4 Days Gorilla tracking in Uganda

After breakfast, drive to Kisoro in Western Uganda.
Upon arrival in Kisoro, you will drive to the ‘Batwa’ (pygmies) Cultural Trail in Mgahinga National Park, doing this trail will enable you to interact and learn about the interesting lifestyle of Uganda’s unique pygmies. The Batwa pygmies are the traditional inhabitants of the forest currently occupied by the National Park. The trail exposes you to the in-depth hidden history of the Batwa pygmies before the year 1990 when they evacuated the forest area that had become protected and conserved as a National Park.

The Batwa Trail is unique in a way that it showcases the authentic culture of the original inhabitants of the Mghahinga forest who’s lives mainly depended on the natural habitat. While exploring the trail, you experience the naturally endowed forest through a rare viewpoint of the local people. The experience comes along with different unique demonstrations on how the pygmies used to extract local herbs that were used for healing different diseases, traditional ways of fetching water using locally made bamboo mugs and construction of grass huts.

The highly rewarding cultural tour ends with staged, authentic cultural performance organized by the Batwa community at the gate of the Garama cave, which was highly regarded as a ceremonial place for the cultural leaders of the Batwa community. Transfer to your lodge in preparation for Gorilla trekking the following day.

Today is the big day… Prepare yourself for an encounter with one of Bwindi’s gentle giants: the rare Mountain Gorilla. For most people, this is the absolute highlight of their tour in Uganda. You will be required to wake up early in the morning then be led to the visitor’s reception center for a briefing about the park. You are allocated guides before heading into the forest in search of Mountain Gorillas.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest boasts both Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees – the only forest in Africa, which can make this claim in fact. It also hosts five other species of primate, 113 species of mammal, over 200 butterflies and 360 birds.

The Gorillas you will track belong to one of nine habituated family groups who can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day. Your trek will be an exciting journey along forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes and bamboo before you eventually reach the Gorillas’ habitat. En route, your guide will point out signs of previous Gorilla activity, including dung, nests and chewed bamboo shoots.

The time taken to track the Gorillas can take as little as 2 hours! Once the Gorillas have been located, your group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them. Coming face-to-face with a Mountain Gorilla is a truly humbling and emotional experience. This is a fantastic and privileged opportunity to get up close and personal with Uganda’s very own ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.

After trekking Gorillas, return to your camp/ lodge from where you will relive those special moments with friends over a drink

Depart after breakfast for Kampala in time for your flight. End of safari