Updated
A 3-day gorilla trip from Nairobi is possible if you fly: Nairobi to Entebbe takes about 1 hour 15 minutes, a scheduled light aircraft continues to Kihihi or Kisoro near Bwindi, you trek on day 2 and fly back on day 3. Expect to pay roughly US$2,000–2,800 per person, including the US$800 gorilla permit (US$600 in April, May and November), return flights from Nairobi, domestic flights and one or two nights at a mid-range lodge. The plan only works if every flight connects, so allow a spare night if you can. This guide sets out the timing, costs and alternatives.
How the three days work
Day 1: take an early flight from Nairobi to Entebbe with Kenya Airways or Uganda Airlines, then connect to a scheduled domestic flight to Kihihi, for Buhoma in northern Bwindi, or to Kisoro, for the southern sectors and Mgahinga. Domestic flights take about 1.5–2 hours, often with a stop, and run on set schedules, so build your plan around them. A lodge vehicle meets you at the airstrip for the drive of about an hour to the lodge.
Day 2: the gorilla briefing starts at about 7:30 am. Treks last from two to eight hours in total, including the hour with the gorillas, so keep the rest of the day free. Day 3: fly back to Entebbe on a morning domestic flight and connect to an afternoon or evening flight to Nairobi.
If the day 1 connection does not line up, stay overnight in Entebbe and fly to Bwindi the next morning, making it a four-day trip. That extra night also gives you a buffer if the Nairobi flight is late. See our guide to the Nairobi to Entebbe flight.
What it costs
Per person, the main items are the gorilla permit, which includes park entry on the trekking day; return flights between Nairobi and Entebbe, often around US$250–450; domestic flights between Entebbe and Kihihi or Kisoro, roughly US$300–500 each way; one or two nights at a mid-range lodge with meals, about US$150–350 per night; airstrip transfers; a porter at about US$15–20; and tips. Most nationalities also need a Uganda e-visa (US$50) or the East Africa Tourist Visa (US$100), while Kenyan citizens do not need a visa.
That usually adds up to about US$2,000–2,800 per person, more with a luxury lodge or a private charter. Residents of Kenya with a valid permit may qualify for Uganda’s lower resident gorilla permit rate; ask your operator.
Alternatives from Nairobi
Via Kigali. Fly from Nairobi to Kigali, about 1.5 hours, then drive 3–5 hours to Bwindi’s southern sectors or Mgahinga, crossing at Katuna or Cyanika. This avoids domestic flights in Uganda and can be cheaper, but needs at least four days. It also makes it easy to trek in Rwanda instead, at a higher permit price of US$1,500.
By road. Driving from Nairobi to Bwindi takes two long days, via the Malaba or Busia border and Kampala, so it only makes sense on a longer overland trip. Our guide to Nairobi to Bwindi options compares every route, and our guide to Kigali to Bwindi by road covers the border crossing.
Booking tips
Secure the gorilla permit first, for a sector that matches your airstrip: Kihihi for Buhoma, or Kisoro for Rushaga, Nkuringo and Mgahinga. Then book the domestic flights, a lodge in the same sector, and finally the Nairobi flights around the domestic schedule. Light aircraft have strict baggage limits, often around 15 kg in soft bags, so pack light. Because the plan has no slack, flexible tickets and travel insurance are worth having. Our guide to booking a gorilla permit explains the order.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, by flying Nairobi–Entebbe and then on to Kihihi or Kisoro, if the flights connect. Four days gives a safer buffer.
Roughly US$2,000–2,800 per person with a mid-range lodge, including the permit and all flights.
Yes. The permit covers park entry on the day of your trek.
No. Kenyan citizens can enter Uganda without a visa as East African Community citizens.
The fly-in format for the Bwindi gorilla trek — using Aerolink Uganda’s Kihihi or Kisoro airstrips rather than the road transfer — saves the two-day ground transfer that the standard itinerary requires and converts those days into additional wildlife activity time, making the marginal cost of the flight justifiable against the two lodge nights and driver costs that the ground alternative requires.
