There are few things in the world more powerful than a gorilla. One of those things is the feeling of standing 10 feet away from a gorilla with a 70-200mm lens.
It’s an absolutely incredible feeling and experience.
I’ve designed this photography workshop in Uganda to focus not just on gorillas though. This trip will also see some other incredible wildlife such as Golden Monkeys, Chimpanzees, Pangolins, and so much more.
We will head directly into one of the most beautiful places on the planet to photograph some of the most breath-stealing, humbling wildlife anywhere on the planet.
Costs / Info
- Dates:
- January 3-12, 2028
- Start / End City: Entebbe, Uganda
- Days: 10
- Maximum Group Size: 10
- Trip Style: Wildlife
- Fitness Level: Medium/High. The trekking into the gorillas can be tough.
- Price, there are options:
- With 1 Gorilla Trek = €6,400
- With 2 Gorilla Treks = €7,400
- With 3 Gorilla Treks = €8,400
Book Now
What’s Included
- Transport within Tour Dates
- Accommodation within Tour Dates
- All Meals
- Gorilla and Chimpanzee permits
- National Park Fees
- Photography Instruction by Brendan van Son
What’s Not Included
- Transport to/from Uganda
- Airport transfers (can be arranged)
- Tips for local guides
- Visas for Uganda and Rwanda (if needed)
- Snacks and alcoholic beverages
- Optional porters on treks ($25usd per day)
The Wildlife Photography Itinerary
This tour of Uganda is focused on the wildlife. Due to the requirement of permits, our itinerary is fixed.
Day 1 – Arrival in Uganda. Stay in Entebbe
Day 2 – Travel to Kibale National Park. Stay just outside the national park.
Day 3 – We will do our first trek to the Chimps in the morning. Photo editing in the afternoon.
Day 4: We will have our second Chimp trek in the morning, then drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Day 5: We will game drive across QE NP. The goal is to see the tree climbing lions. But also there’s the chance of leopards, hippos, elephants, and more.
Day 6: We’re in Bwindi, and here we’ll do our first gorilla trek!
Day 7: For those doing a second gorilla trek, this is the day. If not, we’ll visit the pangolin rescue center, and spend time in the local village.
Day 8: In the morning, this is gorilla trek 3 for those who want a 3rd chance. In the afternoon, we’ll head to Rwanda.
Day 9: In the morning, we’ll visit the incredibly rare golden monkeys. Then, we’ll head to Kigale and have a city tour.
Day 10: The tour ends after breakfast. Those continuing to Tanzania will fly to Arusha.
Book Here:
To reserve your space on this trip, please pay the deposit below. Before booking, please read the terms and conditions of payment here.
You do not need to decide how many gorilla treks you will do right away. However, if you decide to increase the number of treks, you’ll be invoiced and extra €1,000 1 year prior to the trip’s start date to secure the necessary permits.
Meet The Workshop Instructors
Brendan has been a professional travel photographer for over a decade. Over those years, he’s visited well over 100 countries and worked for some of the world’s most renowned companies and publications.
His journeys around the world are documented on his travel photography YouTube Channel.
FAQs For the Uganda Photography Workshop
This is an adventure class workshop. The reason for this being graded as an adventure class is due to the fact that we’re out in the wild for a lot of the trip. Moreover, there are a couple days of jungle trekking – which can be tough depending where the animals are. We’ll have comfortable accommodation every night, but there will be some bumpy roads in between.
Find out the difference in my trips here.
Honestly, that depends a lot on the wildlife and where it is. The chimps tend to be easier to get to, there are fairly defined paths, and not a lot of steep trekking.
The gorillas are more difficult as they’re often on steep slopes in the rainforest. That said, the parks try to arrange people who are “less physically able” to get to gorillas that are in easier to get to locations.
On my last trip, one of my gorilla treks was incredibly easy. The other was very difficult.
Porters are available to help carry things, and help you along the way.
Well, simply because there are some people who want more chances, and other people who just want one visit.
The gorilla treks aren’t easy, and there are plenty of people who will just want to see them once. However, there are others that will want many different experiences.
I would say 2.
The last time I did the trip, one of my gorilla experiences was ok. The second one was amazing. If I only did one, I would have been left wanting more.
That said, 3 is the best – if you’re fit enough.
Honestly, there’s no real deadline. However, the number of permits are limited and can sell out. As such, it’s best to plan in advance. The permits are issued one year in advance, so if you’re planning on doing 2 or 3 treks, you’ll be invoiced for the extra permits in January 2027.
This is always the big question. In my experience this past year, 200mm seems to be more than enough. The big thing is that it is dark in the trees, so having more speed like an f/2.8 is more important than having a long lens. That said, for the safari day, having a 100-400mm is ideal. That said, you could probably do this whole trip with just a 70-200mm and a 24-70mm.
Yes. The deposit is refundable up to 150 days before the tour’s start date. I do charge a 10% fee. You also have the option to move your deposit onto another trip or to keep on file as credit without a fee.
If you’re booking solo, you’ll be paired up with a roommate of the same gender as the pricing is based on double occupancy. However, if you’d like your own private single accommodation you can pay the single supplement.
The price of the single supplement on this trip is 1,400 euros.
The accommodation is a mix of lodges and guesthouses.
Guests are booked on a “twin share” basis and each room will have its own private toilet facilities.
The accommodation isn’t prestigious. However, the location of the accommodation is unreal. Usually set close to a beautiful lake or on a hilltop with an incredible view.
The accommodation is comfortable enough to relax after days exploring.
And besides, who goes to Uganda to spend time in their rooms?
We send a request for final payments about 180 days before the tour’s start date. Final payments are due 150 days before the tour’s start date.
Photo Gallery
This is a gallery of last year’s Uganda trip, which wasn’t totally focused on wildlife. These images were taken on just 3 days worth of primate trekking.
Can’t Join Us?
If you can’t join us in Uganda but would like information on future travel photography workshops around the world, please sign up to the newsletter below.
At the moment, we have trips to places like Japan and Greenland – among many other amazing photography destinations. We’d love for you to join us out in the world.
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