Bwindi is the reason most travellers come to Uganda. The forest covers steep, folded hills on the edge of the Albertine Rift and holds around half the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, in families that are habituated and tracked every day.
The name is accurate. This is thick, wet, tangled forest, and trekking into it is a proper walk rather than a drive with a short stroll at the end. That effort is what makes the hour you spend with a gorilla family feel earned.
Bwindi divides into four trekking sectors — Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo — each with its own gorilla families, trailheads and lodges. Which sector your permit is issued for decides where you sleep, so the permit is confirmed before the rest of the route.
