Mountain gorillas in Uganda

Individual arrival in Uganda the "Pearl of Africa" at Entebbe International Airport. The airport is located about 35 kilometers south of the capital of Uganda "Kampala". After completing the customs and entry formalities, you will be welcomed by a representative of Ndoto Safari at the airport and taken to your exceptional hotel No.5, which is located in the green and quiet district of Entebbe. You have time to relax from your arrival at the pool or in your room with a balcony and a view of Lake Victoria. In the afternoon you visit the "Zoo" of Entebbe. The Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC), which depicts a microcosm of Uganda's wildlife. Get in the mood for the upcoming adventure with a visit to the largest outdoor area in Africa for chimpanzees and other animal species (shoebill stork). Dinner (D) and overnight at No.5 Boutique Hotel

Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC) entrance

Chimpanzees at the UWEC in Entebbe

Tip: If you want to arrive a day earlier, there is the option of visiting "Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary" to visit the chimpanzee island. On this day trip, you can choose between traditional wooden canoes with an outboard motor (travel time 1h 30min) or in a speedboat (45min) to cross the island, approx. 25 km southwest of Entebbe in Lake Victoria. This island was opened as a protected area for the chimpanzees in order to offer confiscated animals from various pilot projects a new habitat. The chimpanzees can be observed very well from an observation platform. In addition to the chimpanzees, you can watch Nile monitor lizards, African eagles, hippos and a variety of birds. (optional)

Today we have to get up early and the adventure "Gorillas in the Fog" begins with the departure in a small plane at 7:00 am with EagleAir to the Kihihi Airstrip to Buhoma. The flight time is approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. Enjoy the breathtaking landscape from a bird's eye view as you fly over and let the green belt of Uganda pass by. You will be expected by your driver of the exclusive Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp at the Kihihi Airstrip and brought to your luxurious accommodation that is the only one located directly in the Bwindi National Park, the refuge of the last mountain gorillas on earth (travel time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes) . The rest of the day is at leisure. Inquire about the surrounding area and the camp, which is completely secluded in the middle of the original rainforest, or relax in your luxurious tent. You should go to bed early after the excellent dinner so that you can start your gorilla tracking the next day full of anticipation and rested. Meals (B) + (FB) and accommodation in the Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp (luxury)

Bwindi Impenetrable Nationalpark

Today is the first highlight (1st Gorilla Permit) of your tour and you will experience the last mountain gorillas up close in your natural environment. Only around 1,000 of you still live in the wild in the world. After a personal wake-up service with freshly brewed coffee from the region and a hearty breakfast, you will be accompanied on foot for about 3 minutes from the exclusive camp to the park office, where a briefing* (8:00 a.m.) on the rules of conduct* and allocation to the different habitats Gorilla families occur and the community of Buhoma introduces itself. 99% of the gorilla families can be found through long-term research and observations by trackers and gamekeepers.

We recommend taking a porter with you to ensure a safe** adventure and to support the Buhoma community, who work tirelessly to protect and preserve the gorillas. The Porter knows the terrain and supports you (pulls, pushes, pushes) during the hike. At the end of the tour, you will certainly not regret that a Porter was there to help you. Then you and your group (max. 8 visitors) drive with the guide, tracker, snow groomer and armed gamekeeper to the next starting point of the assigned gorilla family and the tracking can begin. The length of the hike can vary depending on where the gorilla group to be visited (pictures of the gorilla family Katwe) is located and how quickly the current location of the gorillas can be determined. Prepare yourself for a multi-hour (2h to 6h) and exhausting** tour over the mountain slopes of the Rukiga highlands and dense mountain and rainforest (Bwindi is between 1,160m and 2,600m high).

Enjoy the breathtaking nature and the beautiful landscapes with coffee and tea plantations, banana groves and flame trees during the hike. Your guide will show you different animal and plant species as well as the borders to Rwanda and the DR Congo and many other stories and information about the upcoming gorilla family. Each gorilla family is led by a 2 meter tall and up to 250 kilogram heavy with muscular "silver back" and the group sizes are different and subject to constant changes. Our goal is the last sleeping place of the gorillas that were tracked by the trackers the day before and we follow their tracks through the dense rainforest of the Bwindi Impenetrable (impenetrable) National Park. Once the gorillas have been located, the gorillas can be observed for 1 hour from a minimum distance of 7 meters. A unique and unforgettable experience to observe the "gentle giants" up close in their natural habitat. In the afternoon you are back in your luxury camp and after an exciting encounter with the last mountain gorillas you can relax after a strenuous hike and optionally treat yourself to a massage. Meals (FB) and accommodation in the Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp (luxury) Note: L = LunchBox during gorilla tracking)

Headquater at Bwindi NP

Gorilla groupe "Katwe"

Today is all about recovery from the first gorilla tracking tour the day before. After a good night's sleep and an excellent breakfast, you will be picked up strengthened by your personal guide (N. Prince) in your extraordinary camp to gain interesting insights into the everyday life of the residents of Buhoma on the edge of the Bwindi National Park. Accompanied by a ranger and your guide, you will visit the "Village of Women". There you meet a traditional medicine man and can learn more about the various healing powers of plants, roots and herbs.

You will experience the process of coffee from harvest to freshly roasted in the cup, as well as bake your own bread. You get to know the dances of the local Batwa Pygmy tribe, who live in your tree houses and you show how to light a fire traditionally. You will also learn how to make the banana beer and the excellent banana gin, a delicious treat.

The program also includes a visit to the Bwindi Eco Children School, Bwindi Community Hospital and the “Ride a Women” project. You will be back at your camp for lunch and the rest of the day is at your leisure. Enjoy the peace and relax in the camp. After the exquisite dinner with 3 courses a la carte menu, let yourself be enchanted by the traditional Ugandan "guitar" by the music legend of Buhoma "Warren Mutaka" at the romantic campfire. Meals (FB) and accommodation in the Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp (luxury) Note: L = Lunch box during gorilla tracking

Guide N. Prince

Batwa Pygmy

After a rich breakfast, we continue to search for traces of the last free living mountain gorillas in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park of Uganda (2nd Gorilla Permit). Today you can sleep a little longer and may join later because you already took part in the introduction to the rules of conduct* on day 3. After the allocation of another gorilla family (pictures of the gorilla family Muyambi) you will be driven to the starting point. The tracking tour** goes past the last small farmers' villages to the border of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is still shrouded in fog, over steep mountain slopes and there is a regular break.

On the other side of the border in Rwanda, only 100 kilometers away, the primate researcher Dian Fossey was doing research. Her research became known worldwide with the filming of "Gorillas in the Fog". After reaching the hilltop there is again a breathtaking view of the Bwindi National Park and the trackers show the approximate location of the Gorilla Group through binoculars. As always, we want to be there early because the gorillas are mostly active in the early morning in the search for food and food intake.

Enjoy your second encounter with the "Gentle Giants" that will remain unforgettable. If you look at the amber-colored eyes, you think all the melancholy of the world lingers in extraordinary apes whose DNA matches 98.7 percent of ours. At the end of each tour, you will receive a certificate at the headquarters as a souvenir of the gorilla family visited. Transfer to the Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp for further relaxation, for example with a soothing leg massage after an exciting and eventful gorilla tracking tour. The afternoon is at your leisure. Meals (FB) and accommodation in the Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp (Luxurury)

Silverback "Muyambi"

Gorilla groupe "Muyambi"

After enjoying your coffee in the tent and after an excellent breakfast, your transfer to the Kihihi Airstrip for the return flight (approx. 9:00 a.m.) to Entebbe. Upon arrival at Entebbe airport, you will be welcomed and transferred to the elegant and modern resort hotel directly on the picturesque Lake Victoria with a short drive from the airport. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

We recommend relaxing by the beautiful outdoor pool with a view of Lake Victoria and enjoying the delicious BBQ freshly caught from Lake Victoria. Due to the proximity of the hotels to the botanical garden (2 km), a driving service to visit the botanical garden is available (optional) by making the first Tarzan films (b/w) with "Johnny Weissmüller" in 1940. The Entebbe Golf Club is just 3 km from the hotel. Enjoy the spectacular sunsets on Lake Victoria on the terrace or at the hotel's own bar and review your experiences from the encounter with the last mountain gorillas from Uganda. Meals (L, D) and accommodation at Protea Hotel by Marriott - Entebbe

Kihihi Airstrip

Public beach on Lake Victoria

After breakfast, it's time to say goodbye to Lake Victoria. Transfer to Entebbe International Airport for your onward flight home with unforgettable impressions and countless stories in your luggage or for your individual safari extension in Tanzania to Kilimanjaro International Airport, Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar. Meals (B) at Protea Hotel by Marriott - Entebbe

Prices are valid for trips in November, April and May (low season)
Prices are per person for a flight safari for 1 person (single room)

Note: This trip can also take place for 2 people - price per person from 5.450 $ USD for a flight safari for 2 people (double occupancy)

Mountain gorillas in Uganda's Bwindi National Park

 

Hints / Tips: The gorillas can be visited all year round. The cost of a gorilla permit in the high season amounts to US $ 700 (as of 04/2023) and is strictly limited to protect the animals. Around 20 percent of the revenue goes directly to the local population, schools, hospitals and road construction. Much of the money goes to the park for the protection of the park's borders from wood thieves and poachers as well as for equipment and research. Since the locals have recognized that you benefit directly from the protection of the gorillas, the number of poachers is declining. The months of November, April and May count towards the low season. Reduced permits for 350 US $ are possible during this time. Heavy rains can occur in the afternoon and the ground is softened and slippery, which can make a gorilla tracking tour difficult. We recommend taking a porter with you to ensure a safe adventure and to support the Buhoma community, who work tirelessly to protect and preserve the gorillas. We kindly ask you to change a porter (cost $ 20- $ 25) on your tour so that the entire community can benefit from the protection of the gorillas. During the school holidays (November, December, January), many young people from the neighboring villages earn their school fees for the year as porters and are dependent on them. This activity gives residents the opportunity to recognize early on how important sustainability and the animals' protection are for the community. Tipping for the guide, tracer, groomer and armed gamekeeper are compulsory at your own discretion. We recommend approx. 3-5 $ US p.P each and for the driver Kihihi Airstrip and starting point Gorilla Tracking 10 $ US p.P. The Buhoma community and the village of women are of course happy to receive any help during your visit. Donations are welcome in the hospital, school, and other social settings, and your personal guide N. Prince on your Community Village Walk is happy to tip you about $ 20 US. We make our contribution so that the local population can benefit directly from the income from tourism in order to achieve a sustainable impact). The import and export of plastic bags will be prohibited from June 1, 2019, except for small plastic bags with zips for cosmetics and liquids in hand luggage.

Aerial view of green Uganda

* Code of Conduct / Park: The 331 km² Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in the southwest of Uganda and is a tropical rainforest with high humidity and high probability of precipitation with a gorilla population of currently (as of 08/2023) around 549 animals on the Ugandan side and other primate species such as chimpanzees . Baboons, mantle and various types of vervet monkeys. Since the gorilla groups are very well habituated and the exact locations and movement profiles are known, sighting of the gorillas is almost 99% guaranteed. In order not to disturb the behavior patterns and movement profiles of the animals, the stay with the respective gorilla families is limited to 1 hour. The group size without rangers, trackers and gamekeepers must not exceed 8 people (minimum age 15 years). Out of consideration for the gorillas, flash photography is not allowed. Diseased park visitors and children under the age of 15 are denied access by the park administration for security reasons. A park entrance fee (gorilla permit) reimbursement is not possible. Be sure to follow the instructions of the specially trained park administration guides and observe the rules of conduct. Depending on the security situation, an armed soldier from the Ugandan Army (UPDF) must be accompanied.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

** Health: Due to the possible multi-hour hikes (uphill) in high, dense rainforest, good physical fitness and endurance are required. A gorilla tracking tour can be a very strenuous hike (2-7 hours possible) and physical fitness should be a prerequisite for this unique experience. Good equipment with sturdy hiking boots and a high shaft, daypack, rainwear, walking stick (also provided by the Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp) and garden or leather gloves (to protect against thorns and nettles) are prerequisites for gorilla tracking. Please think of photo equipment and sun and mosquito protection as well as medication required.