Uganda's luxe gorilla trekking lodge has reopened, better than ever

Uganda’s most luxurious gorilla trekking base reopens after a complete renewal.

UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, is home to more than half of the world’s 1000 remaining mountain gorillas. Perched high in the trees (and the only luxury accommodation inside the park gates), the luxurious Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary, has reopened following a complete rebuild and redesign.

Discover Gorilla Forest Lodge.

The location

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park dates back as far as 25,000 years, making it one of Africa’s oldest rainforests. And, today, one of the continent’s most biologically diverse. Most famously, it provides refuge to about 459 mountain gorillas.

Spend time with the impressive locals. (Image: Getty/ Andrey Gudkov)

Which is why it’s one of the best places in the world to go gorilla trekking, a chance to experience a face-to-face encounter with these primates in their natural habitat.

Even beyond gorillas, it’s a fascinating place, with 400 plant species to find and more than 369 bird species to try and spot. Along with 120 species of mammals, including 14 species of primates, such as the African elephant, giant forest hogs, red-tailed, blue and colobus monkeys, baboons and chimpanzees.

The Lodge

Stay in spacious rooms when you’re not out exploring.

The lodge’s redesign celebrates Ugandan craftsmanship and honours its surrounds; from banana-fibre stools crafted in village workshops to woven ceiling panels produced by NGO Ride 4 a Woman, and textiles created by Florence Nakachwa’s Mekeka Designs, which empowers women through weaving. Papyrus thatch roofs blend into the surrounding tree canopy, while weathered Corten steel meshes with bark.

Each of the 10 suites in Gorilla Forest Lodge has been enlarged to fit floor-to-ceiling windows and expansive decks to make indoors and outdoors feel as one. The design and decor feature clay-textured plaster walls, woven banana leaf ceilings and elongated framed vistas. Even the rugs tell a story, reclaimed from agricultural waste and transformed into something beautiful. And let’s not forget the large bath for a luxe soak after searching for gorillas all day.

Sustainability has been kept top of mind with rainwater collection systems, composting, repurposed materials and building choices to ensure minimal waste and environmental footprint.

Lodge activities

Merge into your surroundings with a large balcony.

First and foremost, the Gorilla Forest lodge offers gorilla trekking. Keeping groups to a maximum of eight guests, expert rangers lead the way deep into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to see the locals, belonging to one of 12 family gorilla groups living here.

To see more of the stunning natural beauty surrounding the lodge, guests can join forest walks along the Munyaga Waterfall Trail to discover its diverse ecosystem. Or participate in a birding walk, where you’ll soak up a local expert’s knowledge as they guide you on a two-to-three-hour walk. Along the way, try to spot the African green broadbill, African emerald cuckoo and the brightly coloured African pitta.

All of this creates the perfect excuse to finally book that once-in-a-lifetime trip to Uganda.