Best Time for Gorilla Trekking in Uganda: Month by Month

The year at a glance

Rain never disappears completely in a rainforest, so even in the dry months pack for showers. In the wet months, trails turn to mud and roads to the park entrances take longer, but treks go ahead as normal. April and May are the wettest months of the year.

June to September, the classic window

This is the prime season. Temperatures run from a high of 27°C to a low of 17°C with about 84mm of rainfall across the period, and June, July and August are widely described as the best time to go gorilla watching. The tradeoff is demand. Everyone wants these months, so permits and good lodges go first.

If you want the same dry conditions with fewer people around, look at late January and February. February offers superb dry gorilla trekking conditions and sits outside the busiest peak.

Why the wet months can work in your favour

Low season means more choice. Lodging is easier to find at lower prices in the May period, and permits are simpler to secure at short notice because demand drops. Trekking groups can also be smaller, and some treks join as few as 2 or 3 other trekkers in the quiet months.

Rain is the price you pay. April and May are the wettest months, and heavy showers affect trail and road access in rainy periods. Temperatures hold steadily between 24°C and 30°C year-round, so you will rarely be cold, just wet.

Pack for it and the wet season is very doable. Bring a waterproof jacket, waterproof trousers, gaiters, sturdy grippy boots, a dry bag for camera gear and gloves for grabbing vegetation on steep sections. Start the day with dry clothes waiting back at the lodge.

Season patterns and what they mean on the trail

The two main dry seasons run June to October and December to February, with April and May the wettest months. The long rainy season lasts from March to May, and a shorter wet spell arrives around October and November.

For trekkers the practical difference is underfoot. Dry months mean firmer paths and shorter, easier climbs to the gorilla groups. Wet months mean mud, longer trek times and slower roads to the park gates, so build slack into your travel day.

What that means for your dates

In June to August, demand against a fixed supply means permits for popular sectors sell out well in advance. Book early to secure gorilla permits in the June to August window. December and the February window behave the same way on a smaller scale.

In the wet months the pressure lifts. Fewer travellers from October to December and lower permit costs in that period, plus possible discounts in April and May, mean you can often plan a green season trek with much less lead time. If your dates are fixed at short notice, the wet season is your friend.

Booking lead time by season

For the peak months, secure your permit first and build the trip around it, since permits are the bottleneck. For the green months, you have flexibility, but booking a few months out still gets you the better lodges near the trailheads.

The two parks compared

Bwindi has 25 habituated gorilla groups, and the Mubare group was the first habituated for tourism in Uganda, in April 1993. That many groups means more departure options in the crowded dry months.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park covers 33.7 km2, making it Uganda's smallest national park, with terrain between 2,227 m and 4,127 m. Its three extinct volcanoes are part of the Virunga range on the Uganda, Congo and Rwanda border. In the dry season the high slopes are at their most manageable, while wet weather makes the altitude and exposure bite harder, so Bwindi is the safer bet for wet season treks.

Combining primates and birding

Chimp tracking is excellent in the long rains, so a wet season itinerary can actually outperform a dry season one for primates overall. Birders get a second bonus window, because migratory birds return by early to mid-November and stay until April.

A trip that pairs both works well in the March to May months. The 5-day gorilla and chimpanzee trek covers Kibale, Bwindi and Lake Bunyonyi, and the 8-day Uganda safari adds Queen Elizabeth National Park for a fuller circuit.

How the two compare

Rwanda issues eight permits per gorilla group per day, 96 a day in total, with a minimum age of 15. Uganda mirrors the eight-visitors-per-group rule. The difference shows in price and in seasonality. Rwanda's permit price is flat at US$1,500, while Uganda's permits may be discounted in April and May and trekking costs drop from October to December.

If you want the driest trails at any price, both countries work in June to September. If budget shapes the trip, Uganda's green season is where the savings sit. Compare routes on our uganda gorilla trekking homepage, including treks that start from Kigali to combine both countries.