Asilia Africa is entering Uganda for the first time. Erebero Hills, an eight-suite lodge on the northern edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, is set to open for travel in 2026. It sits close to the Buhoma sector, Bwindi’s original and most established gorilla trekking base. For a company known across Kenya and Tanzania, this is a real expansion, not a pop-up camp. Touring Insights looks at what the lodge offers, how it compares with Bwindi’s other sectors, and what a stay actually costs alongside a gorilla permit.
What Erebero Hills Is and Why It Matters
Erebero Hills marks Asilia’s first property in Uganda after years of operating only in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar. The lodge holds eight suites, two of which sleep three guests, each with a private viewing deck facing the forest. A shared lounge, a swimming pool, and in-room spa treatments round out the guest areas. Pablo Luna Studios, a design firm based in Bali, led the architecture. The suites draw their shape from the surrounding hills and use bamboo, stone, and rammed earth as primary materials. Asilia has paired the build with a reforestation project on the surrounding land, which we cover further down.
Where Erebero Hills Sits: Bwindi’s Northern Edge
The lodge sits on the northern fringe of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, close to the Buhoma sector. Asilia describes the drive from the lodge to the nearest gorilla trekking start point as about 30 minutes. Buhoma itself is Bwindi’s oldest sector and the most road-accessible of the park’s four trekking zones. Reaching it from Kampala still takes most of a day, whether Erebero Hills is the destination or another Buhoma-area lodge.
| Route | Distance | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Kampala to Buhoma (road, via Masaka-Mbarara-Kihihi) | approx. 440-510 km | 8-9 hr drive |
| Final stretch, Kihihi to Buhoma | approx. 44 km (partly unpaved) | 45 min-1 hr |
| Entebbe to Kihihi airstrip (scheduled/charter flight) | approx. 300 km by air | approx. 1 hr 15 min-1.5 hr |
| Kihihi airstrip to Erebero Hills / Buhoma | approx. 44 km | 45 min-1 hr |
Distances and drive times are indicative and vary with road conditions and route choice. Confirm current transfer times with Asilia or a Uganda-based operator before booking.
Bwindi’s Four Gorilla Trekking Sectors Compared
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park covers roughly 331 km2 of montane forest split across four trekking sectors: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo. Each has its own habituated gorilla families, its own access road, and its own character. Choosing a sector shapes both the trek and the base camp choice.
| Sector | Approx. distance from Kampala | Approx. drive time | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buhoma (Erebero Hills’ base) | 440-510 km | 8-9 hr | Oldest sector, best road access, gentler terrain |
| Ruhija | approx. 530-550 km | 7-8 hr | Highest elevation, cooler climate, birding hub |
| Nkuringo | approx. 560 km (via Kabale, then 3-4 hr more) | 8-9 hr total | Steep terrain, Virunga volcano views |
| Rushaga | approx. 570 km (via Kisoro) | 9 hr+ | Most habituated families of the four sectors |
Buhoma’s advantage is logistics. It needs no extra overnight stop in Kabale or Kisoro the way the southern sectors often do. That is one reason Asilia chose the northern edge of the park for its first Uganda property.
What a Stay Costs Alongside a Gorilla Permit
A room rate at Erebero Hills is not yet public at the time of writing. Asilia’s Kenya and Tanzania camps in a similar luxury tier typically run in the indicative USD 700-1,200 per person per night range, full board. Confirm the actual Erebero Hills rate directly with Asilia once bookings open. The bigger fixed cost for any Bwindi trip is the gorilla permit itself, set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
| Item | Indicative cost (2026) |
|---|---|
| Standard gorilla trekking permit, foreign non-resident | USD 800 per person |
| Low-season permit (April, May, November) | USD 600 per person |
| Gorilla Habituation Experience (4 hours with a family) | USD 1,800 per person |
| Minimum age for standard trekking | 15 years |
Permit prices are set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and apply across all licensed operators and lodges, including Erebero Hills. Book permits well ahead of a trip since daily slots per gorilla family are limited.
The Conservation Story Behind the Build
Erebero Hills sits within a larger land restoration effort. Asilia has restored roughly 111 acres of former tea plantation into a forest buffer zone bordering the park and has planted more than 25,000 indigenous trees on the property so far. The goal is to widen the forest edge and give wildlife, including mountain gorillas, more room to range outside the park’s hard boundary. Asilia has partnered with Change a Life Bwindi, a local organization, to link the build with the Batwa and Bakiga communities living around the park. Guest activities planned for the lodge include cultural walks, craft workshops, and visits tied to the reforestation project itself, not just game drives and treks.
How to Get There: Flights, Roads, and Timing
Two realistic paths reach Erebero Hills. The road route runs from Kampala through Masaka, Mbarara, and Kihihi, covering roughly 440 to 510 km depending on the exact road taken, in 8 to 9 hours. That final stretch from Kihihi to Buhoma is partly unpaved and adds another 45 minutes to an hour. Flying cuts the trip sharply. Aerolink and other charter operators run scheduled flights from Entebbe to Kihihi airstrip, followed by a road transfer to the lodge. Most travelers pairing Bwindi with a Kenya or Tanzania leg on the same trip choose to fly this final segment rather than drive it twice.
Pairing Erebero Hills With the Rest of Uganda
Few travelers fly this far for a single gorilla trek alone. Bwindi sits close enough to two other major parks that most itineraries stretch to five or six nights inside Uganda. Queen Elizabeth National Park lies roughly 3 to 4 hours by road south of Buhoma via the Ishasha sector, home to Uganda’s tree-climbing lions. Kibale National Park sits about 4 to 5 hours north and is the country’s main chimp tracking base. It shares the same road that connects Buhoma to Kampala. A common circuit runs Entebbe to Kibale first for chimps. It continues south to Queen Elizabeth for game drives and a Kazinga Channel boat trip. From there it heads to Buhoma for the gorilla trek and a stay at Erebero Hills, then exits by flying out through Kihihi or driving the full loop back to Kampala. Spreading the trip this way breaks the long road segments across several driving days instead of one exhausting transfer. It also lets a single trip justify the cost of the gorilla permit against a fuller wildlife itinerary.
Explorer Notes
Book gorilla permits before locking in lodge dates. Uganda Wildlife Authority releases permits in blocks, and Buhoma’s popular families sell out first in the July-September and December-February peak windows. Pack for temperature swings. Buhoma sits lower than Ruhija, but forest mornings still start cool and damp before the day warms. Gaiters and a rain shell matter more than a heavy jacket here. Ask the lodge directly about the reforestation walk. Guests who show interest before arrival sometimes get a longer version of the tour with the land management team rather than the standard guest activity. Confirm which of Bwindi’s four sectors your permit covers before you travel. A permit booked for Rushaga or Nkuringo will not transfer to a Buhoma trek, even if Erebero Hills is your lodge.
FAQ
Where exactly is Erebero Hills located? On the northern edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda, close to the Buhoma sector, Bwindi’s original gorilla trekking base.
When does Erebero Hills open? Asilia has targeted 2026 for the lodge’s opening, its first property in Uganda after operating for years in Kenya and Tanzania. Confirm the exact opening date directly with Asilia before booking, since trade reports have cited slightly different months.
How many suites does Erebero Hills have? Eight suites, two of which can sleep three guests, each with a private forest-facing deck.
How much does a Uganda gorilla trekking permit cost in 2026? The standard non-resident permit costs USD 800 per person. A discounted USD 600 permit applies in the low-season months of April, May, and November.
Which Bwindi sector is closest to Kampala? Buhoma, the sector nearest Erebero Hills, has the most direct road access of Bwindi’s four sectors at roughly 440 to 510 km from Kampala.
What to Read Next
- Comparing Bwindi sectors for your own trip? See the drive-time table above before you lock in a gorilla permit sector.
- Planning to pair Uganda with a Kenya or Tanzania leg? A charter routing through Entebbe and Kihihi often beats a full road transfer.
- Curious what a Uganda permit actually buys you? The FAQ above breaks down standard, low-season, and habituation pricing.
Erebero Hills gives Bwindi a new option on its most accessible sector, but the permit and the trek still shape the trip more than the lodge does. Check the Tour Packages page for a Uganda gorilla itinerary, or ask a partner operator to confirm Erebero Hills availability against your preferred trekking dates.
