Trip Overview
In short: Two nights in Rushaga, one full Gorilla Habituation Experience and private transfers from and to Kigali via the Cyanika border. Ideal if you are flying into Rwanda or adding gorillas to an East Africa trip.
Rushaga, in the south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, is closer to Kigali than to Entebbe. The drive from Kigali takes roughly 4.5 to 5 hours via Musanze and the Cyanika border, against 8 to 10 hours from Entebbe. That makes Kigali the natural start for a short habituation trip.
This itinerary does one thing: it gets you to Rushaga the day before your permit, gives you a full habituation day with up to four hours alongside a gorilla family, and brings you back to Kigali. There is no rest day, so it suits travellers who are reasonably fit and short on time.
Because habituation permits are limited to eight a day across Uganda, we confirm your permit before booking anything else and then fit the transfers around it.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1Kigali to Rushaga, Bwindi
Your driver-guide collects you from your Kigali hotel or the airport after breakfast. You drive north through Rwanda’s hills to Musanze, at the foot of the Virunga volcanoes, then cross into Uganda at Cyanika. After border formalities it is a short drive through Kisoro and the final stretch through farmland to the edge of Bwindi. You arrive at your Rushaga lodge in the afternoon with time to settle in, check your kit and have an early night.
Overnight: Four Gorillas Lodge, Rushaga · Meals: Lunch, dinner
Day 2The Gorilla Habituation Experience
After an early breakfast you drive about 10 minutes to the Rushaga park office for registration and a briefing from the Uganda Wildlife Authority by 7:30 am. You set off with the trackers and research team, following the trail from the family’s night nests. The walk in can take from one to several hours, often off-trail through dense undergrowth.
Once the family is found you stay with them for up to four hours, watching feeding, grooming and play while researchers record behaviour around you. Wear your face mask, keep at least 7 metres away and speak quietly. You collect your certificate at the park office and return to the lodge in the afternoon.
Overnight: Four Gorillas Lodge, Rushaga · Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch, dinner
Day 3Rushaga to Kigali
After a relaxed breakfast you drive back to Cyanika and on to Kigali, arriving in the afternoon. We can drop you at your hotel or at Kigali International Airport for an evening flight. If you have time to spare, extend with a night in Musanze for golden monkeys in Volcanoes National Park.
Meals: Breakfast
Price and What’s Included
Priced per person and quoted for your dates, group size and lodge choice, always including the US$1,500 habituation permit. Groups of four are the most cost-effective, because four people fill a whole habituation group.
Included
- Gorilla Habituation Experience permit, booked in your name
- Private 4×4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof, fuel and English-speaking driver-guide
- Airport or border meet-and-greet and all transfers
- Accommodation as listed, or similar
- Meals as listed, full board outside the cities
- Drinking water in the vehicle
- Support from our Uganda team throughout
Not included
- International flights
- Visas (see our visa guide)
- Travel and medical insurance, including evacuation
- Porter fees on trek days
- Drinks, laundry and optional activities
- Tips for guides, rangers and lodge staff
See our gorilla trip cost guide for typical flight, visa, insurance and tipping costs.
