Starts and ends in Kampala
A magnificent verdant swathe across the steep ridges of the Albertine Rift Valley, this ancient rainforest - one of the few in Africa to have flourished throughout the last Ice Age - is home to roughly half of the world's mountain gorillas.
Looking deep into the expressive brown eyes of these gentle giants is surely the most exciting and poignant wildlife encounter that Africa has to offer - but we should not let it distract from Bwindi's broader biodiversity, a result of its immense antiquity and an altitude span from 1,160 to 2,607m.
The national park has 90 mammal species, including 11 primates, of which the black-and-white colobus, with its lovely flowing white tail, is prominent.
The forest birding ranks with the best in Uganda, with 23 highly localised Albertine Rift endemics present.
Details
Day 1: Kampala - Bwindi
Your driver/guide will meet you at your accommodation at 0700hrs. An early morning start from Kampala takes you southwest and across the Equator. You drive through savannah grasslands seeing banana plantations and herds of Ankole long horned cows famous for their incredibly long horns. Lunch en route. Then ascend into the Kigezi highlands, known as the "Switzerland of Africa", with terraced farming and mountain scenery and continue your drive onto to Bwindi. (9-10 hour drive).
Day 2: Bwindi
Gorilla trekking: After a short briefing by the Park Rangers in the early morning, enter the Gorilla Sanctuary. The thrill of spending time and observing the gorillas is a rare, moving and exciting adventure.
Day 3: Bwindi - Kampala
Return to Kampala with a stopover in Mbarara for lunch. Drop-off at your Kampala accommodation.
Price: Affordable and on request
Accommodation:
High class lodge: Gorilla Forest Camp, Buhoma Lodge, Silver back Lodge, Mantana Camp, Volcano lodge.
Middle class lodge: Buhoma Resort.
Budget Accommodation: Buhoma home stead, Buhoma view.
Price includes:
Ground transport, chosen accommodation, and all the activities mentioned above with an English/French speaking driver/guide and 1 gorilla trekking permit per person.
Note:
Gorilla permits are obtained from Uganda Wildlife Authority Gorilla offices in Kampala at a cost of 500 US dollars each. This includes entry fees to the park, guide fee and community levy and government taxes. Due to competition on gorilla visit, the above mentioned amount of money for gorilla permit has to be transferred through the bank as soon as you confirm your trip to secure the place and to avoid inconveniences during the gorilla visit.
Any and all tours can be combined or modified to fit your particular needs. Please tell us your specific requirements in your inquiry.
Prices are subject to change based upon accommodation availability, your tour alterations and other parameters until time of full and final confirmation.
