This affordable 3-Day Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari explores the lush and diverse Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The top highlight of this private safari is the rare experience of trekking Uganda's mountain gorillas in the wild, one of the most unforgettable wildlife encounters in the world.
Combines gorilla trekking with the cultural and scenic attractions of:
The Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari includes a choice of accommodation styles and transport, as well as meals and extra activities as per the itinerary.
Our 3-Day Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari starts with collection from your pre-tour hotel in Kampala at 7:30 am.
Leaving Kampala we drive the 283 km to Mbarara, travelling via Masaka. We pause at the Equator to take photographs of the crossing, stretch our legs and enjoy some snacks. Then we continue to Igongo Cultural Village where we visit the Ankole Museum. At Igongo we learn about the Bahima and Ankole cultures of Uganda, getting a glimpse into the history of these interesting people.
We break our journey for lunch in Mbarara and then head to Bwindi Forest. The dense rainforest of Bwindi, famous for its gorilla population, is one of the most fertile and rich in the world, being home to a variety of primates, animals, insects and exotic birds.
Dine amid the forests and verdant hills of Bugambira, near Bwindi.
Day two starts with an early morning breakfast and a trekking brief from the Uganda Wildlife Authority guide, before embarking on the once-in-a-lifetime experience of trekking mountain gorillas in the wild.
We head off into the lush vegetation of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for endangered gorilla trekking, the highlight of visiting Uganda, if not Africa. This gorilla walk can take up to six hours, so a reasonable degree of fitness and a sturdy pair of walking shoes are required. The thrill of encountering these gentle primates in the wild is well worth the sometimes challenging trek through the thick undergrowth.
Once we find the African Mountain Gorillas we spend some time watching them feed, groom and interact with each other. We get to hear the gorillas communicating with one another and marvel at the sheer size of the dominant adult male gorillas, called Silverbacks. Encountering these giant apes is one of Africa’s most poignant wildlife experiences. Each gorilla encounter is unique, offering its own rewards. We generally get up close to the adult gorillas to watch them feeding, grooming and resting, as well as witnessing the young gorillas at play.
In the afternoon we explore a local community on foot, to gain insight into the ways of the Ugandan people living near Bwindi Park. See what rural life is like in this part of Africa, meet the locals and support the Buhoma community in the process. After our walk in Buhoma village, we return to the intimate lodge and have a drink together, recounting our unforgettable adventures with the African Mountain Gorillas.
Located in southwestern Uganda Bwindi Impenetrable National Park covers part of the diverse Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is best known for its primate populations, being home to about half the world’s mountain gorillas, with about 1000 of these endangered gorillas in total in the world. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest ecosystem is exceptionally high in biodiversity, with rich flora and fauna species. This lush forested area hosts some of the richest tree, small mammal, bird, butterfly, reptilian, and moth populations.
Bwindi is a birding paradise, home to 348 bird species. This area is one of Uganda’s best bird-watching destinations supporting nearly all of the Albertine Rift endemic species found in Uganda, along with several Red Data Book species.
The Bwindi Forest of Uganda is an ancient rainforest, said to have survived the last ice age. A recently proclaimed World Heritage Site, Bwindi is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world hosting unique and precious floral species. There's also a substantial chimpanzee population and research shows that Bwindi is the only forest in Africa where these two apes live together.
After breakfast we leave the community lodge, returning to Kampala along the Kasese-Fort Portal road. We travel via the Queen Elizabeth National Park game viewing en route. Wildlife sightings in the national park include elephants, lions, buffalo, waterbucks, warthogs and various birds.
Our scenic drive takes us through the foothills of Mount Rwenzori towards Fort Portal, where we stop for lunch. From Fort Portal, we continue to Kampala or Entebbe bringing this 3-Day Uganda Gorilla Trekking Safari to a close. Airport drop-off can be arranged free of charge if you are flying out on the last day of the safari.
The Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda's most popular protected area and covers about 1978 km². The park is scenically located on the rift valley floor between Lake Edward and Lake George flanked by towering mountains in the distance. The game park is set among hills and lakes and consists mostly of euphorbia tree-studded savannahs or grasslands. The varied habitats within Queen Elizabeth National Park host 95 mammal species and 612 bird species.
This gorilla safari offers a choice of accommodations ranging from budget to mid-range and high-end. For more information please see the full pricing information.
This tour does take children.
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