4 Days luxury gorilla trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari
This 4 days luxury gorilla trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari is one of the interesting and extra ordinary safaris which will take you to Lake Bunyonyi which is the deepest lake in Uganda and Bwindi impenetrable national park where you will have an opportunity to spending time with the mountain gorillas. Bwindi impenetrable national park is located in southwestern region and it’s the best destination for gorilla trekking in Africa in that it harbors half of the world’s mountain gorillas. The national park is a home of 19 habituated gorilla families and offers gorilla trekking activity which is carried out in four sectors namely Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the east, Nkuringo in the south and Rushaga in the south.
Highlights of the 4 days luxury gorilla trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 2: Gorilla trekking
Day 3: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
Day 4: Departure to Kampala
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 of the 4 days luxury gorilla trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari
Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable forest, on the first day of your 4 days luxury gorilla trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari you will be welcomed by our driver guide at Entebbe airport who will give you a short briefing about your safari and then start your 8 to 10 journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park. On your way you will pass via Masaka and continue to Mbarara where you will have a stopover at Igongo cultural Centre for lunch.
After lunch you will proceed with the journey via Ntungamo, Kabale and then to Bwindi impenetrable national park. On arrival you will continue to the lodge check in, have dinner and overnight. Though it’s a long journey from Kampala to Bwindi impenetrable national park it’s worth it because you will have spectacular views of the landscapes, beautiful scenery, homesteads, Kigezi hills, plantations, farmlands, local people, road side markets among others.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Gorilla trekking, you will wake up, have breakfast on the second day of your 4 days luxury gorilla trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari, carry your packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for the briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations during gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped into 8 people and allocated a gorilla family to trek, grouping of individuals is done according to age, physical fitness and personal preferences so that visitors who are not physically fit are allocated a gorilla group that is near to trek.
You will start trekking at around 8:00am with a park guide who is well conversant with the gorilla families and the trails in the jungle so as to take you to where the gorillas are. Gorilla trekking in the park takes 30 minutes to 7 hours and during trekking you will pass through the thick forest where you will view other primates like the l’hoest monkeys, baboons, bird species, plant species among others.
When the mountain gorillas are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity of learning about their lifestyle, habits, behaviors, taking photos and recording the moments. After the one hour encounter you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking and then meet your driver guide and transfer to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
You will wake up, have breakfast on the third day of your 4 days luxury gorilla trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale district. Lake Bunyonyi is the deepest lake in Uganda and second deepest in Africa. The word Bunyonyi means a place of small birds which makes it a great destination for birders. Upon arrival you will go for a boat ride in a dugout canoe on Lake Bunyonyi where you will visit some of the 29 islands such as the punishment island where they used to take girls who got pregnant before marriage. During the boat ride you will have great views of the terraced farmlands, landscapes, beautiful scenery, various bird species and also get an opportunity of taking beautiful photos.
After the boat ride you will drive to the lodge check in and have lunch. After lunch you will go for a community walk around the lake where you will interact with the Batwa and Bakiga. You will get an opportunity of visiting their farmlands, taste their food, visit the markets, be entertained through cultural dances, music, stories among others. After the community tour you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Departure to Kampala
On the last day of your 4 days luxury gorilla trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari, you will wake up, have a relaxed breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kampala. On your way you will pass via Kabale town, Ntungamo and then Mbarara town where you will have a stopover for lunch. After lunch you will continue the journey with another stop over at the equator where you will take photos and in case you want to buy some souvenirs there are various craft shops where you can buy art crafts, art pieces among others. From the equator you will continue to Kampala and your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe international airport for your next flight or at any place of convenience.
End of 4 days luxury gorilla trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari
Tour includes
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi
- Community tour
- An English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Pick up and drop off
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled water
Tour excludes
- Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.
