May and June represent one of the most interesting and least discussed periods for gorilla trekking in Uganda. May is the final month of the long rains — the main wet season that runs from March through May — while June marks the beginning of the long dry season that peaks in July and August. This transition period creates a specific atmospheric and ecological character that is different from either the confirmed dry season or the heavy wet season, and that has both practical advantages and disadvantages for the visitor planning a trek in this window.
May: wet season tapering
May is typically the wettest month of the long rains in the Bwindi region, with higher average rainfall than March or April as the inter-tropical convergence zone reaches its southernmost position before beginning to shift north. However, the character of May rainfall is often different from the sustained downpours of April — shorter, more intense events with longer clear intervals, and more predictable afternoon rather than morning timing that allows morning treks to proceed in reasonable conditions even when afternoon storms are expected.
Trail conditions in May are at their most challenging of the year: the cumulative effect of three months of rainfall has saturated the clay soils, filled all the drainage channels, and turned the steeper sections of the trekking trails into mud slides that require careful footing even with good boots and trekking poles. The vegetation is at its most luxuriantly dense — a visual spectacle of forest abundance that is impressive in its own right but limits sight lines and makes the approach to the gorillas through thick undergrowth more challenging than in the dry season.
The practical benefits of May trekking are equally real. Visitor numbers are significantly lower than peak season — typically 50–60 percent of July-August levels — meaning that permit availability is better, lodges are less crowded, and the overall experience has a more private quality. Permit prices are the same as peak season (the Uganda Wildlife Authority does not offer seasonal discounts), but lodge rates are frequently lower and the availability of preferred rooms and activities is much better.
June: the beginning of the long dry season
June brings a progressive improvement in conditions as the wet season retreats. The first two weeks of June are often transitional — rain events continue but become less frequent, trails begin to drain and firm up, and the daily weather pattern shifts from consistent afternoon storms to more variable conditions. By the third and fourth weeks of June, many days are fully dry, and the trail conditions that characterise the preferred dry season trekking window are beginning to establish.
The vegetation response to the drying conditions is one of the most visually distinctive aspects of the June trekking experience. The forest does not dry out — Bwindi receives rainfall in every month of the year and the forest is never brown or parched in the way that savanna vegetation can appear. Instead, the wet season’s peak growth settles: leaves reach their full mature size, the canopy consolidates its density, and the visual complexity of the forest achieves the layered depth that makes it so photogenic. June forest photography often produces images that capture both the lushness of the wet season and the slightly clearer light of the improving dry conditions.
Wildlife activity in the transition period
The transition between wet and dry season is one of the most ecologically active periods in any seasonal tropical environment. The end of the wet season coincides with the end of the primary fruiting period for many forest trees — the abundant moisture and sunlight of the wet season drives fruit production that peaks in April and May and begins to decline in June as the dry season reduces available water. Gorilla families that have been exploiting this fruit abundance in the wet season may shift their ranging patterns in June as preferred fruit sources diminish, occasionally moving to new sections of their territory in search of remaining fruiting trees.
This movement variability can mean that the trek to the gorillas is longer and less predictable in June than in the confirmed dry season, when gorilla family movements are somewhat more established. But it also means more opportunities to encounter the gorillas in different parts of their range and in different forest types than would be visited on a standard Buhoma or Nkuringo approach, which adds variety to the experience for visitors who have trekked in Bwindi before or who have specific interest in the ecological diversity of different forest sections.
Practical planning for May-June visits
Packing for a May-June Bwindi visit should lean toward the wet season end of the gear spectrum rather than the dry season end: gaiters for the trail mud, rain-resistant trousers that dry quickly if wet, a full waterproof jacket rather than a light shell, and rubber boots available for hire at the park gate for the worst of the May trail conditions. June visitors can reduce the gaiters and rubber boots if conditions have improved by their specific trek date, but having them available is insurance against an unseasonably wet late June that occasionally occurs.
May is genuinely the quietest premium booking month of the gorilla trekking year. Visitors who are flexible about wet season conditions and who prioritise a more private experience over optimal trail conditions will find May one of the most rewarding months to visit — fewer trekking companions at the park gate, more attentive lodge service with lower occupancy, and the forest in its most dramatically green and alive seasonal state. The gorillas, for their part, are entirely indifferent to the calendar month: the Mubare family has been trekked in every May since 1993, in conditions ranging from perfect sunshine to sustained heavy rain, and they have been found on every occasion.
