This 4-day fly-in journey takes you into the depths of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to see some of the world’s last remaining mountain gorillas. The experience begins at Entebbe where you will be whisked away on a domestic flight into the remote mountainous regions of southern Uganda. Here, at Bwindi Forest National Park, you will enter one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in Africa on an expedition to find a close-knit gorilla family. Bwindi is home to roughly 480 mountain gorillas, which is half of the world’s remaining population and your chance of coming into contact with a group is approximately 99 percent.

This short overland thrilling tour is all about a memorable once-in-a-lifetime gorilla trekking expedition. A must-do for all adventurous discerning tourists!

Destinations Visited; Bwindi Forest National Park.

Day 1: Welcome to Uganda:

Upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, you will be met by our company representative and transferred to Boma Guest House for refreshment & overnight.

Day 2: Fly to Bwindi Forest

 You will be whisked away on a scenic domestic flight into the remote mountainous regions of southern Uganda. Your flight takes 60 minutes. Upon arrival depending on how you feel, you can optionally choose to indulge in any of the optional activities listed below

Community Tour

This sightseeing Village tour showcases how life unfolds in a typical Ugandan village.  This trail will enable you to have a taste of the Ugandan village lifestyle. You will meet with locals of many different generations and see the way of life in this developing country. The highlights of this cultural walk include a visit to traditional healers or medicine men. A visit to homes for a demonstration of a variety of food-making skills such as how bananas are used to make various drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

Canoe ride on Lake Mulehe

Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge overlooks a stunning serene crater lake. During this sightseeing tour, you will indulge, recharge, and renew your positive energy. Best of all, you will discover the lake’s full beauty and its best-kept secrets like thriving populations of Uganda’s national emblem – the grey crown crested crane. The lake flows with fresh water from a river system that is fed by lakes atop the 8 volcanoes that beautifully dot the border of Rwanda, Uganda & DR Congo.

The dug-out canoe in which you will ride is a traditional water transport means popular in the South Western part of Uganda.

Cycling in the village

If you’re looking for a great way to explore off-the-beaten village paths, this cycling tour is fulfilling. It takes place in a village neighboring the lodge. There is a wide selection of routes to choose from, some befitting for leisurely rides, others offering an adventurous way for one to explore a rugged African terrain. The two-hour activity unfolds at a slow but steady pace along the shores of Lake Mulehe and the dirt African road snaking through the village. You will have warm extensive chats with locals along the way.

Batwa Pygmies in Mgahinga

Head to Mgahinga National Park for the ‘Batwa’ (pygmies) Cultural Trail. Doing this trail will enable you to interact and learn about the interesting lifestyle of Uganda’s unique pygmies. The Batwa pygmies were originally the traditional inhabitants of the Mgahinga forest that’s currently occupied by the National Park. The trail exposes you to the in-depth hidden history of the Batwa pygmies before the year 1990 when they evacuated the forest area that had become protected and conserved as a National park.

The Batwa Trail is unique in a way that it showcases the authentic culture of the original inhabitants of the Mgahinga forest whose lives mainly depended on the natural habitat. While exploring the trail, you experience the naturally endowed forest through a rare viewpoint of the local people. The experience comes along with different unique demonstrations on how the pygmies used to extract local herbs that were used for healing different diseases, traditional ways of fetching water using locally made bamboo mugs, and the construction of grass huts.

The highly rewarding cultural tour ends with a staged, authentic cultural performance organized by the Batwa community at the gate of the Garama cave which was highly regarded as a ceremonial place for the cultural leaders of the Batwa community. 

Day 3: Gorilla Trekking- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest!!!

Today is the big day… Prepare yourself for an encounter with Bwindi’s gentle giants: the rare Mountain Gorilla. For most people, this is the absolute highlight of their tour in Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest boasts both Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees – the only forest in Africa that can make this claim. It also hosts five other species of primate, 113 species of mammal, over 200 butterflies, and 360 birds.

You will be required to wake up early in the morning and then be led to the visitor’s reception center for a briefing about the park. You are allocated guides before heading into the forest in search of Mountain Gorillas.

The Gorillas you will track belong to the habituated family group that can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day. Your trek will be an exciting journey along forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes, and bamboo before you eventually reach the Gorillas’ habitat.

En route, your guide will point out signs of previous Gorilla activity, including dung, nests, and chewed bamboo shoots.

The time taken to track the Gorillas can take as little as 2 hours or more! Once the Gorillas have been located, your group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them. Coming face-to-face with a Mountain Gorilla is a truly humbling and emotional experience. This is a fantastic and privileged opportunity to get up close and personal with Uganda’s very own ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.

Day 4: Farewell to the forest

After breakfast, you’ll fly once again over the abundant Ugandan landscape, and take some time to reflect on your short but invaluable time spent in this precious East African forest observing nature’s incredible wonders and encountering the people who work hard to protect them. Your journey ends at its starting point, Entebbe International Airport where you can return home or easily continue on an East African big game safari or even an Indian Ocean island holiday.

This marks the end of what we hope will be an adventurous trip.