Cottages with private balconies facing Bwindi, about a ten-minute walk from the Rushaga gate. Its name means “a cool, comfortable home” in the local Rufumbira language.
Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge takes its name from a Rufumbira word meaning “a cool, comfortable home”. It is about a ten-minute walk from the Rushaga gate, with a road leading straight to the briefing point.
The lodge has a little over a dozen cottages, each with an en-suite bathroom, hot shower and a private balcony looking out over the forest and hills. Floors and balconies are finished in local timber.
Travellers who want a comfortable, walkable base in Rushaga.
Rushaga, in the south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, has the largest number of habituated gorilla families of any sector, and it is the only sector offering the gorilla habituation experience. The landscape is steep and green, with farms running up to the forest edge. Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mutanda are within easy reach for a rest day, and Kisoro airstrip is about an hour away. Read the gorilla habituation experience and Bwindi’s four gorilla sectors compared.
Gorilla permits are tied to a sector and date, so we secure your permit first and then book a lodge in the same area. Uganda’s permit costs US$800 (US$600 in April, May and November 2026). Read book gorilla permits first and our gorilla trekking guide.
Ask us to combine this lodge with a lake stay at Lake Bunyonyi or a wildlife stop in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Signature 6 daysTwo countries, two gorilla families: trek in Rwanda’s volcanoes and Uganda’s ancient Bwindi forest, then unwind among the islands of Lake Bunyonyi.
Signature 4 daysThe most immersive gorilla encounter in Africa: join researchers and trackers following a family still getting used to people, with up to four hours in their company instead of one.
Short break 4 daysCombine Uganda’s greatest wildlife encounter with its most peaceful lake: trek gorillas in Bwindi’s southern forest, then unwind among the islands and terraced hills of Lake Bunyonyi.
We match lodges to your route, budget and permits. Tell us your dates to get started.
