If You Go Gorilla Trekking in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Stay at This Newly Reimagined A&K Sanctuary

There are vacations, and then there are bucket-list vacations — the kind of trip that checks off an undeniably coveted, almost otherworldly experience. The sort of journey so rare it feels genuinely once-in-a-lifetime. For even the most discerning traveler, gorilla trekking in the African jungle belongs in that category.

When I traveled to Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to find gorillas, I was not the only one gushing their bucket list sentiments. What made the experience feel so surreal wasn’t just spending time mere inches from these fascinating (and enormous) creatures. It was doing so while traveling with Abercrombie & Kent, one of the world’s premier luxury travel companies, and staying at the newly renovated Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary, which served as a serene and comfortable home base for the journey.

Every guest at the safari lodge makes the multi-step journey to check off their bucket list and to see the critically endangered species in their completely wild, unpredictable, and natural habitat. And Gorilla Forest Lodge’s luxury hospitality makes the sojourn all worth it. 

Inside the All-New Gorilla Forest Lodge

After arriving in Entebbe, Uganda, I boarded a small bush plane that touched down on a gravel runway deep in the jungle. A smiling driver greeted us beside a vintage-esque Land Cruiser, and from there I began a roughly two-hour drive along winding dirt roads through misty, emerald-green mountains. Eventually, Gorilla Forest Lodge appeared from the dense foliage. The newest outpost of A&K Sanctuary is one of just 13 intimate, ultra-luxury lodges, camps, and riverboats owned and operated by Abercrombie & Kent across Africa, Egypt, and beyond.

Gorilla Forest Lodge reopened in June 2025 following a complete renovation that introduced all-new suites, an expanded main lodge, and a newly refurbished spa.

Johannesburg-based design firm Luxury Frontiers (the team behind Amangiri’s Camp Sarika and Four Seasons’ Naviva) was recruited to help reimagine the property, including the central lodge and 10 ultra-private villas. The team kept the project deeply rooted in its locale, incorporating nature and traditional craftsmanship throughout. Terracotta materials were used extensively, banana leaf and papyrus reed ceilings and sisal light fixture shades were hand-woven by local women, and furniture was crafted from native Ugandan wood. 

After a welcome drink and a detailed briefing for the upcoming trek, I was escorted to my villa. The all-new villas feel modern yet intentionally cozy, with plush beds draped in mosquito netting and comfortable lounge areas, including hanging patio chairs perfect for listening to the jungle’s constant birdsong. The bathroom’s deep soaking tubs and warm rain showers look directly out onto the surrounding greenery.

Shortly after settling in, my housekeeper stopped by to introduce himself, collect any laundry from my journey, and let me know he was available to arrange spa treatments or anything else I might need — a telling detail of the lodge’s attentive approach.

Gorilla Trekking in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

In addition to its luxury allure, Gorilla Forest Lodge is enticing as the only lodge (and luxury one at that) that is located within the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to nearly half of the entire gorilla population in the world. Permits to be a part of the coveted conservation project are extremely limited and book up quickly. The cost is around $800 per person per day, which is notably about half the price of a comparable permit in neighboring Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. While Rwanda has long been the more visible destination for gorilla trekking, Uganda remains a welcome alternative to well-known luxury Rwandan properties like One&Only Gorilla’s Nest.

After an early breakfast designed for fuel and paired with strong Ugandan coffee, guests are outfitted with walking sticks, gaiters for lower-leg protection, ponchos, backpacks, and water bottles. Boxed lunches are prepared in case the trek extends past mealtime.

From there, the Lodge team helps fit gear, transports guests to their designated starting points, and assists with introductions to local porters, who quite literally lend a hand through steep inclines and tricky terrain.

After selecting the short hike option (between short, moderate, or challenging, although nothing is guaranteed), our group — limited to just eight people — followed our guide on a steep, roughly 30-minute descent to meet the trackers, who had already located the family in a scenic open meadow. 

From there, visiting groups can only spend exactly one hour in the presence of the gorilla family, and must only stand by to observe. Photography is welcome, touching is not.

Being in the presence of the gorillas is as moving as veteran trekkers say. And it was well worth the steep hike back up the mountain, with adrenaline still pumping. 

Our second day of trekking provided a completely different experience from day one, with a longer but less steep hike through winding rivers and lush jungle greenery, which is why many trekkers prefer to double up their fun during their journey. 

Back at the lodge, afternoons unfold slowly. Guests trade stories about silverbacks that wandered closest and baby gorillas that stole the show, before retreating to villas for naps, quiet moments on patio swings watching red-tailed monkeys pass by, or visits to the lodge’s intimate two-treatment-room spa.

The spa menu includes deep-tissue massages, facials, body scrubs, and the signature Gorilla Journey treatment, which begins with a soothing foot soak and massage before transitioning into a full-body treatment designed to ease muscles taxed by the trek. Like much of the lodge, the spa partners with African wellness brand Healing Earth, which uses locally sourced ingredients.

Evenings are as picturesque as you might think. The bar and lounge fill with guests sipping cocktails made with locally distilled gin or bottles of Tusker beer, fires crackle, and a local musician plays a handmade instrument while singing traditional folk songs as the sun sets and jungle sounds intensify.

Dining at Gorilla Forest Lodge is unfussy but refined. Elegant dinners lead with nourishing, well-executed dishes such as local fish coconut curry, grass-fed steak, pork with sweet potato, and house-made mango tiramisu or chocolate cake for dessert – a nice way to lull guests to sleep after a long and fruitful day. 

A&K Philanthropy at Gorilla Forest Lodge

A stay at Gorilla Forest Lodge also supports a broader mission. Through A&K Philanthropy, Abercrombie & Kent’s nonprofit division, the lodge actively funds community projects focused on education, enterprise, health, and conservation in the surrounding Bwindi community.

Guests are welcome to visit these initiatives, located just minutes from the lodge, to better understand the impact of their stay. Projects include the female-led Bwindi Meraki Women Beads initiative, which teaches local women to create jewelry from recycled paper (many of the same beads appear in chandeliers back at the lodge). The Bwindi Women Bike Project refurbishes donated bicycles and bike parts to provide transportation while creating income opportunities for women. The Batwa Development Program offers insight into the culture of the Batwa people, the forest’s indigenous inhabitants.

As I packed to leave after a few unforgettable days in the verdant forest, my housekeeper arrived with my freshly washed hiking boots, which he had quietly collected from my room to make sure they were clean for the journey home. The feeling of those small acts of luxury care will stay with me, alongside the thousands of gorilla photos on my phone, as a fitting reminder of an undeniably bucket-list journey to Uganda.