Let’s pack for a trek to see the mountain gorillas in Uganda!

This is a 4 day trip to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Day 1: Fly to Entebbe
Day 2: Fly from Entebbe to Kisoro, drive to Rushaga and spend the afternoon walking around the local villages
Day 3: Trek with gorillas in the Rushaga area
Day 4: Fly from Kisoro to Entebbe.

This is a list for staying in lodges & hotels for the duration of the trip and doing sink laundry when necessary.

During the trek wear neutral colors. Also prepare for rain, river crossings, and walking uphill.

Troop assignments happen morning of at the park entrance. This also means hikers will not know the distance (anywhere from 30 minutes to 5 hours total) to the gorilla family until they’ve been assigned. For reference, my group took 1.5 hours to reach.

Due to the nature of the activity (mud & sweat!) it’s good to have a change of clothes, including shoes, for the return to the lodge. Most lodges will offer complimentary shoe cleaning post-trek and will give you crocs or sandals while your shoes dry.

Musts

• Passport
• Uganda Tourism Visa
• Gorilla Trekking Permit
• Traveler’s Insurance
• Surgical/KN95 mask for gorilla encounter (mandatory)
• Wallet
• Phone (+ charger, 6’ cable, adapter)

Okay, onto the the list!

Clothing

Tops

• 1x Long sleeve merino wool sun hoodie
• 1x Linen button up
• 1x Merino wool short sleeve

Bottoms

• 1x Quick dry pant with pockets (for the trek)
• 1x Linen pant (elastic waist, wide leg and breezy)
• 1x Trousers (tech fabric that looks luxe, has belt loops and pockets)

Do I need all of these pants? No! But I do enjoy having an outfit just for travel, so I brought my black trousers to go with the black top. On this trip, my travel day outfit was also my dinner outfit. All black hides stains and looks chic. I did expect intense heat during the day, so I brought the linen pants for a breezy alternative.

Under Layers

• 2x Unders
• 1x Set of PJs
• 1x High impact sports bra (for those bumpy roads and the trek)
• 1x Branwyn merino wool bralette
• 2x Pairs quarter crew Darn Tough merino wool socks (excellent warranty!)
• 1x Pair crew length Darn Tough merino wool socks

Weather

• 1x Rain jacket
• 1x Down puffer jacket
• 1x Merino wool crewneck jacket
• 1x Wool buff

Footwear

• Chacos lowdown sandal (💖💖💖!)
• Trail runners

Optional Items

• 1x Dress or “dress up” option for dinner at the lodge (not necessary as the vibe is super casual. Also heads up that it gets chilly at night)

Optional Trek Specific Items

• Hiking boots (my trail runners worked great, but to each their own)
• Gaiters (some lodges rent these, check with yours. I don’t use them)
• Gardening gloves (for thorny bushes. I got by with my long sleeves)

Miscellaneous

• 1x Hat
• 1x pair Sunglasses
• Snacks (protein bars, peanuts, plantains, “trail mix”)
• Sleep kit: eye mask, ear plugs
• 1x Packable shopping bag
• 1x Kula cloth (for those who squat to pee. Better than tp!)
• 1x 1 Liter collapsible water bottle
• 1x mini sewing kit (or a needle with a long thread attached in a baggie) 
• 9′ of paracord (DIY laundry line)

Toiletries

(decant your liquids, and opt for solid toiletries when possible)

• UL toothbrush (or a more reasonable Travel toothbrush)
• 1x Bite guard 
• Toothpaste tabs (or tiny airplane tubes)
• 4x Tooth flossers (clean and reuse)

• SPF 50 Face moisturizer (decanted into a lip gloss tube)
• Tinted sunscreen in a 1 oz tin or smaller (for my face)
• Sunscreen stick (for everywhere else)

• Baking soda deodorant (decanted into a small tin)
• Diva cup 
• Travel Razor
• Solid conditioner bar in matador case (they also make solid shampoo)
• Dr Bronners soap in a matador case (soap for body, hair, & clothes)

• Hair Kit: hair brush, 1x hair clip, 2x hair ties (great for thick hair!)
• Lanolin lip balm (The best for chapped lips. Ignore the packaging in the link. I buy this one and decant it into lip gloss tubes)

Electronics

• 1x 30w charger
• 1x Adapter (Uganda has type G outlets like the UK)
• 1x 6’ charging cable (plugs can be in the weirdest spots)
• Headphones
• External battery bank
• 1x USB-C to USB-A adapter (not all public ports have upgraded to USB-C)

Meds & First Aid

(I am not a doctor, these are suggestions)

I keep these in tiny ziplock baggies in a pouch

• Electrolyte chewable tablets (it’s easy to get dehydrated if taking malaria pills or having digestive issues)
• 1x Bottle Picaradin lotion (insect repellant)
• Zinc oxide cream (for heat rash if you’re prone)
• 1x “Swiss army knife” (never had an issue with TSA or other entity)
• Assorted meds in a 1 oz. tin or tiny zipped baggies
  • Imodium, gas x, Pepto, Tums, Tagamet (for sensitive travel-bellies)
  • ibuprofen, Excedrin, melatonin (for sleep)
  • malaria medication (if taking)
  • Cipro (emergency antibiotics)
  • Dramamine or equivalent (for nausea and dizziness)
• 1’ of Anti-blister tape (wrapped around a q tip) or Compeed (if needed)
• 1x Contact lens container (with hydrocortisone cream and bug balm)
• 1x Pack of hand soap flakes
• 1x Travel bidet (or more Ultralight bidet)
• 1x Pack of body wipes
• 1x Travel bottle of hand sanitizer
• 4x Bandaids (different sizes)

Camera Equipment

Heads up: Drones are not allowed in the parks.

• 1x Digital camera
• 1x Zoom/Telephoto lens (70mm and tighter range)
• Multiple memory cards (300MB/s write speed) in a case or zippered pouch
• Multiple batteries
• Charger and cables
• 1x Memory card reader (to transfer photos to a computer or phone)
• 1x Gopro 360 (backup batteries, tripod/stick, backup memory card)

***You do not need this at all in order to have a good experience! Your phone will take great photos as you do get VERY close to the gorillas. If someone in your group brings a nice camera set up, ask them if they can send you their photos after the trip. I have found photographers are happy to share what they captured.

Camera cleaning kit

• 1x Lens cleaning pen
• 2x Sensor cleaning sticks
• 1x Air blower for dust
• 1x Bottle of cleaning spray and a microfiber cloth (I decant the cleaning spray into a small perfume atomizer)

Baggage

I am packing in a 28L bag as I am not bringing much, but a 40L will also work. You will need a day bag for the trek so keep that in mind.

My bag will function as my daybag as well. I LOVE this bag. It’s the Matador Freerain28 waterproof backpack. Not only is it incredibly lightweight, but it is completely waterproof. This is nice peace of mind when visiting a rainy area.

Trekking outfit:

I brought an extra pair of socks to swap out if mine got wet on the trail. I could then hang the wet socks to dry off my bag. Everything else either insulates when it gets wet (wool) or is a quick dry material. I put my rain jacket and wool jacket in my daypack. Luckily it didn’t rain while we were on trail, but it did rain the night before so the ground was wet and muddy.

• 1x Long sleeve merino wool sun hoodie in sage green
• 1x High impact sports bra
• 1x Quick dry pant with pockets (for game drives and hiking)
• 1x Merino wool crewneck jacket
• 1x Rain jacket
• 1x Wool buff
• 1x Baseball cap
• 1x Pair of Trail runners

What I had in my daypack besides clothing:

• Sunscreen stick 
• Tinted sunscreen 
• SPF lip balm
• Electrolyte chewable tablets (it’s easy to get dehydrated if taking malaria pills or having digestive issues)
• 1x 1 Liter collapsible water bottle (filled with water before the trek)
• 1x Insulated water bottle (filled with water before the trek)
• 1x Kula cloth 
• 1x Travel bottle of hand sanitizer
• 1x pair of Sunglasses
• Snacks (expect anywhere from 1.5-5 hours of trekking)
• 1x “Swiss army knife” 
• 1’ of Anti-blister tape
• 1x Contact lens container (with hydrocortisone cream and bug balm)
• 1x Bottle Picaradin lotion (insect repellant)
• 1x External battery bank
• 1x Gopro 360 (backup batteries, tripod/stick, backup memory card)

eSIM

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I hope this list helps you pack lighter on your next trip. Remember, less is more!

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