Uganda Gorilla Trekking Adventure – UGA3
Visit the famous Bwindi Impenetrable Forest on this Uganda Gorilla Trekking Adventure. Greet a silverback gorilla as you track the nearly extinct mountain gorilla in Uganda’s pristine rain forest. Reputedly, mountain gorilla tracking is one of most exciting and memorable wildlife experiences on the planet. 3 days Kampala to Kampala.
Itinerary
Day 1 Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
An early morning start from Kampala, at 6:00 am, takes you southwest and across the Equator. Continue with journey and break for lunch in Mbarara Town. Proceed through savannah grasslands seeing banana plantations and herds of Ankole cattle with their incredibly long curving horns. Venture through winding roads to the misty mountains, through the popular Kigezi Highlands also known as “Switzerland of Africa”. The drive to Bwindi will take about 10 hours.
Meals included: Lunch and dinner
Accommodations: Lodge (mid or comfort level), bandas or tented camp (budget)
Day 2 Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Rise with the sun for breakfast, followed by a meeting with a ranger guide before setting off into the gorilla sanctuary. The rain forest offers a dramatic steeply forested landscape and is incredibly dense, criss-crossed by numerous animal trails. Your trek’s time and terrain vary according to the movements of the marvelous mountain gorillas. Tracking these gentle giants is rated as one of Africa’s best wildlife watching opportunities. Other mammals may include the rare golden monkey, buffalo, elephant, black-fronted duiker, bushbuck, leopard, and giant forest hog.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Accommodations: Lodge (mid or comfort level), bandas or tented camp (budget)
Day 3 Depart
After breakfast, bid farewell and join your driver guide on a long-picturesque drive back to Kampala or Entebbe. Make a stop for lunch on route. Memories of your experience with the critically endangered mountain gorillas will forever be embedded.
Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Notes on gorilla tracking: This is a strenuous activity and one should be physically fit to enjoy this safari. Professional guides will accompany groups but no porters are available to carry personal belongings. Minimum age is fifteen years. Anyone with signs of communicable disease will not be allowed to trek. While possession of a gorilla permit is a guarantee of trekking, it cannot be a guarantee of sighting. However, the chance of sighting is high, 95% or more. Maximum time allowed with the gorillas is one hour at a minimum distance of 7 meters. No flash photography is allowed and fast film is therefore recommended (minimum 400-1600 ASA). Personal DVD recorders are allowed. Bring film and batteries from Kampala. Special arrangements need to be made for professional film makers and filming permits are required for commercial photography and filming. For Gorilla Tracking, we strongly recommend a breathable and lightweight rain jacket or poncho, a warm jacket or fleece for overcast days and evening, long-sleeved shirt and trousers, sturdy waterproof walking boots (seasoned or well worn footwear), leather gardening type gloves, sunscreen, cap or sun hat, sunglasses, insect repellent, comfortable day pack for carrying water and minimum amount of personal items.
