Gorilla Trekking AMA with Africa/safari expert Craig Beal
Hey friends, happy Friday! Excited to bring another AMA to the series, this one from a friend and colleague, Craig Beal. Craig is a wealth of knowledge with a similar ethical focus on preservation, non-hunting and animal conservation. Y'all know how important ethical animal tourism is to me and so I'm really thrilled to have industry folks like Craig who are of the same mind and focus and I love that any client booking of ours through TravelBeyond contributes to their conservation fund which they then allocate to partners on the ground.
We will be doing an over of gorilla trekking - what to know, lodges & pros/cons of Uganda vs Rwanda. As always, feel free to ask more questions in the comments and we will get back to you!
Who are you and what is your background & expertise in Africa more broadly?
- My name is Craig Beal and I am the owner of Travel Beyond. We’re the oldest, US founded, non-hunting safari company. My parents founded the business in 1975 in Minnesota (when I was 4). I purchased the company from my brother and mother in 2005. They left the industry in 2004 and 2006 respectively. My father retired in 1996. I have been traveling to Africa on safari my entire life except during my time in the US Navy when I only was able to visit twice. I live primarily in Minnesota where we have a brick-and-mortar office ten minutes west of Minneapolis. Thirty-four of our 39 full time staff work in the Minnesota office. I typically travel to Africa 2-3 times per year and have visited the vast majority of upscale lodges on the continent. I’m married with two adult daughters and a son-in-law. I was a submarine officer in the US Navy from 1994-2005. Prior to that I earned my BS in Systems Engineering from the US Naval Academy in 1994 and my MS in Nuclear Engineering (fission) from GA Tech in 1996.
Describe your experience and expertise in gorilla trekking, specifically
- I have gorilla trekked everywhere currently possible and chimp trekked at what I feel are the three best places in Africa to chimp trek. I have visited almost all the upscale properties in Rwanda and Uganda from where gorilla treks are enjoyed. The exception is Virunga Lodge, a five star lodge in Rwanda. A&K Gorilla Forest Lodge, in Uganda, is going through a renovation, so I can’t say I have seen the latest offering there but I stayed at the previous version in 2019. I hope to check-out the new Asilia property, Erebero Hills after it opens in Uganda in 2026. This lodge should raise the bar in Uganda.
What are the pros/cons/differences & considerations when selecting a gorilla trek in Uganda vs Rwanda?
- There are approximately 1,200 mountain gorillas in the world and they don’t survive in captivity. About half live in Rwanda and the Congo and the other half in Uganda.
- A gorilla trekking experience culminates exactly the same way in both countries. At the end of what is usually a 15min to 4hr walk you get to spend 1 hour in the vicinity of a gorilla family typically with 10-20 members. Every trek is different and there is no way to know exactly what you are going to get. Almost all the gorillas in Uganda are roughly 30 miles from the gorillas in Rwanda only separated by farmland. I’ll discuss some of the key differences between the two countries.
- There is no universally accepted rating system for hotels. In my own, personal rating system, I reserve 6 stars for about 30 lodges in Africa. Three of these lodges are in Rwanda and they are Bisate/Bisate Reserve, One & Only Gorilla’s Nest, and Singita Kwitonda/Kataza House. There are several lodges I rate 5-star in both countries. In Uganda, I rate Bwindi Deluxe Banda, Mount Gahinga Deluxe Bandas, & Clouds 5-star. I am sure A&K Gorilla Forest will rate 5 stars when it opens and so will Erebero Hills (if not 6). In Rwanda, Volcanoes Deluxe Bandas and Sabyinyo are 5-star. Mahogony Springs and Chameleon in Uganda are the lowest rated lodges where I would send a client in Uganda and Bishops and Amakoro Songa serve this purpose in Rwanda.
- In some parts of Uganda, treks start at 5,000 feet and go up. In some places, they start at 7,000 and go down. Trekking in Rwanda is generally at a higher elevation around 7,000 ft.
- Rwanda has one park HQ where most guests start their trekking day. Uganda has 5 park HQs where guests start their trekking days. In Uganda, the Buhoma region has the most upscale hotel beds but the least gorilla permits, 32. People that book late, and want to stay in Buhoma, sometimes have to drive to Ruhija to trek and this takes 90 minutes. In Buhoma you can walt to Park HQ. In my experience, permits have never completely sold out in Uganda. You can always trek somewhere. In Rwanda, all permits sold out in August of 2023 and often during the festive time period Dec 25-Jan 1.
- In general, the terrain is steeper in Uganda vs. Rwanda. In my experience, people have tended to see gorillas quicker (after less walking) in Uganda the past two years. This is a change from prior years. I have never known someone to fail to see a gorilla on a trek, though I'm sure it's possible.
- In both countries, most tourists have to muster at a park HQ in the morning for a brief and to be assigned a group. There is a maximum of 8 tourists per group in both countries and each group sees a different gorilla family. Most guests do two treks and see two different families. In Rwanda, you can request easy, medium or difficult hiking days. In Uganda, there is no official request but guides will advocate for you.
- For highly recognizable clients with no financial constraints, a private gorilla trek is possible in Rwanda for a $15,000 flat fee. Some of the benefits include your brief taking place at your accommodation the night before, pre-selection of the gorilla family you want to see (from a catalog), a very senior guide (sometimes the ex-warden) and a totally private experience. You can also start your trek a bit later in the morning on a private trek. In Uganda, you can buy all 8 permits for $6,400 to make a trek private but you still go to Park HQ in the morning and other tourists would see you.
- You must be 15 to gorilla trek. With a letter from the parents detailing the child’s experience and maturity level, we have succeeded in getting gorilla permits in Uganda for several 14 year olds. We have never succeeded in Rwanda.
- Both countries have perceived safety issues and both are often at the epicenter of the latest health risk to appear in Africa. In October 2024, it was the Marburg virus in both Uganda and Rwanda. Both countries share a border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As a tourist, you are typically less than 5 miles away from the DRC when you trek. The DRC is one of the least stable countries in the world. I do not know of any tourist that has ever been caused harm by another human in the gorilla trekking area.
- You must have the yellow fever vaccine to trek in Uganda. You must have a yellow fever vaccine to go from Kenya to any other country in Africa. It’s good for life and I use my yellow fever vaccination card from my first Kenya safari which I did in 1974 when I was 3 years old.
- Both countries have a large, habituated troop of golden monkeys. This is an interesting primate species that many guests choose to see on their last morning in Rwanda or Uganda. Or, on their first day to create a buffer for a flight delay. You’d rather miss the golden monkeys than the gorillas. It is easy to add golden monkeys to a gorilla safari in Rwanda. In Uganda, you need to decide this at the start of the process to make sure you have access to Mgahinga NP where the troop lives.
Getting to/from Rwanda/Uganda from home
- There are many options. The quickest and most reliable way to/from Uganda and Rwanda from/to the US is to fly Delta/KLM via Amsterdam or United/Brussels Air via Brussels. There are dozens of other commercial flight options but flight statistics for the past two years prove these two routes the most reliable. Emirates and Qatar are also popular but Qatar operates their service with a code share from Doha to Kigali on Rwandair. There are countless other options. Tell me where you live and your favorite airline alliance and I’ll tell you the best way to get there. If flying via Newark or JFK from within the US or Canada, I recommend you take the first flight of the day from your home airport to Newark or JFK and layover for 6+ hours on the way to Africa.
Traveling to/from Rwanda/Uganda from within Africa:
- Six days a week you can wake up in the Serengeti and fly on a shared small plane to Kigali. The most comfortable experience will be on Grumeti Air on Mon/Wed/Fri. The flight lands just after noon and you can drive 3-3.5 hours to the mountains where you will stay that same afternoon. You can trek the next morning. You should arrive at your lodging in the late afternoon. The flight operates in the opposite direction allowing you to wake up in the mountains and fly to the Serengeti
During peak demand safari season, Jun-Sep, you can fly from the Masai Mara to Bwindi National Park, Uganda on Aerolink Uganda with a minimum of four paying passengers. You can wake-up on safari in the Mara and arrive at your lodge in the mountains in the late afternoon. When doing this, the only regions you can trek the next day are Buhoma and Ruhija on the northern side of Bwindi because the only afternoon flight you can connect with is the one to Kasese, the airport north of Bwindi NP. If you begin your trip in Uganda, you can wake up anywhere in the Bwindi region and fly to the Mara the same day from Kasese or Kisoro.
There are other options including less reliable shared flights from the Serengeti to Entebbe, Uganda. We’ve even had a few guests fly Rwandair from Kigali to Kilimanjaro after gorilla trekking in Rwanda. This is ok if on a budget and starting a Tanzania safari in Tarangire.
Every year, we find more guests choosing to wake up in the Kruger region of South Africa, fly commercial to Johannesburg and take a late afternoon, same day flight, on Rwandair to Rwanda. They spend the night in Kigali and drive to the mountains the next morning and trek the morning after that.
Relative to shared flights, chartering a plane within East Africa can be cost effective for 8 or more people and very convenient, albeit more expensive, in a Pilatus of King Air.
Getting to the mountains from the arrival airport of Kigali, Rwanda or Entebbe, Uganda
- In Uganda, all our guests fly to Bwindi or Mgahinga National Parks, the two places you gorilla trek, on Aerolink Uganda or on a private charter plane. No guests of ours has ever traveled by road from Entebbe to Bwindi or Mgahinga. The journey would be long, uncomfortable and risky from a road accident standpoint. On rare occasions we have guests drive from Kibale to Bwindi but these guests fly back to Entebbe on their last day. All our guests have a private guide to take them to the park and to the trail head each day. We don’t allow our guests to share this guide/vehicle with other tourists not booked by Travel Beyond. The guide can be lodge employed or, for more money, we can send our own guide from Entebbe if guests want a nicer vehicle and a more socially compatible/skilled host.
- In Rwanda, all our guests must book a private guide and vehicle for the duration of their time gorilla trekking. This guide takes them from Kigali to Volcanoes National Park which is where you gorilla trek. The drive is 3 to 3.5 hours. The same guide takes them to the Park HQ and the trailhead for their gorilla treks each day. Helicopter transfers are possible in Rwanda but you still need the guide to transport your luggage and serve as a back-up mode of transport as many helicopter flights get cancelled due to fog.
How long should someone allocate for gorilla trekking?
- If the gorilla trek is at the beginning of your time in Africa, you need four nights in Rwanda or Uganda to enjoy 2 gorilla treks. The first night is in Kigali or Entebbe and the other three in the mountains. I strongly recommend you spend two nights in Entebbe or Kigali on arrival if coming from the US. This will help you mitigate stress and lost enjoyment from flight delays. The most luxurious lodges, like Singita, and wise safari planners require you to book an overnight room on the nights after you trek. We do not guarantee we can get clients back to the airport to fly home on the evening of a day when they have trekked in Rwanda. It is nearly impossible to get back to Entebbe on a day you trek in Uganda.
- If you are flying into Entebbe or Kigali from the Serengeti or Masai Mara, you can get to the mountains the same day you land and accomplish two gorilla treks with only 3 nights in the country. This is rushed!
What are some dos and don'ts for gorilla trekking that people don't always know about?
- You have to wear a mask. This has been required since before covid to protect the gorillas from us.
- You don’t necessarily need to bring equipment. The luxury lodges have all the gear you need except I don’t like borrowing footwear. Other lodges are also getting more and more gear.
- If you can walk 4-5 miles, you can do it!
- Always use a personal porter. It creates jobs for some of the most economically disadvantaged people guests routinely encounter in Africa.
- If coming from the US, do spend two nights in Entebbe or Rwanda at the beginning of your trip in case your flight is late. Missing a gorilla trek is emotionally devastating for most guests.
- If you have mobility issues, you can hire a litter and 10 porters to carry you. The costs is about $400 and the porters LOVE you! It creates ten jobs for a day and you can tip more. We have had 90 year old guests trek this way and guests with MS and other mobility-hindering conditions.
- It is always wet in the cloud forest where the gorillas live. If you want to save money, you can trek during the rainy months of April, May and November and save money on accommodations and sometimes permits. If it rains, you won’t get much more wet!
- You can trek before or after your traditional wildlife safari. Some people want to get the active part of their trip out of the way. If you are concerned about the elevation when you gorilla trek, you can enjoy 7-10 days on safari in Kenya or Tanzania first. Many of the safari areas in Kenya and Tanzania, including the Serengeti and Masai Mara, are at or above 5,000 feet allowing you to acclimate easily.
Which are your favorite lodges?
- I love Singita Kwitonda and stayed there with my wife. If I took a big family group, I’d consider One & Only for the resort atmosphere. We’ve taken friends on their first trek and stayed at Mount Gahinga, Clouds and A&K Gorilla Forest. In the past two years, I have personally booked the most guests into Bwindi Lodge and Singita Kwitonda.
Which lodges would you say are the most dedicated to conservation and preservation of the ecology and respect of the gorillas themselves?
- This is a tough question. We spend a lot of time vetting lodges by asking the most junior staff on the ground about their employers. We also try and get to know the senior leadership of the companies we do the most business with to get a feel for their true passions. It really is difficult to see past all the greenwashing in Africa! Based on our research, each of the past two years, Travel Beyond has donated $35,000 each to Singita’s and Wilderness Destination’s conservation efforts. Wilderness Destinations owns and operates Sabyinyo, Bisate and Bisate Reserve. I hope where we choose to donate our conservation Dollars should help answer this question.