£ Skip to main content
baby gorilla swinging on a tree in Uganda

The Gorilla Adventure in Uganda 2024

Challenge level: 3 out of 5

When can I go?

9 October - 18 October 2024 On Sale
Duration 10 days

What does it cost?

Registration fee (payable today) Info £349
Remaining amount
Total commitment Info

Gorilla tracking permit included!
As gorillas are sadly critically endangered, their habitat is carefully protected and trekkers must have a Gorilla Tracking Permit to enter the Bwindi Impenetrable Rainforest. We arrange and pay for all our participants' permits (£550 per person), so you don't need to worry about it. It's all included in your challenge costs!

The Gorilla Adventure in Uganda 2024

Trek through the rainforests of the Virunga Mountain Range and encounter endangered species on this once-in-a-lifetime gorilla tracking adventure.

Together, we'll trek through valleys, lush vegetation and local communities, with chances to see golden monkeys. The excitement will continue with a breath-taking boat ride across the volcanic Lake Mutanda in wooden canoes. Then, it's time to go ape!

We'll venture into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to track the amazing Nkuringo Gorilla Family Group! Encountering these magnificent and sadly, critically endangered, animals in their natural habitat is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that few will ever get to experience. This vibrant forest is alive with other wildlife too, so look out for birds, butterflies and over fifty different reptile species!

Left with an unforgettable sense of awe, we'll end our adventure by getting involved with a variety of ecological activities for the local community at the Singing Gorilla Project. Choose to help out at a local school, music school or health centre or you might even be able to help the charity install water tanks for the community.

Giving back to the planet

We're dedicated to practising responsible tourism and we've designed this amazing itinerary especially to give back to the places we visit.

We have picked fantastic suppliers local to the area; plus we get involved with local eco work at Singing Gorilla Projects in Nkuringo. 

This special charity funds and manages community-based projects that improve the welfare of the local communities and enriches the lives of individuals in Uganda and would make the perfect charity to support on your trek.

Your itinerary

Days 1 & 2
UK – Kigali – Gahinga

The excitement begins at the airport in London, where we meet as a group for the first time and catch our overnight flight to Rwanda, touching down in Kigali on Day 2.

Our local ground agent greets us upon our arrival and we transfer across the border to the South West of Uganda. This drive will take approx. four to five hours, with a lunch stop at Kisoro Town.

Checking in at our gorgeous first night’s camp at Mount Gahinga in the North of Uganda, we end the day with a welcome dinner.

Our camp sits at the foot of the spectacular Mount Gahinga volcano and makes the perfect place to start our Gorilla Adventure in the Central African Rainforest.

Day 3
Mount Gahinga – Golden Monkey Walk – Amajambere Camp | approx. 8-12km

We commence our trek in earnest today! Rising early to breakfast at camp, we hike to the Mount Gahinga National Park offices to meet the park rangers.

Here, the rangers give us an exciting briefing on the challenge ahead. We then trek across the slope of the volcano, which gives us a high chance of spotting golden monkeys and a variety of birds! Needless to say, our wildlife tracking will keep our minds off the ache in our legs!

For those of you feeling extra adventurous today, there’s also an option to trek another 4km or so to the lowest of the summit of Mount Gahinga, the smallest of the three peaks in the mountain range.

We catch our breath and take in the awesome panoramas of forest, lakes and volcanoes, before trekking back down to our camp in the National Park. Dinner will dust off our incredible first day’s walk, before a good night’s rest.

Day 4
Amajambere Camp – Lake Mutanda | approx. 18.5km

After an early morning breakfast at camp, we embark on a safari trek to the beautiful Lake Mutanda.

Again, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for golden monkeys, gorillas and elephants, but we won’t just be seeing wildlife today.

Our local guides will lead us through small and friendly communities, where we can gain insight into the culture and learn about the villagers’ experience of living in Uganda.

We have dinner and rest tonight at an eco camp at the gorgeous Lake Mutanda, nestled in the foothills of the Virunga Mountain Range (1,800m/5,900 ft).

Here, we make the most of the shower facilities and settle for dinner and rest.

Day 5
Amajambere Camp – Lake Mutanda | approx. 18.5km

Today we take to the boats!

Setting off from our eco-camp after breakfast, we clamber into wooden dug-out open top canoes and launch into this stunning volcanic lake.

Then we just kick back and enjoy the spectacular mountain panoramas, as our qualified guides paddle us across the lake. From our canoes, we can see the Mount Muhabura, Mount Sabinyo and Mount Gahinga.

We bank at Chameleon Hill and trek through a valley, lush with vegetation. We follow a number of river tributaries, before climbing into the hills on paths and tracks that link small villages and farmsteads.

On our way through this dense forest, we can look out for a wide variety of birds. Our trail leads us to a road junction at Rubuguri and we transfer to our camp in Nkuringo.

Tonight’s accommodation is a mix of camping and resting in a homestay, which gives us yet more fantastic insight into the local lifestyle.

Days 6 - 8
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | approx. 8km – 18km depending on where the gorillas are!

The next few days are a real highlight – as if every day isn’t awesome! Splitting into three groups, we spend one of the days tracking gorillas in the Impenetrable National Park and the other two taking part in optional eco-activities at the Singing Gorilla Project.

Trekking in smaller groups will mean we won’t disturb the gorillas and will give us the highest chance of getting a fab view.

We venture into the dense forest and track the amazing Nkuringo Gorilla Family Group. Depending on where the gorilla family is, we’ll hike approx. 8km to 18km, following trails through the beautiful vegetation.

As we hike, we’re in for some exquisite scenery. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is one of the most diverse habitats on Earth and home to 120 species of mammals, two hundred varieties of tree and more than fifty different reptiles. The mist that curls around the trees towering over us makes the trek positively magical.

That’s not even to mention the once-in-a-lifetime experience of encountering these sadly endangered apes in their natural habitat. With luck, we may get to see a silverback male, which can weigh as much as 450lb!

Singing Gorilla Projects

On the days you aren’t trekking, you have the chance to take part in optional eco activities at the Singing Gorilla Projects. This special local charity funds and manages community-based projects that improve the welfare of the local communities and enriches the lives of individuals.

Projects include the Empower Her project, installing water tanks and bio toilets, helping out at the local schools, the health centre or music school.

You may also take part in an optional approx. 16km walk to the beautiful Bicocora waterfall, with an elevation gain of around 500m.

We’ll spend these three nights staying at lodges or a homestay in the Nkuringo area, with extraordinary vistas across the mountain range.

On our final night here (Day 8), we’ll celebrate our gorilla adventure with a delicious dinner.

Days 9 & 10
Nkuringo – Kigali – UK

After this dream of a challenge, we’re homeward bound and transfer (approx. four hours) to Kigali airport.

From here, we catch our overnight flight and touch back down in the UK on Day 10. This is where we part ways and you make your own way home.

Book my place

Funding options

Self Funded

Pay the registration fee (£399) and challenge costs (£2,695) + airport taxes/fuel surcharge (capped at £475).

£2,695

Pay the balance

  • Pay a non-refundable registration fee of £399 when you book, which is used to administer the challenge in Uganda and secure your seats with the airline.
  • Pay the challenge costs of £2,695 yourself 12 weeks before your challenge starts.
  • The challenge costs cover flights (not including airport taxes and the fuel surcharge, capped at £475), your food, accommodation, transfers, entry fees, guides, Gorilla Tracking Permit (approx. £550) and medical support, including a UK doctor with expedition medicine training.
  • Choose to fundraise as much as you can for the charity, hospice or animal sanctuary of your choice or make a personal donation.
  • Please also remember to budget for airport taxes and fuel surcharge. These won't be covered in the challenge costs so you'll need to pay them separately (capped at £475).
Book my place

Sponsorship

Pay your registration fee (£399) and airport taxes/fuel surcharge (capped at £475), and fundraise £5,390 or more for your chosen charity.

£5,390

Minimum sponsorship target

  • Pay a non-refundable registration fee of £399, which is used to administer the challenge in Uganda and secure your seats with the airline.
  • Fundraise the minimum sponsorship target of £5,390 for a charity or animal sanctuary of your choice at least 12 weeks before your challenge.
  • Providing you have raised the funds, the charity you are supporting will pay the challenge costs of £2,695 on your behalf.
  • The challenge costs (£2,695) cover flights (excluding airport taxes and fuel surcharge, capped at £475), food, accommodation, transfers and luggage transportation, entry fees, guides, Gorilla Tracking Permit (approx. £550) and medical support, including a UK-registered doctor with expedition medicine training.
  • Please also remember to budget for airport taxes and fuel surcharge. These won't be covered in the challenge costs so you'll need to pay them separately (capped at £475).
  • Please note that not all charities are happy to commit to the minimum sponsorship option. If you choose this option, we contact the charity you want to support on your behalf. If they are not happy with the minimum sponsorship option, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.
Book my place

FAQs
The Gorilla Adventure in Uganda 2024

Our Gorilla Adventure Trek in Uganda is tough, but you don't need to live in the gym to complete it. Loads of people who sign up for our non-competitive charity challenges have low levels of fitness when they register. The point is to train, do your best, and reach your fitness goal while making a big difference for the charity that means the most to you.

That said, we strongly recommend you train for the trekking challenge. We'll face long days of trekking in humidity, encounter steep climbs in the mountains and tackle a lot of uneven terrains and overgrown trails in the rainforests.

Once you register for the Gorilla Adventure in Uganda 2024, we'll send you a realistic training plan. This builds up gradually over time so you'll be ready and raring to go by the time we depart for Uganda. We also recommend checking out our top trekking tips here and our indoor training ideas here for the days you don't feel like facing the weather!

Please invest in a pair of quality hiking boots with ankle support to wear during your training and on your trek in Uganda, as these are essential for walking on uneven terrain. We also recommend incorporating hills in your training treks.

Please don't be! The majority of people will sign up on their own and our Dream Challenges are renowned for the amazing camaraderie and life long friendships made as our groups take on these incredible feats together.

Once you've signed up for the challenge, we'll send you a link to a private Facebook group for everyone registered for The Gorilla Adventure in Uganda 2024.

Please feel free to use this space to swap questions, advice and updates with your fellow trekkers on your training and fundraising. You may also want to reach out to the fellow participants in this group to see if there's anyone in your local area you can meet up to train and fundraise with.

Your registration fee of £399 per person is used to administer the challenge and secure your seats with the airline.

Your challenge costs of £2,695 (ie. 50% of the fundraising target if you choose the sponsorship option) cover:

  • Your flights (not including airport taxes and the fuel surcharge, capped at £475)
  • Meals throughout the challenge 
  • Gorilla Tracking Permit*
  • Accommodation
  • All transfers in Uganda (and Rwanda)
  • Entry fees where applicable
  • A team of outdoor remote first-aid-trained local guides and Dream Challenges staff
  • Full support from the Dream Challenges office in the lead-up to and during your challenge
  • Medical support, including a UK doctor with expedition medicine training

*The Gorilla Permit (approx. £550) is included in the challenge cost of £2,695.

 

No the cost of the Gorilla Tracking Permit (approx. £550) is included in the challenge cost of £2,695.

 

In addition to paying your registration fee (£399) and either paying your challenge costs (£2,695) or fundraising the minimum sponsorship target (£5,390), you'll need to budget for your:

  • Airport taxes and the fuel surcharge (capped at £475)
  • Personal travel insurance
  • Gratuities
  • Personal expenses
  • Your East African Tourist Visa (currently 100 USD for UK citizens). You will need to arrange this yourself. We'll send you details of this in the lead-up to the challenge.
  • Optional excursions/extensions

We'll camp in comfortable tents (all equipment provided, except for your own sleeping bag) throughout the challenge on a twin sharing basis, with two nights at a wonderful local guest house, where we will be split between camping and staying in the house.

Travel Insurance
You will need to take out your own personal travel insurance covering health, accident, loss and repatriation. Please arrange your insurance as soon as you can after you sign up to ensure you have coverage for your booking as well as the challenge.

In your Welcome Pack, you will receive information about an insurance provider that specialises in our type of overseas challenges and also covers you for cancellation due to medically-diagnosed COVID-19.

You can, however, take out your own insurance, providing it covers you for a charity trek in Borneo. Please ask the insurer about the nature of the cover. It is your responsibility to ensure you have adequate coverage for your challenge.

Please ask the insurer about the nature of the cover. It is your responsibility to ensure you have adequate coverage for your charity trek.

Visa
You will need to arrange your own tourist visa. As we pass through Rwanda on the way to/from Uganda, you will need to apply for an Eastern African Visa (currently $100 for UK citizens), which will allow you into both countries.

We'll send all participants details on how to do this well ahead of our departure date.

You will need a pair of quality walking boots with ankle support — these are essential for trekking on uneven terrain. Please also bring a 2-litre water bottle and a two-to-three-season sleeping bag.

We will supply you with a comprehensive list of everything you will need to take on our challenge in Uganda well before your departure date.

Everyone who is 18 years old or over by the departure date is more than welcome to join our charity trek in Uganda. We'll have adults of all ages taking part to achieve something awesome for charity — one of the many things that make our overseas challenges so special

If you would like someone under the age of 18 to join you on our trek, please contact us to discuss (01590 646410 or bookings@dream-challenges.com, Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm).

 

The Dream Challenges team are here to help you achieve your trekking challenge for charity and we will support you all the way. We are on hand from the minute you sign up to answer any questions that you may have about your training or the challenge itself.

Once you have registered, we will send you a Welcome Pack with everything you need to know about your challenge, including the itinerary, an example insurance policy, details about our challenge destination in Uganda and the weather we can expect on our trek, the structure of an average trekking day, a full kit list, and a realistic training plan to help you get fit for the challenge. The training programme builds up gradually as the trek gets closer.

We'll also send you regular updates in the lead-up to the adventure, with more important details and seasonal fundraising ideas. During the trek in Uganda, we'll have a UK doctor with expedition medicine training accompanying the group at all times, along with a team of outdoor remote first-aid trained challenge guides and porters.

Your main luggage will be transported by vehicle to each camp, so you will only need to carry a small day pack, containing essential accessories and equipment.

The group size is likely to be around 25 people.

As we're not medically trained, we're afraid we can't offer you advice on this. We recommend you contact your GP or your local travel clinic, who will have the latest travel health advice.

We also recommend you visit the NHS Fit for Travel website here, to keep up to date with current travel health news and advice on staying healthy abroad.

NHS Fit for Travel website: https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/home

Yes of course! If you wish to extend your stay in Uganda, simply get in touch and we can find flight options for you.

Please let us know if you decide to do this at least 17 weeks before our departure date by emailing us at bookings@dream-challenges.com or calling us on 01590 646410 (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm)

Sign up for our dream fuel

Get the Dream Challenges email newsletters

Please enter a valid email address.