The 3 days Uganda gorilla trekking tour is a guided gorilla safari offering you a great opportunity to see the massive mountain gorillas while in the wild. You will be visiting Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, located in Kabale, Southwestern Uganda a 331sq.kms protected area also a home to about 459 mountain gorillas. About 1063 mountain gorillas exist in the world and visiting Bwindi for gorilla trekking is a great chance to interact, explore the daily behaviors of these apes.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site lying at elevation range of 1160m to 2607m. Its borders stretch covering 331sq.kms, an area largely featuring Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. This is where the park’s 20 habituated gorilla families all live, and on your gorilla tour, you will be allowed to visit only one in a group of 8 tourists. Tracking mountain gorillas in Bwindi is done in any of the 4 regions or sectors: Buhoma, Rushaga, Nkuringo and Ruhija.
Itinerary
Breakfast early morning, after meet driver guide in Uganda for a short briefing about your 3 days Uganda gorilla trekking tour to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. After, begin a long journey of 8-9 hours’ drive to Bwindi with en-route expected to be made at the Equator crossing. Stand in the two hemispheres to take pictures and after, continue to Igongo or Mbarara for lunch. Next, drive Southwestwards to check in at the lodge in Bwindi.
Pick up early by your driver guide, transfer to the briefing center which starts as early as 7:00am. Exit the lodge with all the essentials for your gorilla trekking adventure including bottled water, energy giving snacks, sweater, rain jacket, trousers, gardening gloves and be on waterproof walking/hiking boots. Allocation of gorilla families will be done by the park official and also the park guides who escort you to search for mountain gorillas.
Like gorilla trekking in other parks, in Bwindi, it is still unpredictable and it may go for 2-6 hours. This may vary depending on hiking speed of visitors, nature of gorilla habitat and other factors, but once you have located them, there is strictly 1 hour to enjoy face-to-face with these large apes. During this time, ensure that your camera is ready and there is enough space to accommodate all the pictures you will be taking.
Get to learn how the mountain gorillas behave and the guide will be explaining to you, as well as interpret some unique body gestures displayed by these apes. After, walk back and meet the park official once again, but this time round to have your gorilla trekking certificate then proceed to the lodge.
Relax a little, then in the evening, transfer for a cultural experience, meet the Batwa pygmies in their local communities. The Batwa cultural experience comes with great entertainment and learning from the original forest keepers- the Batwa. After educative and unforgettable cultural experience from the Batwa, return to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight stay.
Rise up early for breakfast served to you at the gorilla safari lodge, after, check out then leave Bwindi for Entebbe or Kampala. En-route, you will have your packed lunch and you may stopover at the Equator for the second time or time round, stopover at Mpambire drum makers to learn how African traditional drums are made. Next stop will be made in Kampala or Entebbe and it marks the end of the 3 days Uganda gorilla trekking tour.
