Early in the morning (0700am), you will be warmly met by our company representative
and your English-speaking safari guide at your hotel in Kampala city / Entebbe or on
your arrival at Entebbe international airport with an early morning flight latest 1000am to meet and greet, be briefed about your 3 days Uganda mountain gorilla trekking safari, have all your travel bags packed in the vehicle, and then start your adventurous journey to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park found in southwestern Uganda south of the Equator. You will have a stopover at Uganda the equator line located in Kayabwe which is believed to be separating the planet into two parts; the Northern and Southern hemisphere. While at the equator landmark, you will see the water experiment which is done to show how forces move differently on each side of the planet and to prove the difference between the two hemispheres for example water drains from the funnel in a clockwise motion on the northern hemisphere whereas it drains down in an anti-clockwise motion on the southern hemisphere. Here, the sun rises and sets rapidly and the temperatures and weather are largely constant all year through. While at the
Equator landmark, take some memorial photos with one foot in the southern hemisphere and another one in the northern hemisphere which will give you an opportunity to take a photo while standing in both sides of the world at the same time.
It is also said that while standing at the equator line, your body weight is reduced by
about 3kgs so, you will have a chance to prove this statement right or wrong. After the
water experiment, have a cup of coffee and then proceed with your journey to Igongo
cultural center in Mbarara city to have refreshments, lunch and later tour the museum
which is a cultural heritage of south-western Uganda that will take you centuries back
into Uganda’s culture and life style and later 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.
Accommodation; Broadbill Forest Camp (Standard), Bakiga Lodge (mid-range),
Mahogany Springs Lodge (Luxury)
Meal Plan; Lunch / Dinner
You shall wake up early morning (0600am) to organize yourself, arrange the necessary
equipment that is to be used during mountain gorilla trekking such as camera,
binoculars, insect repellants, get well-dressed in a recommend style for mountain gorilla
trekking like long khaki /jean trouser, long sleeved shirt, water proof hiking boots, a rain
jacket, heavy duty gloves and round hats, have 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 join other guests 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, UWA ranger and the forest
guide. We would recommend you to hire a porter to help you carry your packed bag
other and your other items you would need during mountain gorillas. After pre-mountain
gorilla trekking session, start your forest walk in search for the endangered mountain
gorillas in their natural habitats.
The time taken before encountering your allocated mountain gorilla family is not known
however, it may be between 45mins to 4 hours depending on the movements and
location of 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 on that particular time of tracking by the 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
with enough energy since you use a lot of energy when walking through the forest in
search for the mountain gorillas.
Once you encounter the mountain gorilla family, the excitement of seeing the mountain
gorillas in their natural habitat, will outweigh the hardship went through while searching
for them. A mountain gorilla family can be made 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 get to know much
about their behaviors, how they socialize and be excited with their actions like the
playful babies, mothers grooming their babies and the 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 recording videos as you would want to keep your great memories
with the mountain gorilla family in the jungle. Thereafter 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 enjoy your packed
lunch and then drive to Lake Bunyonyi to relax while enjoying boat canoeing safari on
Lake Bunyonyi. Dinner and an overnight.
Accommodation; Bunyonyi Rock Resort (Standard and mid-range), Birdnest @
Resort Bunyonyi (Luxury)
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 of the lake with a local canoe guide who
is well experienced about the places and all the things around. Lake Bunyonyi is framed
with 29 islands of different sizes across the water making its view the most magical.
Each of the 29 islands on Lake Bunyonyi has its unique 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
death as a way to teach a lesson to the rest not to do the same mistake. So, poor men
who could not afford to pay bride price would go on this island to get free wives from
amongst those that could have been exiled to this island. In an Africa society, it is a
disgrace for a girl to get pregnant before her official marriage and this would cause the
family to lose its community respect so, this made parents be 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 your booked hotel to check-in and freshen up. This will
be the end of your 3- Days Uganda mountain gorilla trekking safari.
Meal plan; Breakfast / Lunch
