where the family slept, not the season.
Want this plan in your inbox?
Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the gorillas without a week on Uganda's roads
- An add-on after a Kenya or Tanzania safari
- A short break with the permit, flights and lodge sorted in one price
- Walkers fit enough for a long, steep, muddy day
Not for you if you want
- Anyone under 15, which is the trekking age limit
- Step-free access: trek and trails are steep forest slopes
- Travellers who want a longer Uganda trip with chimps and savannah: see our 10-day Uganda trip
- Large luggage: light aircraft carry about 15 kg each
Minimum age: 15
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
4 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Entebbe1 night
- Bwindi (Buhoma)3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 4 nights: 1 in Entebbe, 3 at a lodge in Buhoma within walking distance of the Bwindi park office
- A day room in Entebbe on day 5
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Entebbe International Airport (EBB)
- Scheduled light-aircraft flights Entebbe to Kihihi and back
- Our vehicle and driver between Kihihi and Buhoma
- Luggage storage in Entebbe
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip, from Entebbe and back
- Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers and trackers on the gorilla trek and forest trail, and a community guide on the village walk
Activities
- One Uganda gorilla permit per guest, Bwindi (Buhoma)
- Gorilla trek with a porter for each guest, Bwindi
- Buhoma village walk, Bwindi
- Munyaga River waterfall trail, Bwindi
- Bwindi park entry
Meals
- 4 breakfasts
- 4 lunches (the trek-day lunch packed)
- 4 dinners, including a welcome dinner in Entebbe
Not included
- International flights to and from Entebbe
- Uganda visa or East Africa Tourist Visa
- Travel insurance
- Drinks
- Tips for rangers, porters, drivers and lodge staff
- A second gorilla permit (optional, at cost)
- Excess baggage on the light-aircraft flights
- Personal expenses and craft purchases
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 870 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Four nights in a hotel and a lodge, 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 4 dinners, both light-aircraft flights between Entebbe and Kihihi, airport transfers, our vehicle at Bwindi, your See Sight Tours guide, one Uganda gorilla permit, a porter on the trek, park entry, the Buhoma village walk, the waterfall trail and a day room on the last day.
Is the gorilla permit included?
Yes, one Uganda gorilla permit per guest, USD 800 at the time of writing, is in the price. We buy it in your name from your passport details as soon as your trip is confirmed. Permits are non-refundable once bought, which our booking terms explain.
How far ahead do I need to book for gorilla permits?
Three to six months for June to September and December to February. Each gorilla family takes at most eight visitors a day, so permits for the drier months sell out, and a group of 7 to 12 needs two families on the same morning. Book later and we may only have a private date.
How fit do I need to be for gorilla trekking?
Fit enough to walk uphill on steep, muddy forest slopes for anything from under an hour to more than five each way, at about 1,160 to 2,600 m. A porter carries your pack and helps on climbs, and rangers try to give slower walkers a nearer family. If you can manage 3 to 4 hours on hilly trails, you will manage.
Why fly to Bwindi instead of driving?
Kampala to Bwindi is a full day on the road each way, which on a 5-day trip means two days in a vehicle. The flight to Kihihi takes about 1.5 to 2 hours depending on stops, and the drive from the airstrip to Buhoma about 1.5 to 2 hours, so you spend about two days less in a vehicle.
How big is the group and who leads it?
The small group is 7 to 12 guests. A See Sight Tours guide travels with you from the Entebbe pick-up to the drop-off. Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers and trackers lead the trek in two parties, one per gorilla family, and a community guide leads the village walk.
I am travelling solo. Do I pay more?
Only if you want a room of your own, from CAD 870 more, shown before you book. Otherwise you pay the same per-person price as everyone else and we pair you with a guest of the same gender where we can. Solo travellers join every part of the trip, including the trek.
Can I do the trip from Kigali instead?
Yes, as a private trip or an independent quote. The Kigali version spends one night in Kigali and three near Volcanoes National Park, about 2.5 hours by road, with a Rwanda gorilla permit, USD 1,500 at the time of writing. Our 9-day Rwanda and Uganda trip combines both countries.
When is the best time to go gorilla trekking in Uganda?
June to September and December to February, the drier months, when trails are firmer. Gorillas are there all year, and Bwindi is rainforest, so rain is possible any day. March to May and October to November are wetter and muddier; we run those months as private trips only.
Do I need a visa for Uganda?
Yes, for US and Canadian passports: a Uganda e-visa, or the East Africa Tourist Visa, about USD 100 online, which also covers Rwanda and Kenya if you are combining this with a safari. Uganda asks for a yellow fever certificate. We check your documents before you travel.
How does booking work?
Pick your start date and request to book. We confirm your trip within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until then. Once confirmed we buy your gorilla permit straight away. The small group starts from CAD 5,795 per person sharing, permit and flights included.
Can I travel privately or on my own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 10,430 per person, which also suits permit dates that do not match ours. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section for a quote.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.