What to pack for a gorilla trek in Bwindi
A gorilla trek is a long, wet walk through thick forest, and what you carry decides how comfortable it feels. The list below holds twelve items, each with a reason. Further down you will find what to wear, what to leave behind and the papers you need to enter Uganda.
The twelve things in your daypack
Everything on this list earns its place on a steep, muddy slope. Most of it fits in a small daypack, and nothing here needs specialist gear from an outdoor shop.
- Waterproof hiking boots with grip, worn in before the trip
- Gardening gloves, for nettles and the vines you grab on the way up
- Long trousers tucked into your socks, against ants and scratches
- A long-sleeved shirt, light enough to climb in
- A light rain jacket, since showers come at any hour
- A daypack with a rain cover, so your camera stays dry
- 2 liters of water, more if you sweat a lot
- A packed lunch or snacks, as the walk can run into the afternoon
- Your passport, needed at the briefing and at any border
- Insect repellent, for the forest and the evenings at the lodge
- A camera with the flash switched off, plus a spare battery
- A walking stick, or cash for a porter and tips
Feet and hands come first
Boots matter more than anything else you pack. Bwindi's slopes are steep and often wet, and a sole with deep lugs keeps you upright on mud and roots. Break them in at home, because blisters on day one ruin day two.
Gardening gloves sound odd until you meet the stinging nettles. You will grab branches and vines to pull yourself up, and cheap cotton gloves with a rubber palm do the job well. Our page on how hard the trek is describes the terrain in detail.
Clothes for nettles and showers
Long trousers tucked into your socks stop ants from climbing in and keep nettles off your shins. A long-sleeved shirt does the same for your arms, and earthy colors blend in better than bright ones.
Mornings at the park office can be cool, and the climb warms you quickly, so dress in layers you can peel off. A light rain jacket covers the showers that our guide to the drier and wetter months warns about in every season.
What to carry for a long walk
Carry about 2 liters of water, since the walk to the family can last from under an hour to most of the day. Nobody can tell you in advance where the gorillas slept, so plan for the long version.
Some trips hand you lunch. Dav Safaris' 3-day trek at ~$2,600 includes a picnic lunch on trek day, while on other trips you ask the lodge to pack one. Eat it away from the family, never in their presence.
Your passport goes in a zip bag inside the pack. It is needed at the early morning briefing, and travelers coming from Kigali show it twice more at the border. Our guide to the gorilla permit explains why your name and passport details sit on it.
Camera, stick and the porter question
Bring a camera with the flash off and a spare battery, because the hour goes fast. A lens of moderate zoom helps in the shade, and phones work well too when the family is close.
Walking sticks are often handed out at the gate, so you rarely need your own. Porters wait there too for a set fee paid locally. They carry your bag and give you a hand on the slopes, which frees you to watch your footing.
Keep small bills for that fee and for tips to the ranger team and your driver-guide. Tips are left out of the listed prices on most of our tours, as our breakdown of what a trek costs shows.
Packing for a longer safari
An eight-day trip needs a different bag plan from a single forest day. Home To Africa's 8-day safari, listed at ~$3,429, moves from rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to a boat trip at Murchison Falls, then chimps in Kibale and gorillas in Bwindi.
Home To Africa lists all meals and accommodation, plus a 4x4 with an English-speaking driver-guide, and holds 5.0 from 84 reviews on Viator. The gorilla and chimpanzee permits are in the price too. Its weak spots are the highest price and the longest trip here.
Eight days, one soft bag
Home To Africa's private safari from rhinos to gorillas. Pack one soft duffel for the 4x4 and a small daypack for trek day, and leave the permit to the operator, since it is in the price.
For a multi-day trip, keep the forest kit together in the daypack and leave the rest in the vehicle. For a day in Kibale, our gorillas and chimps in one trip page explains what changes.
What to leave out
Leave flash units and selfie sticks at the lodge, along with anything that rattles or beeps. Perfume and strong scents are better skipped as well. The reasons are in our page on the rules near the gorillas.
A big backpack is a burden on narrow paths through thick vegetation. If something does not fit a daypack, it probably does not belong in the forest.
Papers for the border
Uganda requires a yellow fever vaccination certificate at entry, so keep it with your passport. A single-entry Uganda visa costs $50, and the East Africa Tourist Visa at $100 suits trips that cross from Kigali.
Fees and entry rules can change, so check current entry rules before you fly. If you are not sure which border your trip uses, our day trip from Kigali page walks through the crossing.