Updated
For a Uganda gorilla safari, pack light and soft. International airlines usually allow one or two checked bags of about 23 kg each in economy, but check your own ticket, and if you are taking a light aircraft to Kihihi or Kisoro, the limit is usually about 15 kg per person in total, in a soft bag. Keep valuables, medication, your camera and anything you need on the first day in your hand luggage, and remember that plastic carrier bags are banned in Uganda.
International flights
Allowances vary by airline and fare, so check before you pack, especially on connecting flights with different carriers. Weigh bags at home, as overweight fees can be high. Lock checked bags, and pack fragile items such as binoculars or lenses in your hand luggage, padded with clothes. Lithium batteries, power banks and spare camera batteries must travel in hand luggage, not in checked bags. See our guide to arriving at Entebbe.
Light aircraft and road safaris
Small planes to the parks have strict weight limits that include hand luggage, and soft duffel bags fit their holds better than hard suitcases. Many hotels in Entebbe or Kampala will store extra luggage while you are on safari. On a road safari, space in the vehicle is also limited, and soft bags are easier to load. See our guide to domestic flights.
What to pack and what to leave
For gorilla trekking you need waterproofs, long trousers and sleeves, broken-in boots, gloves, a small day pack and warm layers; most lodges offer laundry, so a week’s clothes are enough for longer trips. Leave behind plastic carrier bags, drones unless you have permission, camouflage clothing, and excess valuables. Pack medication in its original packaging with prescriptions. See our guides to the gorilla trekking packing list and drone rules.
Hand luggage essentials
Carry your passport, e-visa approval, yellow fever certificate, gorilla permit details, medication, camera, chargers, a change of clothes and a rain jacket in your hand luggage, in case checked bags are delayed. The gorilla permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November.
Frequently asked questions
Usually about 15 kg per person in total, in soft bags; check with the airline.
No, plastic carrier bags are banned.
Yes, many Entebbe and Kampala hotels store bags.
In hand luggage; spare lithium batteries cannot go in checked bags.
Luggage Practicalities for the Gorilla Trek
A gorilla trekking trip’s luggage structure creates a two-tier system: the main safari bag that stays in the vehicle or at the lodge while the gorilla trek is completed, and the small daypack that accompanies the visitor on the trek itself. The main safari bag’s weight limit for the domestic flights that some Uganda itineraries include is typically 15 to 20kg, and the airlines enforce this more strictly on the small bush aircraft that serve Kisoro and Kihihi than on the larger regional jets. The daypack for the trek should be small (20 to 25 litres), waist-belt stabilised for steep terrain, and waterproof — not water-resistant — for the wet season months when forest rain is a daily possibility rather than an occasional event. Visitors who pack their main safari bag thinking it will serve as the trek daypack typically find the weight, size, and absence of a hip belt creates exactly the discomfort that the forest terrain’s physical demands exacerbate.
The domestic flight weight limits that the small aircraft serving Kisoro and Kihihi enforce present a specific challenge for the photographer travelling with camera equipment — camera bodies, lenses, and accessories can easily add 6 to 8kg to the equipment load, pushing the main bag over the 15kg limit before clothing and toiletries are added. The solution that experienced Uganda photographers use is to carry the camera equipment in the personal item (a backpack that fits under the seat) rather than the checked bag, adding a camera bag of 8 to 10kg to the 15kg checked allowance rather than counting it against it. The bush aircraft operators’ ground staff are typically aware of this practice and do not object to a well-padded camera backpack as a cabin item when the total weight is managed. The checked bag’s content, freed of camera equipment weight, can then be optimised for the trip’s non-photographic requirements without the compromise that the camera equipment weight would otherwise impose.
