On arrival at Entebbe international airport, you will be warmly welcomed by our customer care representative and your assigned professional English -speaking safari guide to meet and greet, and then be transferred to your booked hotel in Entebbe town to check in, freshen yourself, and later meet your safari guide at the hotel reception to be briefed about the tour. The hotel is about 5–10 minutes’ drive from Entebbe international airport.
Later, if time allows, drive to the Entebbe botanical gardens, which are found on the shore of Lake Victoria, for a walking safari. Botanical gardens are home to some primates, such as Vervet monkeys, and several bird species. The walking safari will take you to the shores of Lake Victoria where you will spot some water birds, enjoy the fresh breezes from the lake as well as get used to Uganda’s beautiful nature. Lake Victoria is the largest water body in Africa and the second largest fresh water body in the world, and is shared by three East African countries (Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya). Dinner and an overnight.
Accommodation: 2 Friends Beach Hotel (Mid-range)
Meal plan: Dinner
Day 2 :
Entebbe town – Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park
On this day, after having breakfast, meet your safari guide to have all luggage packed into the vehicle, check out of the hotel (0730 am) and then start your adventurous drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park situated in southwestern Uganda. On your way to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park, you will have a stopover at the Kayabwe equator landmark to experience water experiments that are carried out on both sides of the equator line (Northern and Southern hemispheres), showing the difference in the movement of forces on each side of the planet. After the experiment, take some memorial photos while at this international landmark, visit craft shops, have a cup of coffee to feel the natural aroma of the Ugandan-made coffee, and later proceed with your journey with another stopover at Igongo Cultural Museum to have lunch and tour the great museum, which is one of Uganda’s richest heritages with history and traditions of the Ankole people and southwest Uganda that will take you centuries back into the lives of the Ankole people. Thereafter, proceed with your journey to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, where you will arrive in the evening to check in at your booked lodge, freshen yourself and spend your evening relaxing. Dinner and an overnight.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is famous for being home to half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. It is one of Uganda’s oldest as well as most biologically diverse rainforests, with over 25,000 years of history and almost 400 species of plants that form the huge impenetrable forest that is evergreen. It is home to approximately 400 mountain gorillas, 120 mammal species such as numerous primate species, and over 350 bird species, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics, and is the ancient home of the Batwa bush people.
Accommodation: Bakiga Lodge (Luxury)
Meal plan: Lunch / Dinner
Day 3 of the 4-day Uganda mountain gorilla trekking safari. Wake up early (0600am) to organize yourself and arrange the necessary equipment for mountain gorilla trekking, such as cameras, binoculars, and insect repellents, Dress appropriately for mountain gorilla trekking, such as long khaki or jean trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, water-resistant hiking boots, a rain jacket, heavy-duty gloves, and round hats. Have a heavy breakfast, get your packed lunch boxes, get enough drinking water and meet your safari guide to be transferred to the park information offices to be briefed about mountain gorilla trekking dos and don’ts, how to behave in the presence of mountain gorillas and the expectations, be allocated a mountain gorilla family to track, and get the ranger guides. We would recommend you hire a porter to help you carry your packed bag and other items you would need during the mountain gorilla trek. Begin your forest walk in search of the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitats after a pre-mountain gorilla trekking session. The time taken before encountering your allocated mountain gorilla family is not known. However, it may be anywhere from 45 minutes to 4 hours depending on the movements and location of the gorilla family, therefore, you should be physically and mentally prepared to walk a long distance through the forest that is made of hills and with no clear walking trails that are only made at that particular time of tracking by your guide depending on the direction that can easily lead you to the location of the gorilla family. That is why it is recommended to carry enough water to keep you hydrated and snacks to keep you energized since you use a lot of energy when walking through the forest in search of mountain gorillas.
Once you encounter the mountain gorilla family, the excitement of seeing the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat will outweigh the hardship you went through while searching for them. A mountain gorilla family can be made up of several members, such as the giant silverback, who is always the head and protector of the family, mothers, infants, and juveniles. The time you will spend with the mountain gorillas, you will get to know much about their behaviors, how they socialize and be excited by their actions, like the playful babies, mothers grooming their babies, and Mr. Silverback watching the situation silently as he is ready to protect the family from any kind of attack. You will spend a maximum of one hour with the mountain gorillas, and you will be free to capture as many photos and record videos as you want to keep your great memories with the mountain gorilla family in the jungle. After an hour with the mountain gorilla family, return to the trekking start point to receive your mountain trekking certificate in appreciation of your contribution towards the conservation of the endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda. Have refreshments and lunch, and then drive to Lake Bunyonyi to relax. Dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Birdnest@Bunyonyi Resort (Mid-range)
Meal plan: Breakfast / Lunch/ Dinner
Today, wake up at your convenient time, be served breakfast, and then go for your morning boat canoeing safari on Lake Bunyonyi, which takes approximately 2 hours of exploring the lake and visiting different islands in the lake with a local canoe guide who is well experienced with the places and all the things around. Lake Bunyonyi is framed by 29 islands of different sizes across the water, making its view the most magical. Each of the 29 islands on Lake Bunyonyi has its own unique and interesting story behind it, which your local guide will narrate to you during the canoeing safari, such as the Akampene island, also known as the “punishment island,” which was used by the Biga community to punish girls who would get pregnant before official marriage by isolating them there to die as a way to teach a lesson to the rest not to make the same mistake. As a result, poor men who could not afford to pay the bride price would travel to this island in order to obtain free wives from those who could have been exiled to this island. In an African society, it is a disgrace for a girl to get pregnant before her official marriage, and this would cause the family to lose community respect. So, this made parents strict with their girl children as a way of protecting them. After canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi, return to the lodge to check out, and then start your return journey back to Entebbe international airport to prepare for your return flight. On your way back to Entebbe international airport, you will have a stopover at Igongo cultural museum to have lunch, relax for some time, and later proceed with your drive straight to Entebbe international airport to prepare for your return flight or check-in and freshen up. This will be the end of your 3-day Uganda mountain gorilla trekking safari.
Meal plan: Breakfast / Lunch
