If clients want to check gorilla trekking off their bucket list, only two places come to mind: Rwanda and Uganda.
Traditionally, luxury-focused tour operators have looked to Rwanda for mountain gorilla-trekking experiences, which makes perfect sense — trekking permits cost a whopping $1,500 per person, plus accommodations are world-class, from safari heavyweights such as Singita and Wilderness to big international names including One&Only.
By comparison, neighboring Uganda has, until recently, been considered the more affordable option. Permits are about half the price, and homegrown accommodations have always been comfortable rather than overtly luxe. But that’s changing.
Upgrades in Uganda
Thanks to new infrastructure — including an airport upgrade and new flights — and a fleet of chic new arrivals from some of the biggest names in wildlife tourism, Uganda is stepping out of the shadows and is ready for its moment.
Uganda offers gorilla trekking, traditionally at a more affordable price than Rwanda.
Credit: 2025 Nicole Trilivas“The Ugandan government appreciates that tourism is a vital economic driver,” said Praveen Moman, founder of Volcanoes Safaris, one of the pioneers of primate tourism with lodges in both Rwanda and Uganda. “It recently organized a dialogue with all stakeholders on how to market the country better. The main international airport at Entebbe has been upgraded, and there is a plan to improve road infrastructure and infrastructure in national parks.”
In addition to the $325 million airport modernization, which is designed to increase capacity and potentially position the facility as a regional hub for African aviation, national carrier Uganda Airlines has been expanding its flight network with its first foray into Europe. In May 2025, a new 9.5-hour direct flight launched out of London Gatwick.
New Accommodation Options
It's not just the connectivity and infrastructure that’s improving; the lodges are leveling up, too. Known for responsible safaris across East Africa, Asilia is slated to open the eight-suite Erebero Hills lodge in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park next year, and Great Plains Conservation — a luxury ecotourism outfit founded by wildlife filmmakers and conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert — is also eyeing Uganda, though no official opening dates have been announced yet.
However, it’s Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) leading the charge with the newly reimagined, 10-key Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary, which reopened in June 2025. A bar-raising debut setting a sky-high new standard for the country, it’s the only luxury lodge within the primary borders of the UNESCO-listed Bwindi, often considered the best destination for trekking and home to more than half the world’s mountain gorilla population. Besides the prime positioning, the lodge is also gorgeous enough to make guests gawk, with cathedral proportions, earthy terracotta-hued walls and swanky suites nestled in tangles of steamy rainforest. Even the gorillas have been known to make an appearance.
“Uganda has undergone a remarkable transformation,” said Paul Bauer, senior vice president of Abercrombie & Kent DMC Africa and Europe. “Ten or 15 years ago, it was often viewed as a specialist destination primarily for gorilla trekking. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a marked increase in demand for Uganda as a luxury destination, and our decision to reimagine the property was driven by this evolution.”
A&K’s Gorilla Forest Lodge offers just 10 guestrooms.
Credit: 2025 Abercrombie & KentThe decision also goes hand in hand with changing traveler preferences.
“In the past, Uganda primarily attracted intrepid travelers, but we’re now seeing a more diverse audience: multigenerational families, honeymooners and repeat Africa travelers who want something beyond the traditional safari,” Bauer said. “Uganda now appeals to clients who value both the adventure and the refinement of a luxury safari.”
Part of that draw is also down to Uganda’s natural diversity. While certainly the headliners, gorillas are not all Uganda offers.
There has been increasing international recognition that Uganda has a variety of unique landscapes and experiences.
“There has been increasing international recognition that Uganda has a variety of unique landscapes and experiences,” said Volcanoes Safaris’ Moman, who cites as examples the country’s savannah parks, Lake Victoria (the source of the Nile), the ground-shaking Murchison Falls, the cloud-skimming Rwenzori Mountains and the newly relaunched Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch.
Moman recently opened Volcanoes Safaris’ fifth lodge, the afro-chic Kibale Lodge, which offers eight luxury bandas (cottages), a pool and a spa, and encourages guests to go beyond Bwindi.
Kibale Lodge offers eight luxury cottages.
Credit: 2025 Nicole Trilivas“Kibale Forest, often called the ‘Primate Capital of the World,’ is one of the best parks to view chimpanzees in Africa, with a community of around 1,500 chimps, plus 12 other species of primates,” Moman said.
The result of all this luxury tourism upgrade? Conservation and community success. Gorilla populations have increased, and so have opportunities for locals: All Volcanoes Safaris lodges have extensive community and conservation programs, for example, such as the Bwindi Bar, which serves as a hospitality training school for local youth. A&K does, as well; one example is the Buhoma Village bead workshop, where women create and sell paper beads from recycled magazines.
“A&K founder Geoffrey Kent pioneered this community-first approach to conservation more than 60 years ago,” Bauer said. “And we continue to believe the best way to protect wilderness is to invest in the communities who live alongside it.”
