Bwindi's cool forest has few mosquitoes, and the CDC's malaria advice reaches every sector.
- Travel clinic CDC recommends medicine or vaccines for some areas · which ones
- No CDC travel notice for mosquito-borne disease
The CDC lists malaria in "All" areas of Uganda, with no exception for altitude, and Uganda checks yellow fever certificates at entry. Studies around the park show low but real transmission, and the lower lodges at Buhoma and Rushaga likely see more evening mosquitoes than the ridge at Ruhija.
A few, and fewer than in Uganda's savanna parks. The CDC lists malaria in "All" areas of Uganda with no exception for altitude, so Bwindi's gorilla forest is inside its malaria-medicine advice, and Uganda requires proof of yellow fever vaccination at entry. Our Uganda briefing covers Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth and Entebbe.
No altitude exception, and a yellow fever card
What CDC says: "CDC recommends that travelers going to Uganda take prescription medicine to prevent malaria." The transmission areas are "All," mostly Plasmodium falciparum resistant to chloroquine, and the medicines listed are "Atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine, tafenoquine." The page says nothing about altitude, so every sector of a park that runs from about 3,800 to 8,550 feet (1,160–2,607 m) is covered. For yellow fever, "Vaccine is recommended for all travelers ≥9 months old," and Uganda's entry rule is "Vaccine is required for all arriving travelers ≥1 year old." What we suggest you do with this: book a travel-medicine appointment 4–6 weeks before departure, bring your trekking sector, lodge and any Rwanda leg, and carry the certificate with your passport. Our malaria-zone checklist covers everything around the prescription.
The local studies show low but real transmission. Researchers describe malaria in Kanungu District, which holds Buhoma, as "characterized by low transmission intensity and low endemicity" (Malaria Journal, 2016 and 2022). Rapid tests in 2013 and 2014 in communities around the park found malaria parasites in 4.45% of non-Batwa adults and 9.35% of Batwa adults. At Bwindi Community Hospital in 2011–2014, malaria made up 18.2% of Bakiga and 22.7% of Batwa admissions. On the Kisoro side, near Rushaga and Nkuringo, 122 of 134 confirmed infections among hospital patients in a 2022 study were P. falciparum.
The CDC's Level 2 Ebola notice for Uganda and the DRC, which has nothing to do with insects, advises avoiding contact with nonhuman primates, gorillas included, so keep strictly to the trekking distance rules; it also routes US citizens returning within 21 days of being in Uganda through designated airports for enhanced screening.
Few mosquitoes, no documented tsetse
The cool montane forest tends to be light on bites. Mosquitoes are still present, and CDC light traps caught 33 species in the park in 2008–2010. The lower, warmer lodges at Buhoma and Rushaga likely see more evening mosquitoes than ridge-top Ruhija, especially in the wet months. Malaria mosquitoes bite from dusk to dawn, so put repellent on at sundown and sleep under the lodge's net.
Tsetse flies, the daytime biters of Murchison Falls game drives, aren't documented in Bwindi. A 2022 study of village dogs around the park found only livestock trypanosomes and noted the lack of recent tsetse data for the area. Horse flies and stable flies do occur around the conservation areas. On the trek, the dense, wet undergrowth calls for long trousers tucked into socks, long sleeves and repellent on exposed skin.
When to go
Kanungu gets rain in every month, with drier spells around December to February and June to July. Those months, plus August, tend to be the best for bites and trails. The rains, roughly March to May and September to November, are the worst stretch, and 56.7% of Bwindi Community Hospital's malaria cases in 2011–2014 came in the wet seasons, March to June and September to November. The CDC's advice is the same in every month.
Where you're going
Buhoma (Kanungu)
The main northern trailhead and home to Bwindi Community Hospital, next to communities where 4–9% of adults tested positive for malaria parasites in 2013–2014. Lodges here likely see more evening mosquitoes than Ruhija, so repellent at dusk matters more.
Rushaga & Nkuringo (Kisoro)
The southern trailheads on the Kisoro side, where 122 of 134 confirmed infections in a 2022 hospital study were P. falciparum. The lower lodges likely see a few mosquitoes at dusk, so use repellent and the bed net.
Ruhija (Rubanda)
The highest sector, on the eastern ridge, with cold nights and likely the fewest mosquitoes in the park. CDC's malaria advice applies here all the same.
Pairing Bwindi with Rwanda's gorillas? Our Volcanoes National Park briefing covers the Virungas, where the CDC's malaria advice also has no altitude exception.
The Bwindi kit
- Picaridin 20% travel sprays for dusk at the lodge and exposed skin on the trek. One 3.4 oz bottle covers about a week of daily use for one person.
- Permethrin 0.5% for trekking clothes: treat long trousers, long sleeves and socks at home 48 hours before you fly. It goes on clothing, never on skin.
What travelers report
Paraphrased from a TripAdvisor review and linked so you can read it in full. It carries no year, and the season and your lodge change the picture.
- Gorilla Mist Camp, Buhoma · March
A March guest said the lodge was the perfect temperature at night and there was no need to worry about mosquitoes, since there were none at that time of year. TripAdvisor ↗
One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during the trip or in the year after it means a doctor visit, and you tell the doctor you were in Uganda.
Traveler questions
Do I need malaria pills for gorilla trekking in Bwindi?
The CDC recommends malaria prevention medicine for all of Uganda and says nothing about altitude, so every Bwindi sector is covered, from Buhoma to ridge-top Ruhija. It lists atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine. Surveys around the park show low but real transmission. Which medicine fits you is a call for a travel clinic, made 4–6 weeks before departure. Our malaria-zone checklist covers the rest.
Do I need a yellow fever certificate for Uganda?
Uganda's entry rule is "Vaccine is required for all arriving travelers ≥1 year old," and it applies on a direct flight from the US. The CDC also recommends the vaccine for all travelers 9 months and older. Carry the certificate with your passport, and settle it at the same clinic visit as the malaria question.
Are there tsetse flies in Bwindi?
They aren't documented there. The CDC's Uganda page lists African sleeping sickness, spread by tsetse bites, without naming areas. A 2022 study of village dogs around Bwindi found only livestock trypanosomes, and its authors noted the lack of recent tsetse data for the area. Horse flies and stable flies do occur around the park. Tsetse have their strongest reputation on savanna game drives at Murchison Falls, which our Uganda briefing covers.
Which Bwindi sector has the fewest mosquitoes?
Likely Ruhija, the highest sector, on the eastern ridge, with cold nights. Buhoma and Rushaga sit lower and are likely warmer, so evening mosquitoes are more likely there, especially in the rains. The CDC's malaria advice is the same for every sector, so dusk repellent and the bed net stay part of the routine wherever you sleep.
Sources
Health authorities, surveillance reports and news coverage of official bulletins used for this briefing, last checked October 2026. Traveler reports are linked where they appear. This page summarizes public-health guidance and is not medical advice.
- CDC destination page for travelers
- CDC Travel Health Notice
- CDC Travel Health Notice
- World Health Organization
- Peer-reviewed study (PubMed Central)
- Peer-reviewed study (PubMed Central)
- Peer-reviewed study (PubMed Central)
- Peer-reviewed study (PubMed Central)
- Peer-reviewed study (PubMed Central)
- Peer-reviewed study (PubMed Central)
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- World Health Organization
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- World Health Organization
- World Health Organization
- World Health Organization