Itinerary
Day One: Kampala – Equator Stop – Kisoro (Bwindi NP)
Tour begins at 6:30 at your hotel in Kampala. Our professional guide-driver will meet you at the hotel to go over the details of the tour, providing a schedule and pick-up times for all included activities. Your guide will also answer any burning questions that you may have, they can also assist with booking optional activities and endeavor to assist you get the very best time of your tour.
An early morning start from Kampala takes you South-West of Uganda and across the Equator. Stop along the way at the equator for photographs. You drive through Savannah grasslands seeing banana plantations, roadside stalls selling local produce and herds of Ankole cattle with their incredibly long curving horns. Stop in Mbarara for lunch at a local restaurant on the road.
You then ascend into the Kigezi highlands, known as the "Switzerland of Africa", with terraced farming, bamboo forests and great views of the volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains near the borders of Uganda, DR.Congo and Rwanda. Drive through to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (10 hour drive).
Day Two: Kisoro - Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Forest
After an early breakfast and a briefing by a local ranger guide, follow the guide into the gorilla sanctuary for your adventure in search of a family of mountain gorillas. The beauty of this rain forest is spectacular.
A designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bwindi's Impenetrable Forest boasts both mountain gorillas and chimpanzees - the only forest in Africa which makes it claim rank of a true African jungle. About half of the world's mountain gorillas live here. The park is also a sanctuary for five other primate species, 113 species of mammal, over 200 butterflies and 360 birds, 23 of which are endemic to this particular area of the Albertine Rift Valley.
The gorillas you track belong to one of ten (currently) habituated family groups who can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day. Only a maximum of 8 tourists are permitted per day to visit the gorillas.
The park offers dramatic steeply forested landscape and is incredibly dense, but criss-crossed by numerous animal trails allowing access to tourists. The time taken and the terrain vary with the movements of these great primates. The thrill of spending 1hr observing these gentle and endangered giants is an awesome, exciting once in a lifetime experience. Many find it to be a rare and moving opportunity. Watch as the gorillas go about their daily business, unconcerned about their admirers, grooming each other, eating bamboo shoots, lounging, and, often in the case of babies and juveniles, playing. It is truly amazing to observe how similar they are to their human cousins.
The time taken to track the gorillas can be as few as 2hrs to as many as 7hrs. Once the gorillas have been located, your group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with the apes.
Day Three: Kisoro - Igongo Cultural Centre, Mpambire Village - Kampala
This morning, end your stay in the "Land of the Mountain Gorillas" and depart with great memories of the moments spent with the fascinating Mountain Gorillas.
Transfer back to Kampala. Stop at the Igongo Cultural Centre, after the town of Mbarara. Learn about western Uganda traditions and enjoy a traditional lunch.
We continue with our journey through Masaka and Kayabwe Town. Stop at the Equator for local art and handcraft shopping.We then continue further to Mpambire Village (near Mpigi), the home of Royal drum makers in Uganda. Drum making is the highlight of this area and here you can buy a hand-made Kiganda drum of Central Uganda. See local craftsmen creating drums in different unique shapes.It is a fascinating process to watch and the finished product is beautiful
Arrive back in Kampala in the early evening. Journey Time: 10hrs
END OF TOUR
If you wish to depart tonight from Entebbe Airport, make sure your flight is at 10 pm or later. If you want us to book one (or more) nights in Kampala and/or Entebbe, please let us know.
Price per person from, in USD:
| Group Size |
1 pax |
2 pax |
3 pax |
4 pax |
5 pax |
6 pax |
SRS |
| Lodge |
$3060 |
$2370 pp |
$2196 pp |
$2106 pp |
$2052 pp |
$2022 pp |
$145 |
| Mid |
$2874 |
$2148 pp |
$1974 pp |
$1890 pp |
$1836 pp |
$1800 pp |
$150 |
| Budget |
$2424 |
$1812 pp |
$1638 pp |
$1554 pp |
$1500 pp |
$1400 pp |
$70 |
Accommodation:
Lodge – Mahogany Springs, Silverback Lodge, GFC, Volcanoes, Trackers Tervan, Trackers Safari Lodge or similar – full board
Mid – Silverback Lodge or similar – full board
Budget – Crested Crane Bwindi, Bwindi Views,Buhoma Community Camp – bed $ breakfast
