Direct Ugandan Operator·Kampala & Entebbe
Cross-border
Two gorilla treks in two countries, two very different forests, and a border crossing that takes about an hour. It is the most-requested upgrade we build.
The gorillas are the same species but the forests are not, and that is the point. Rwanda's Volcanoes sits on open volcanic slopes (bamboo and hagenia, thinner undergrowth, higher altitude at 2,500 to 3,000 metres). Bwindi is dense, tangled, lower and wetter, and much harder work.
Trek both and you see the same animals living two different lives. Most people who do it say the second trek was the better one, because the first is too overwhelming to actually observe anything.
Fly into Kigali, out of Entebbe. Kigali to Bwindi's southern sectors is about four hours via the Cyanika or Katuna border, against ten hours from Entebbe, so an open-jaw ticket removes an entire wasted travel day at the start.
From Bwindi you work north through Queen Elizabeth and Kibale to Entebbe, seeing the whole western circuit without ever retracing a road.
The East Africa Tourist Visa covers Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya on one multiple-entry permit for 90 days, and is far simpler than two separate visas. You apply through whichever country you enter first, so via Rwanda if you land in Kigali.
Budget around $2,300 for the two gorilla permits alone: $800 in Uganda, $1,500 in Rwanda. Both need booking months ahead in peak season, and we hold them in parallel so you are never left with one confirmed and one not.
Where you'll go
Gorilla trekking Uganda, home to roughly half the world's mountain gorillas
Three volcanoes, one gorilla family, and the golden monkeys
Twenty-nine islands, terraced hills, and the place everyone decompresses after Bwindi
Kazinga Channel cruises and the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha
Other ways to travel
Permits are limited
Tell us your dates and we'll confirm live permit availability and lodge allocations, then send a costed, tailor-made itinerary, usually within the hour.
