4 Days Bwindi Gorilla Habituation & Trekking Safari
Spend the four days in one of Uganda’s ancient jungles and combine both gorilla habituation and gorilla trekking experiences in one trip. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is one of Uganda’s oldest forests that even survived the ice age.
It’s a home to more than 500 mountain gorillas, that is almost three quarters of the world’s total population of mountain gorillas. It gives the most exclusive gorilla trekking experiences in Africa and the world at large and it is also the only national park where gorilla habituation experience can be done.
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Travel to Bwindi impenetrable national park. Stopover at the equator.
Setting off from Kampala will be very early in the morning from the hotel you spent the night before. The guide briefs you about the whole trip as you transfer from Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.
The first stop-over will be in Kayabwe for the Uganda equator. This is one of Uganda’s most picturesque places, so you will take as many pictures as you want. Travel to Mbarara town for lunch and then proceed to Bwindi. enjoy the beautiful scenery, sights of the Kigezi highlands and the Virunga ranges. Arrival at the lodge is in the evening for dinner and overnight just.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking and Batwa community tour.
Today is the gorilla trekking day. Waking up is very early for breakfast and head to the park headquarters. Gorilla trekking starts with a brief orientation about the dos and don’ts while trekking gorillas in the forest. You will hit the forest, led by an armed game ranger. On a lucky day, trekkers can spot the forest elephants or buffaloes. Trekking gorillas in Bwindi takes about 1-6 hours, depending on the movement of the gorillas and speed of trekkers.
One group can find the gorillas in an hour, and the other takes half a day to spot one gorilla family. On meeting the gorillas, strictly spend one hour in their presence and then slope back to the park headquarters and then lodge for lunch.
In the evening, visit the Batwa community. The Batwa pygmies were the first inhabitants of the impenetrable forest before the introduction of gorilla trekking. This visit allows you have close encounters with these local people, to see their way of life, enjoying the traditional performances as well as tasting their local delicacies. In the late evening, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Gorilla habituation experience in Bwindi.
Today, you will go for gorilla habituation. Just like gorilla trekking, head to the park station after breakfast for the gorilla trekking briefing from the local park ranger. Now hit the forest in search of semi-habituated gorillas. Gorilla habituation takes you to the thick forest, walking on slippery trails and having to pave your way out.
Meet the gorillas and spend four full hours in their presence, watching them playing from tree branch to branch, feeding, silverbacks aggressively watching over their family and carrying on their daily lives. In the four hours, you will learn so much about the apes and takes so many pictures and short videos as longs as the camera doesn’t have a flash.
Day 4: Departure.
Have breakfast in the morning and travel back to Kampala. The journey presents more sights of the beautiful scenery and Ugandan smiley people along the way. In Kampala you will be dropped at any hotel of your choice or driven straight to the airport for your exit flight.
End of 4 Days Bwindi Gorilla Habituation & Trekking Safari