Tour overview
This 4 Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Safari takes you to one of the richest rainforests renowned over 25,000 years old Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, flying from Entebbe to Kihihi Airstrip then drive to Bwindi, and home to just over half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas where over 400 individuals live in the whole world, take a birds eye view of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. The trip is specifically interesting those whose main focus is to see, photograph and experience gorilla behavior in different families. Track the gorillas twice in two seperate days, 2 different gorilla groups just for the double experience on this tour.
Safari Highlights
- Track and meet the Gorillas twice in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
- Enjoy the Nature walk and see different monkeys in the area
- Meet the Local People including the Batwa (Pygmies)
- Nature walk through Bwindi misty rainforests and come face-to-face with a mountain gorilla
- Enjoy spectacular views from Bwindi Lodge, with sunrise over the forest
4 Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking Trip Summery
Day 1: Fly Entebbe – Kihihi – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 2: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Day of Gorilla Trekking
Day 3: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Second Day of Gorilla Trekking
Day 4: Fly Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Entebbe
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Start Fly-in Uganda Gorilla Trek Safari with Flight From Entebbe to Bwindi
Depending on the flight availability at the time of your booking, your departure time to Bwindi can be 07.00 am, 10:15 Am, or 12:00 pm (check-in 2 hours before your flight departs).
It is advisable that you spend the night before this day in or near Entebbe so that you won’t have to panic about catching your flight to Bwindi. Most hotels in Entebbe offer complimentary shuttles to Entebbe Airport. If you can’t get this, we are happy to arrange the transfer for you.
By the time you get to Entebbe Airport, our team should have already got in contact with you to give you the e-tickets for your flight as well as the gorilla permits (in case they might not have been sent to the park office in Bwindi already).
At Entebbe Airport, the terminal staff will be requiring you to present your passport to check in for your flight to Bwindi. Aerolink staff shall also be waiting to receive and show you to the aircraft.
Your flight to Kisoro/Bwindi is about 1 hour and goes mostly at lower altitudes so you can have fabulous views of the remote villages of Uganda, rivers, and mountains.
When you arrive and disembark at Kihihi/Kisoro airstrip, you will be picked up by our representative who will be transferring you to your lodge for the night. The drive from either airstrip should normally be 1 hour through great sceneries.
If you have more time during the day, guided walking tours can be arranged. You could go for the Batwa pygmies community walk in Bwindi, or just a guided Bwindi community walk. Also, if you happen to arrive in the morning, guided walks in the Bwindi National Park forest are possible.
Accomodation options:
Up-market: Mahogany Springs Lodge | Buhoma Lodge | Four Gorillas Lodge | Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge Bwindi
Moderate: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge| Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge | Mutanda Lake Resort
Low Budget: Gorilla Haven Lodge Rushaga | Gorilla Conservation Camp
Meal plan: Lunch and dinner
Day 2: Your first Gorilla Trekking Experience in Bwindi
Early this morning (at about 7 am), your driver will be meeting you at your Bwindi lodge/ camp to ensure you are all well prepared for your first gorilla tracking exercise. This is normally after you have had your breakfast. You are then driven to the park office for the pre-gorilla trekking briefing. Here, more information about the conservation and ecology of mountain gorillas is shared and short video clips about the gorilla might also be played. Sometimes, a piece of local cultural music and dance performance from the communities is performed by the local women’s group.
You will then be allocated to the gorilla group. The group comprises not more than 8 persons and visits one gorilla group/ gorilla family. Each group is allocated a team of ranger escorts and assisting trackers. We recommend that you consider hiring a porter to assist you to carry your backpack as these can be so tiring as you trek through the jungles of the thick forest undergrowth. The cost of hiring a porter for the gorilla trek is USD15 but you could give more if you prefer. For most gorilla families, there should be a 20-30-minute drive to the trailhead for the gorilla trek but for some, it is just a walk away from the park office.
The gorilla trekking shall mostly be going through thick forest undergrowth with paths being made that day using machetes. The trekking can be physically challenging but there are several breaks along the way to allow you to catch your breath, and also for the rangers to give more information about the forest and the other wildlife species you shall be meeting as you hike to the gorillas in Bwindi.
We could as well take 2-4 hours to reach the location of the gorillas. When you finally encounter the mountain gorillas, you are allowed 1 hour with them. These gorillas, giant as they look have been habituated to human presence. So they will still be wild in a way but won’t be running to hide from you or trying to attack you when you visit them. As you go about enjoying the mountain gorillas the rangers shall be giving you more information about them. They shall also be making clear of the shrubs and bushes so that you have better views and angles for taking photographs.
After your one hour with the gorillas, you will be setting off for your descent back. Along the way, the rangers will find a comfortable place in the jungle for you to enjoy your boxed lunch.
The rest of the day can be spent relaxing at your accommodation or taking more guided walks in the communities near Bwindi.
Accomodation options
Up-market: Mahogany Springs Lodge | Buhoma Lodge | Four Gorillas Lodge | Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge Bwindi
Moderate: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge| Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge | Mutanda Lake Resort
Low Budget: Gorilla Haven Lodge Rushaga | Gorilla Conservation Camp
Meal plan: Breakfast, boxed lunch, and dinner
Day 3: Second Gorilla Trek in Bwindi
Today we shall be enjoying the second gorilla trek in Bwindi. Tracking mountain gorillas multiple times has several benefits that could be underestimated if one only focuses on the cost of the second gorilla tracking permit. First, you have a chance to view a totally different gorilla family behaving uniquely different from the first one. Just like humans, mountain gorillas’ families have different behaviors, more so when visitors are around. Also, the composition of every gorilla family is very different from the other with some having as many as 30 gorillas while others only have 5 mountain gorillas. Bwindi being a tropical rainforest, the chances of having it rain on your gorilla trek day are very high. If on the first day you have it rain on you when you are viewing the gorillas in Bwindi, having a second gorilla trek helps remedy your experience so that you can have better photos as well.
Our team will ensure that you are allocated a different gorilla family on your second gorilla trek, it could be located in the same sector of Bwindi but will definitely have a different composition from the gorillas you would have seen on the first trekking experience.
Accommodation options
Up-market: Mahogany Springs Lodge | Buhoma Lodge | Four Gorillas Lodge | Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge Bwindi
Moderate: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge| Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge | Mutanda Lake Resort
Low Budget: Gorilla Haven Lodge Rushaga | Gorilla Conservation Camp
Meal plan: Breakfast, boxed lunch, and dinner
Day 4: Fly from Bwindi-Kihihi/Kisoro-Entebbe
After your memorable experience collections, the 4 days Uganda fly-in gorilla trek tour comes to an end sadly! Depending on the departure flight you are booked on, our representative will take care of your transfer to Kihihi or Kisoro airstrip at the most appropriate time.
Please let us know if you wish us to include one (or more) nights in Kampala /Entebbe or arrange your transport to and from Entebbe Airport with Gorillas and Wildlife Safaris.
Meal plan: Breakfast only.
Morning flight options from Bwindi to Entebbe:
Departure time from Kihihi: 09.45 AM
Departure time from Kisoro: 09.10 AM
Arrival time in Entebbe: 11.25 AM
Afternoon flight options from Bwindi to Entebbe
Departure time from Kihihi: 14.05 PM or 15.05 PM
Arrival time in Entebbe: 15.55 PM or 16.15 PM
Safari inclusions
- 2 gorilla tracking permits per person
- All airport and airstrips transfers
- Flight to and from Kihihi/Kisoro Airstrip
- All accommodations while on tour
- Meals as specified in the itinerary
Safari exclusions
- International flight (can be arranged if required)
- Visa and personal insurance
- Drinks, tips and gratuities
- Personal expenses (laundry, souvenirs, etc.)
- Any item or activity not mentioned in the tour package
From Entebbe, Flying to gorillas – Flights to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Uganda
You can do a tour flying to the gorillas in Bwindi from Entebbe international airport. You can either land at Kihihi Airstrip or Kisoro Airstrip. The airstrip you would fly into depends on your gorilla permit location. If you will be tracking the gorillas in Buhoma or Ruhija Sector of Bwindi, you need to fly to Kihihi Airstrip. If your accommodation is Mahogany springs, Buhoma Lodge, Gorilla Forest Camp, Silverback Lodge, Engagi Lodge, Bwindi Lodge, or any other lodge in the north of Bwindi, it makes more sense to fly into Kihihi Airstrip for your gorilla safari. From there, you will be picked by a vehicle to transfer you to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The distance from Bwindi to Kihihi Airstrip is about 60 kms and can be driven for about 1.5 hours if the weather is good.
If your gorilla trek is in the south of Bwindi (Rushaga, Nkuringo and Mgahinga) or if you are doing gorilla habituation experience, golden monkeys or hiking Mgahinga, your flights need to land at Kisoro Airstrip. Similarly, if your accommodation is in south Bwindi like Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge, Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Mt. Gahinga Lodge among others, Kisoro Airstrip is the best to fly into for your gorilla trek safari. Flights to Kisoro however only happen in the mornings and cost at least $80 more than those via Kihihi.
