5 day gorilla safari in Uganda

Planet

This tour offers the opportunity to experience one of the world’s most remarkable wildlife encounters, observing endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. As wildlife conservation enthusiasts, we understand both the privilege and the responsibility involved in visiting such a sensitive environment. Responsible tourism can provide vital funding for the protection of Uganda’s wildlife and protected areas while helping demonstrate the economic value of conserving these remarkable habitats.

The cost of this trip includes your gorilla trekking permit, which directly contributes to Uganda’s conservation and community programmes. Uganda Wildlife Authority shares 20% of its annual park revenue with communities neighbouring Uganda’s national parks and wildlife reserves. At Bwindi, an additional US$10 from every gorilla-tracking permit sold is specifically allocated to surrounding communities. These funds support initiatives designed to improve local livelihoods and reduce human-wildlife conflict, including schools, health facilities, water projects, beekeeping, livestock projects and other community development programmes. In June 2025 alone, more than UGX 2.19 billion in revenue-sharing funds was distributed to communities surrounding the Bwindi-Mgahinga Conservation Area.

Gorilla encounters are strictly managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority to minimise disturbance and reduce risks to these endangered primates. A maximum of eight visitors may track each habituated gorilla family and time spent observing the gorillas is limited to one hour. Visitors must follow strict rules including maintaining the required distance, avoiding flash photography and not trekking if suffering from a cold or other infectious illness. Mountain gorillas are susceptible to human diseases, so these precautions are an important element of protecting their health.

Your pre-departure information will include guidance on responsible wildlife viewing and travelling with as little environmental impact as possible. Information is provided digitally in the first instance to reduce unnecessary printing and includes advice on responsible water use, waste disposal and respecting the habitats and wildlife encountered throughout the journey.

This itinerary also visits Lake Mburo National Park, creating another direct contribution to Uganda’s protected-area network through park and activity fees. Uganda Wildlife Authority’s revenue-sharing programme applies across the country’s protected areas, with 20% of park revenue allocated to neighbouring communities. This helps ensure that people living alongside protected areas can receive tangible benefits from conservation and tourism.

The accommodation used throughout the trip has also been chosen with responsible environmental practices in mind. At Rwakobo Rock, the cottages use solar energy for lighting and electricity, while hot showers and other facilities are supported by solar power and harvested rainwater. The property is an eco-friendly, family-run lodge positioned close to the national park, allowing guests to experience the area without travelling large additional distances once they arrive.

The Boma in Entebbe has a detailed sustainability programme aimed at reducing energy use, water consumption and waste. Solar water heaters provide hot water for guest showers, while harvested rainwater is stored and reused for gardening and, after treatment, can supplement the property’s main water supply. Large reusable drinking-water containers and glass jugs have eliminated the use of disposable plastic water bottles throughout the property. Energy-saving lighting is used throughout, organic waste is composted and the restaurant sources fruit, vegetables and meat locally wherever possible, with a proportion of produce grown nearby.

At Mahogany Springs in Bwindi, responsible tourism is closely linked with conservation and community support. The lodge works with local organisations and projects surrounding Bwindi and supports initiatives including Ride 4 a Woman and the Bwindi Plus Nursery and Primary School. By providing employment, sourcing goods and services locally and supporting projects neighbouring the national park, tourism here helps reinforce the connection between conserving Bwindi’s forest and improving livelihoods around it.

As a company we firmly believe that environmental responsibility starts at home and in the workplace. We encourage recycling of waste as a company and as individuals and, where practical, use public transport for business travel. We are also involved in a project that recycles used or damaged binoculars and sends them to conservation projects around the world. Conservation organisations and wildlife charities we support include AfriCat, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Wader Quest and Wildlife SOS, amongst others.

People

As well as respecting the wildlife and landscapes of the destinations we visit, we place great importance on ensuring tourism benefits the people and communities living alongside them. We work with experienced local partners who employ Ugandan staff and have extensive knowledge of the areas through which this itinerary travels. Using locally based providers helps retain more tourism revenue within Uganda while creating employment, training and long-term career opportunities.

The benefits of tourism are particularly tangible around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Uganda Wildlife Authority shares 20% of its annual park revenue with neighbouring communities and, in addition, allocates US$10 from every Bwindi gorilla permit to community development. In June 2025, communities around the Bwindi-Mgahinga Conservation Area received UGX 2,197,559,618 through this scheme. The funds are directed towards locally identified priorities including schools, health facilities, clean water, livelihoods and projects designed to reduce human-wildlife conflict.

Mahogany Springs has particularly close links with the surrounding Buhoma community. The lodge supports Ride 4 a Woman, a local organisation established to empower women facing poverty, domestic violence and other economic and social challenges. Mahogany Springs contracts the organisation to make items used within the lodge, including curtains, mosquito nets, clothing, cushions and lampshades, creating a direct commercial relationship rather than relying solely on charitable donations.

Ride 4 a Woman now has around 300 members from 11 villages surrounding Bwindi and provides regular employment to 60 women. Its wider programmes include microfinance, skills training, safe drinking water, agriculture, healthcare support and education. More than 210 women have benefited from its microfinance programme since 2017, while its child sponsorship programme currently helps more than 270 children attend school. The organisation has also installed solar systems in more than 60 local homes through its Light a Home programme. Guests staying at Mahogany Springs can visit the project, helping generate further awareness and income for the women involved.

Mahogany Springs also supports Bwindi Plus Nursery and Primary School, which was established by a member of the lodge team. The school now educates more than 200 children and receives support from the lodge and its guests, helping provide education, food and accommodation to children within the local community.

At Lake Mburo, staying at the family-run Rwakobo Rock and visiting the national park also helps support the regional tourism economy and provides employment and income around the protected area. Park fees contribute to Uganda Wildlife Authority’s national revenue-sharing programme, through which neighbouring communities receive a proportion of the income generated by tourism.

The Boma in Entebbe also actively supports the local economy. Food is sourced locally wherever possible and locally produced artwork and hand-carved furniture are used throughout the hotel, helping create income for nearby producers, craftspeople and suppliers.

Using local agencies and providers means we have access to current local knowledge and can provide relevant information in our pre-departure literature. This includes advice on cultural etiquette and guidance on engaging respectfully with local communities, alongside recommendations on where to purchase locally made souvenirs and use local businesses so that visitor spending can remain within the destination.

As a company we are proud of our principle-based values and support a number of home and overseas charities, organisations and campaigns, including Msaada, as well as sponsoring individuals and underprivileged children in several countries. We are committed to working ethically with overseas partners who employ local people and local guides whose knowledge and understanding of their region are an important part of the experience we offer.

The local provider used for this trip also links tourism directly with conservation and community development. A conservation and community levy on safaris, together with bed-night contributions from its associated lodges, helps fund programmes focused on education, conservation and community empowerment for people living close to Uganda’s national parks. The provider also offers training opportunities to young people from local communities and seeks to purchase produce locally, helping tourism expenditure support livelihoods within Uganda.