4 Day Fly-In Gorilla Habituation Safari Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport to Protea Hotel Entebbe

Welcome to the Pearl of Africa! Arrive at Entebbe Airport, where you will be welcomed and transferred to your hotel (5-10 minutes). Overnight at Protea Hotel Entebbe.

Day 2: Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

After an early breakfast transfer to Entebbe International Airport for a domestic flight to Western Uganda, departing at 07.00. From Kisoro Airstrip (expected arrival at 08.10 / 08.55 hr), you will be transferred by road in about two hours (34 km) to the home of the endangered mountain gorillas. Check-in at the lodge and enjoy a delicious lunch. In the afternoon you will have the opportunity to relax and prepare yourself for the next day. Or go for an optional (guided) forest walk for the first introduction to Uganda’s unique flora and fauna.  Dinner and overnight at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge.

Day 3: Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Arise early today and prepare for the highlight of your safari, a Gorilla habituation experience. The first of its kind in the world, spend 4 hours with the gorillas to see how they are habituated.

Following early morning breakfast, transfer to the national park offices, where you will be allocated a gorilla family in groups of 8, as well as a gorilla tracking guide. After a pre-tracking briefing by your guide touching on the gorillas generally, your assigned gorilla family, as well as appropriate safety precautions, you drive to the trailhead for the start of a thrilling adventure.

Expect to walk between 2 and 8 hours in steep and sometimes muddy conditions with rain overhead, which can be tricky and require a degree of (average) fitness. However, the thrill of coming face to face with a giant Mountain Gorilla silverback ultimately makes up for the effort!

Please remember to bring your passport for registration, appropriate, waterproof hiking boots and a light raincoat. To protect from stinging nettles, we recommend long pants and long-sleeved tops. A pair of old gardening gloves can help grab onto the vegetation, while most hotels/lodges provide a walking stick that comes in very handy, especially when hiking downhill.  A small waterproof backpack is an excellent idea to carry a light snack, bottled water as well as protection for your camera.

Upon sighting the gorillas, you spend 4 hours with them as they go about their daily life; feeding, moving, playing, raising their young and sometimes wrestling by the juveniles – it is a unique and unforgettable experience!

Afterwards, you hike back to base, where your driver will be waiting to transfer you to the lodge for a deserved shower and dinner at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge.

Day 4: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – Entebbe International Airport – Departure

Today we will depart the impenetrable forest of Bwindi and head back to Entebbe with the morning flight. At Entebbe International Airport, connect to your international flight. Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing.