About This Property
Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary, sits inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda’s Buhoma sector — the only luxury lodge inside the park gates, about a five-minute walk from the morning gorilla-trekking briefing. It reopened in June 2025 after a complete rebuild of the old Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp (the property started as a mobile tented camp in 1993). Go2Africa’s listing URL still uses the old camp name; the rooms tab on that page still describes eight tents. Current A&K and Wetu inventory is ten standalone suites.
Each suite is set apart in the trees, about 60 m², with a king four-poster under a mosquito net, floor-to-ceiling glass, a private veranda with two sculptural hanging chairs, a minibar, desk, telephone, safe, tea and coffee, and an en-suite bathroom with a large round bathtub looking into the forest plus an indoor shower. Wetu lists complimentary Wi-Fi. Every guest is issued a pair of Leica binoculars for the stay.
The palm-thatched main lodge is an open-sided lounge, bar and dining space in pale terracotta, with an Explorer’s Lounge (books, maps, replica gorilla bones) and a spa. Sundowners are around the campfire; Go2Africa and A&K both mention live folk music. Meals are African-inspired, in the dining room over the canopy or on a raised platform; an all-day snack menu has replaced afternoon tea.
Gorilla tracking is the reason to come. Eight visitors per habituated group per day; one hour once the family is found; children 15 and over only. Permits and park fees are extra. A&K notes that gorillas have been known to visit the grounds. When you are not on a trek: the Munyaga Waterfall Trail (about three hours with a Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger), birding walks (Wetu: more than 350 species, 24 regional endemics), and A&K Philanthropy community and Batwa visits.
Practical notes: the suites climb a forested slope (AFAR: villa 10 is the furthest walk). Laundry is listed as complimentary on Wetu. Fully inclusive rates cover meals and selected drinks. Kihihi is the nearest airstrip, then a long dirt-road transfer. Check-in and check-out times are not published on the current official pages.
Why We Love It
We love this lodge for the geography that the rebuild did not change: it is inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, a five-minute walk from the Buhoma briefing, which is the whole point of sleeping here the night before you track.
The June 2025 reopening turned the old eight-tent Sanctuary camp into ten secluded suites — king four-posters, forest-view bathtubs, hanging chairs on the deck, a pair of Leica binoculars in your hand. The main lodge is open-sided over the canopy, with an Explorer’s Lounge that actually has maps and replica gorilla bones, and a campfire for the evening you come off the trail.
We also like that the stay is not only the hour with the family. The Munyaga waterfall walk, serious Albertine-rift birding, and the A&K Philanthropy community and Batwa visits give you a reason to book the second night. Every stay funds those community projects; that is written into how A&K runs the place, not as a footnote.
It is still a hillside forest lodge. Some suites sit a climb from the main area. Go2Africa’s page has not fully caught up with the new rooms. If you want to be in the park at dawn, that trade-off is the correct one.
Rooms & Details
Forest Suite
Ten standalone suites, about 60 m², sit apart in the forest on a slope above the Buhoma gate. Each has a king-size four-poster with a mosquito net, seating, floor-to-ceiling glass, and a private veranda with two hanging chairs.
The ensuite has a large round bathtub looking into the trees and an indoor shower. Complimentary minibar, desk, telephone, safe, tea and coffee, hairdryer and dressing gowns. No air conditioning is listed. Maximum 20 guests.
Main lodge
Open-sided lounge, bar and dining with forest views, fireplaces and an Explorer’s Lounge of books, maps and replica gorilla bones. Complimentary Wi-Fi, spa, boutique of locally made products, campfire sundowners and live African folk music.
Forest fire pit
A sunken gravel fire pit sits below the deck, ringed with lounge chairs and the forest. Gorilla trekking (15+ only, permit extra) starts about a five-minute walk away at the Buhoma briefing.
This A&K Sanctuary lodge is a sister stay to Sanctuary Baines’ Camp in the Okavango and Sanctuary Swala Camp in Tanzania.
Amenities & Features
Photo Gallery
Rates
Prices start from $800 per night. Final pricing depends on season, room type, and availability. Check current rates on our booking partner's site for the most accurate pricing.
What's Included
- Breakfast
- Lunch (in the dining room overlooking the rainforest, or on a raised platform in fine weather — Go2Africa)
- Dinner (African-inspired cuisine; dining room or raised natural platform)
- Selected beverages on the fully inclusive rate; all-day snack menu (Go2Africa: has replaced afternoon tea and pre-dinner snacks)
- Fully inclusive meals and selected beverages (Go2Africa); all-day snack menu in place of afternoon tea and pre-dinner snacks
- Complimentary laundry (Wetu facilities list)
- Complimentary Wi-Fi; complimentary minibar in each suite (Wetu room list)
- Leica binoculars issued for the stay (A&K Sanctuary / Wetu)
- Gorilla trekking in the Buhoma sector (UWA permit extra; eight visitors per group; one hour once the family is found; children 15+ only)
- Munyaga Waterfall Trail guided forest walk with a Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger (about 2.5 miles / three hours; Wetu)
- Birding walks (Wetu: two to three hours; more than 350 bird species in Bwindi, 24 regional endemics listed)
- Spa treatments (Go2Africa / Wetu; extra) and A&K Philanthropy community / Batwa cultural tours (extra unless a package states otherwise)
Go2Africa fully inclusive: accommodation, all meals, selected beverages. Wetu also lists complimentary laundry, complimentary Wi-Fi, complimentary minibar and (on the facilities list) a complimentary airport shuttle. Gorilla-trekking permits, Uganda Wildlife Authority park fees, spa treatments, premium drinks if excluded, and most cultural / birding add-ons are extra unless a package states they are wrapped in. Confirm the shuttle versus a paid Kihihi road transfer at booking.
Location
How to Get There
By air — Kihihi Airstrip
Go2Africa names Kihihi, Uganda, as the nearest airport. Partner pages for the rebuilt lodge: scheduled light-aircraft from Entebbe to Kihihi (Yellow Zebra about 1 hour 45 minutes; an AFAR stay reported about an hour), then a road transfer of about 1.5–2 hours depending on road conditions (Yellow Zebra about 1.5 hours; AFAR nearly two hours on rutted dirt). Older operator copy still prints about 45 minutes from Kihihi — treat that as stale and plan for the longer window. Wetu lists a complimentary airport shuttle; a 2024 Sanctuary Uganda rack (pre-rebuild) charged Kihihi–lodge as a per-vehicle extra. Confirm whether the airstrip transfer is included on your rate.
By road
The lodge sits inside the Buhoma sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. A 2024 Sanctuary rack also listed road options from Kigali, from Queen Elizabeth (Ishasha and Mweya), and a short Buhoma-to-lodge return. Road transfers run in daylight. Check-in and check-out times are not published on the current A&K or Go2Africa pages — confirm with reservations, especially if you have an afternoon Kihihi arrival.
On the ground
A&K, AFAR and Yellow Zebra place the lodge about a five-minute walk from the Buhoma / Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla-trekking briefing point, inside the park gates. Villas are numbered 1–10 up the hillside; AFAR notes villa 10 is the furthest climb — ask for a lower number if you want a shorter walk.
Nearby Attractions
Buhoma gorilla-trekking trailhead and Uganda Wildlife Authority briefing point; Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Munyaga Waterfall Trail, birding, primates); Bwindi community / A&K Philanthropy visits (women’s bicycle enterprise, bead workshop, school, hospital); Batwa cultural experience
Things to Do
At the property
Watch the canopy from a suite veranda (hanging chairs; Leica binoculars issued for the stay). Bird and monkey-watch around camp. After a trek, the spa. Explorer’s Lounge for maps and books on Bwindi. Sundowners and gorilla stories around the campfire; live folk music is listed by A&K. Boutique of locally made crafts. Fully inclusive dinner in the dining room or on the raised platform.
In the local area
Gorilla tracking from the Buhoma briefing (permit extra; eight visitors per group; one hour once found; 15+). Munyaga Waterfall Trail — about 2.5 miles, three hours, with a Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger (Wetu: giant forest hog, red-tailed, blue and colobus monkeys, baboons, chimpanzees). Birding walks, two to three hours (more than 350 species; African green broadbill, African emerald cuckoo and African pitta named). A&K Philanthropy Bwindi Community Tour (about two hours: women’s bicycle enterprise, bead workshop, school, hospital). Full-day Batwa cultural experience (three-hour forest walk plus an hour in camp — music, hunting and gathering demonstration, stories).
Day trips
Most guests stay in Buhoma for the trek and forest. Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Ishasha Sector is a listed road option on the older Sanctuary transfer sheet. Permits and park fees are booked separately from the room.
Good to Know
Name: Trades as Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary. Formerly Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp (opened 1993 as a mobile tented camp). Completely rebuilt and reopened June 2025 as a 10-suite lodge. Go2Africa’s URL and some room copy still describe eight tents with two queen beds — that is the old camp; current A&K / Wetu inventory is ten standalone suites with king four-poster beds. Location: Inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Buhoma sector. A&K markets it as the only luxury lodge inside the park gates; Buhoma Lodge is the other in-park property. About a five-minute walk to the gorilla briefing. Children: Wetu Fast Facts minimum child age 6. Go2Africa glance still reads “Children Under 12 Welcome”. Gorilla trekking is 15+ (UWA / Wetu). Chalo Africa writes “children of all ages” — that conflicts with Wetu; we have used Wetu 6+ to stay, 15+ to trek. The 2026 A&K Sanctuary children-stay-free offer excludes this lodge. Permits: Eight visitors per gorilla group per day; one hour once the family is found. Permits must be bought in advance and are extra. Sightings are not guaranteed; gorillas have been known to walk through camp (A&K; Go2Africa guest notes from the old camp). Fitness / access: Treks are steep, muddy and can last many hours. Suites sit on a forested slope; AFAR: villa 10 is the longest climb. An older guest note on the previous camp mentioned 94 steps from the road — the rebuilt layout differs; expect hillside walking. Included vs extra: Go2Africa fully inclusive = meals and selected beverages. Wetu: complimentary laundry, Wi-Fi, minibar, airport shuttle (shuttle conflicts with the 2024 paid Kihihi transfer — confirm). Spa, gorilla permits, park fees, birding/community/Batwa tours: treat as extra unless your invoice says otherwise. Check-in / out: Not on the current official or Go2Africa pages. A 2024 Sanctuary rack listed check-out 10:00. Left blank rather than assumed. What3Words: none published.
Who It's For
Travellers whose main aim is mountain gorilla trekking in Buhoma and who want to sleep inside the national park, a short walk from the briefing rather than a road transfer. Couples and honeymooners in the 10 identical forest suites. Families: Wetu minimum age 6 to stay; gorilla trekking is 15+. Not a savannah Big Five lodge — this is rainforest, primates and a hillside. Villa 10 is the longest walk; request a lower number if you prefer less climbing. You need to be fit enough for a steep, potentially long trek.
Best Time to Visit
Gorilla trekking is offered year-round. Drier forest trails are typically June–September and December–February. Go2Africa’s 2026 fully inclusive bands on this listing: 1 July–31 October 2026; 1 November–20 December 2026 (lower band); 21 December 2026–2 January 2027. Partner 2026 rack in the same USD 800 / 1,300 split: low 1 April–31 May and 1 November–20 December; high the remaining open dates including 3 January–31 March, June, July–September, October and 21 December–2 January. Overnight in Bwindi the night before tracking.
