Our cost-effective yet exciting 3 days Uganda gorilla trek tour aims at travelers wanting Uganda’s finest wildlife while facing time and money constraints. We promise top-quality service despite your brief Uganda visit. Your safari guide will work hard to display all notable attractions along your route and suggest thrilling activities when possible. All previous guests have spotted wild gorillas, so we’re confident you’ll have similar success. Below find your detailed Uganda Gorilla Trek Tour plan:
Day 1: Begin your Uganda Gorilla trek tour with travel to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Your safari guide will connect with you at your previous night’s location in Entebbe/Kampala or Kigali. Our typical Uganda gorilla trek departure is 07:00 AM from Uganda locations. For Kigali starts, we can leave between 8 am to 2 pm. We also offer free airport pickup from Entebbe or Kigali if arriving that day. Your flight should reach Entebbe by 11 am latest or Kigali by 1 pm latest.
Your guide provides tour information before leaving for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The trip passes various landscapes, rural farms, hills and valleys. Numerous scenic spots appear during your journey, with your guide making short stops for photos and appreciation. About 75 km from Kampala sits the Equator line dividing Earth into two parts. This African landmark warrants a quick visit too.
Starting from Entebbe or Kampala means lunch at a Mbarara city restaurant lasting about 1 hour. Then continue your final 3 hours travel through highlands, rain forests, and bamboo groves.
Your night stay before gorilla trekking sits near park boundaries, allowing quick access to Bwindi Park offices for next day’s activities. Dinner is served at your accommodation.
The full Uganda safari trip to this gorilla haven takes over 7 hours from Entebbe or Kampala, mostly on smooth roads with just 45 minutes on dirt paths. Flying options exist if you prefer avoiding long drives. Single flights cost between 280$-360$ per person.
Uganda Gorilla Trek Lodging options (all meals included)
Premium: Mahogany Springs Lodge | Buhoma Lodge | Four Gorillas Lodge | Bwindi Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge
Mid-range: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge | Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge | Mutanda Lake Resort
Economy: Gorilla Haven Lodge Rushaga | Gorilla Conservation Camp
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Today focuses on gorilla trekking in Bwindi – usually the main attraction of your Uganda Gorilla Trek Tour.
We suggest early breakfast (before 7 am) to reach Bwindi Park offices for pre-trek instructions. Your guide waits during your meal at the lodge. Most accommodations we book sit close to park offices, and your guide will escort you there.
At park headquarters, show your passport (or copy) for verification. Staff will brief you on forest expectations when meeting mountain gorillas, gorilla biology, conservation status, and other Bwindi wildlife. Usually local women groups perform cultural music for visitors. Then you’ll receive your assigned gorilla family. Group assignments consider gorilla locations, visitor age and fitness, plus personal requests if made. As of August 2023, Bwindi hosts 23 habituated gorilla families available for tracking.
Sometimes short drives precede walking to gorilla territories, but many trails start directly from park offices. We follow gorillas through forest and bamboo hillsides with guides and trackers seeking your designated gorilla family. Often we walk recently created paths into Bwindi’s dense jungle. Since this area is mountain rainforest, rain chances remain high daily, so come prepared.
Bwindi gorilla treks can prove challenging and might last up to 6 hours. Park staff accommodate all visitor types with frequent rest stops. They plan comfortable routes ensuring even physically limited guests face minimal difficulties during Bwindi gorilla treks.
When you finally spot magnificent silverback gorillas, any discomfort fades instantly. For gorilla and human safety, rangers will position you at least 6 meters from gorillas. Face masks help limit disease transmission between people and gorillas. Enjoy your full hour with mountain gorillas, observe them while looking into their expressive eyes, and capture photos (including selfies!).
After viewing gorillas, begin your return trek. Shortly into your walk back, park guides find safe spots for packed lunch in the forest. During return hikes, watch for additional wildlife. Look carefully for chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s, red-tailed and blue monkeys, black and white colobus, and olive baboons. Bwindi ranks as premier bird watching location with 350+ bird species, including seven IUCN red-listed types, and 90% of all Albertine rift unique birds, rarely seen elsewhere in East Africa. Forest elephants, buffalo, bushbucks, and serval cats count among other mammals found in Bwindi.
Uganda Gorilla Trek Lodging options (all meals included)
Premium: Mahogany Springs Lodge | Buhoma Lodge | Four Gorillas Lodge | Bwindi Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge
Mid-range: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge | Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge | Mutanda Lake Resort
Economy: Gorilla Haven Lodge Rushaga | Gorilla Conservation Camp
Day 3: Return to Kampala/Kigali/Entebbe (Daily Entebbe flights available)
We conclude your 3 days Uganda gorilla trek with travel back to Kampala/Entebbe or Kigali. You’ll cross grassy terraced slopes of southwestern Uganda while enjoying amazing views of regional hills nicknamed ‘the little Switzerland of Africa’.
This highly productive mountain area features steep slopes covered completely in neatly lined cultivation terraces. While passing Mbarara, notice impressive longhorn Ankole cattle. A notable feature of this journey includes crossing the Equator line where we make another brief stop.
We reach Kampala by evening before your flight home.
