Beyond Gorillas
Terraced farmland and forested hills near RushagaLake Bunyonyi with wooded islandsForested hills above Rushaga under a big sky
Rushaga, Bwindi, Uganda

The trek is one morning. The village is the rest.

Days out with the people who live around Bwindi: coffee, weaving, the Batwa trails, music. Book direct and the money stays in the villages next to the park.

See the days outPlan a trip

Most people come to Bwindi for one morning with the gorillas. Stay for the people who live beside the forest.

Mountain gorilla eating leaves in Bwindi
The reason you came

One hour with a gorilla family.

We help with permits, lodging and the trek itself. Then we show you what else this corner of Uganda has to offer.

Ask about permits
What we do

Permits get people to Bwindi. We give them something to do after.

Most visitors trek, sleep, and leave. The families around the park see very little of that money. We work with local guides and groups to offer days out run by the people who live here, so guests meet them properly and the payment goes straight to them.

We also help with gorilla permits and lodging, and we plan the whole trip if you want one person to deal with.

Wooden farm gate on a track above a green valley
Forested valley with tea and farmland near Rushaga
Days out

Pick one. Or stack two.

Red cups of coffee on a patterned cloth013 hours

Coffee with a farmer

Walk the farm, pick, dry and roast on a clay pot, then drink what you made.

02Full day

Batwa forest trails

Walk with Batwa guides who explain how the forest was used for food and medicine.

032 hours

Basket weaving

Sit with local women and learn the weave. Take your basket home.

Village dancers in orange skirts in a forest clearing04Ask us

Community dance

A local group sings, drums and dances. Stay for the questions afterwards.

Terraced ridge with a dirt track05Ask us

Village and farm walk

Banana beer brewing, tea plantation walks and community walks with a local guide.

06On request

School visit, cooking, birding

Ask us. We arrange these around your dates.

Times are typical. We fit them around your trek day.

Dance circle in a forest clearing under tall trees
The Rushaga dance group

Women from the village, on their own ground.

They perform in a clearing at the forest edge. It is not a stage show. You stand close, you feel the drum in your chest, and afterwards they will talk to you if you ask.

Dancers in orange skirts and navy shirts, arms raised
Singers around a drum in patterned wraps
Our impact

From your booking to the forest, in five steps.

We keep this simple on purpose. This is the order it moves in.

You book directNo agent in the middle.
Guide is paidA fair day rate.
Families earnFarmers, weavers, dancers.
Schools and clinicsSupplies and repairs.
Forest staysTree planting, plastic pick-ups, anti-poaching.
Places

Around Bwindi, and further.

We are based in Rushaga, in the south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. For longer trips we also plan Queen Elizabeth, Lake Bunyonyi, the Rwenzoris, Mgahinga, Kibale, Murchison Falls, Lake Mutanda, Lake Mburo, Semuliki and Kidepo.

Terraced hills above Lake Bunyonyi
Young mountain gorilla looking out through leaves
Small waterfall in a rocky stream bed
A young man and two children standing on a hill above Lake Bunyonyi
Elephant beside the road near Queen Elizabeth National Park
Malachite kingfisher on a reed
Buffalo cooling off in the Kazinga Channel
Yellow-billed stork on the bank of the Kazinga Channel

Rushaga, Lake Bunyonyi, and a boat trip on the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Lake Bunyonyi with islands and green hills
Plan a trip

Tell us your dates.

Message us on WhatsApp for the quickest answer. Tell us how many people, how many days, and whether you already have gorilla permits.

Message on WhatsApp
Email
info@beyondgorillas.com
Phone
+256 774 231 913
Where
Rushaga, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
Hours
Daily, 8:00 to 18:00 (East Africa Time)