Uganda
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Before we head out to Uganda for the gorilla trek we decided to have a slow morning at La Paillotte first. The border of Uganda was not so far away, so we had a bit of time to relax in the morning. Around noon, we packed up and headed back to our jeep. Today, we’re crossing into Uganda for our gorilla trek. We chose Uganda because the permit prices are much more affordable—gorilla trekking costs around €1500 in Rwanda but about $750 in Uganda.
Sunrise at La Paillotte
We woke up at 5:30 am to the gentle sound of birdsong on the island—a truly peaceful way to start the day. Since we were already awake, we decided to take a short walk up the 30-meter hill to watch the sunrise.
We made it to Uganda!
At the Uganda border, we faced a slow and somewhat confusing crossing process. Despite the checkpoint being just 50 to 100 meters long, it took about an hour and felt like we were being bounced between seven different stations. Finally, after an hour, we cleared the border and drove into Uganda—where, heads up, they drive on the left side of the road (unlike Rwanda’s right-side driving). After about 1.5 hours, we arrived at Nshongi Camp, right on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. From the terrace of our room, we enjoyed lovely views of the forest. They said it’s sometimes possible to spot gorillas from here, but we only caught sight of some deer. We settled in early, knowing we had to be ready by 7:20 am for our gorilla trek the next day.
