Gorillas & Volcanoes Safari 6D/5N

Touch down in Entebbe. Upon arrival, a designated driver/guide will be there to welcome guests, ensuring a smooth transfer to the selected accommodations for a comfortable overnight stay. The guide will provide a thorough briefing about the upcoming tour and specify the pick-up time for the following day.

A prompt departure at 7:00 AM starts the journey from the guesthouse, heading southwest through the heart of Uganda. Upon reaching Kabale, a lunch break provides a moment for relaxation before continuing the journey. As the final stretch beckons, the landscape dramatically opens up, revealing the majestic view of the Virunga volcanoes amidst the expansive planes of Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo. Arriving in Kisoro leads to a stay at the historic Travellers Rest Hotel, a cozy establishment celebrated for its connection to the conservation of mountain gorillas. Built in 1955 by Walter Baumgartel, this hotel has a storied past as a hub for those passionate about gorillas, including frequent visits from the iconic 'Gorilla-woman,' Dian Fossey, who fondly referred to it as her "second home." Renovated in 1999, the hotel maintains its colonial charm, offering self-contained rooms for a delightful retreat just outside Kisoro.

This day is dedicated to Gorilla tracking. From Travellers Rest in Kisoro, it's approximately a one-hour drive or 20-minute trek by car to the Nkuringo group or the Rushaga area, which is home to the Nshongi, Mishaya, Kahungye, and Bweza groups located in southern Bwindi, or a 40-minute drive to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Upon arrival, a briefing is scheduled for 7:45 AM, with tracking commencing at 8:30 AM. Once the gorillas are located, visitors are allowed to spend up to one hour in their presence. All visitors should return to the starting point by 7:00 PM. The walking duration varies between 3 to 9 hours, depending on the gorilla's location, making physical fitness advisable due to the demanding nature of the hike.

Activities in Kisoro (B)

Today, everybody can do individually or group activities. With local organizations and the National Park, we have developed a number of very interesting activities from which you can choose to take part in:

1. 2nd Gorilla tracking is possible in Mgahinga NP. ($700 per person)

2. Gorilla Habituation Experience is also possible ($1,500 per person)

3. Climbing Muhavura Volcano (± 8 hrs; distance 12km; height 4127m; elevation gain 1700m) ($80 per person)

4. Climbing Gahinga Volcano (± 6 hrs; distance 8km; height 3474m; elevation gain 1100m) topped by a swamp-filled crater and giant lobelia. Lucky climbers may spot golden monkeys on their way through the bamboo forest. ($80 per person)

5. Climbing the Sabinyo volcano (Sabinyo has three peaks, you can climb all three in the same walk, you need to be fit! ± 8 hrs; distance 14 km; height 3669m, elevation gain 1300m) ($80 per person)

6. Sabinyo Gorge (± 4 hrs; distance 6km, no elevation gain)- ($70 per person)

7. The Mgahinga Platform viewing Experience (± 1 hr) (USD $10 per person) and Garama cave is the same as Batwa Trail and it costs USD $80 per person

8. Bird walk in Mgahinga (starts at 10 AM, it can take up to 4-5 PM) (USD $30 per person)

9. Several bicycle rides on mountain bikes. From 25km to 50km. The hills can be steep and tough!

10. Cultural village walk (with a local guide walking through the land of the Bufumbira tribe) (USD $20 per person)

11. Walk to Lake Mutanda and go canoeing on this beautiful lake. (USD $20 per person)

12. Golden Monkey Habituation Experience at ($140 per person) or tracking ($100 per person) in Mgahinga.

13. Or just sit and relax or read a book in the garden of Travellers Rest!

14. Special is the Batwa Trail: ($80 per person) It starts at the base of Mt Muhavura at 8.00 am and finishes by 3-4 pm. You'll need walking shoes, hat, and raingear, and a packed lunch with sufficient drinks.

The Batwa Trail runs across the lower slopes of the Muhavura and Gahinga volcanoes in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. The forest is home to a variety of wildlife, but the Batwa Trail is far from being a conventional nature walk. With the help of Batwa guides, you'll see the forest as a larder, pharmacy, builder's yard, tool kit and, above all, a home. Along the trail, you'll fire a bow and arrow, check hives for wild honey, help repair a Batwa shelter, harvest plants for medicine and food, light a fire without a match, listen to legends and learn about Batwa traditions. The highlight of the trail is a descent into the Garama cave, a 200m-long lava tube beneath Mt. Gahinga.

Transfer back to Entebbe via Kampala

After breakfast, the last part of the journey will bring us back to Kampala, driving through one of the most scenic routes in western Uganda passing through an extensive bamboo forest, as well as the "Kanaba gap", where a clear view of the volcanoes in Uganda can be seen, as we drive down through the beautiful views of Lake Bunyonyi being the deepest Lake in Uganda. It’s not surprising that the road is the favorite for both tourists and Locals. We will stop in Mbarara for lunch, and after Masaka town we will stop at the Equator for a Tea/Coffee break and buying souvenirs. We will then bring you back to your hotel in Entebbe for overnight.

Driving time: ± 9 hours

Transfer back to Entebbe

If departing in the morning, the hotel has a shuttle that will bring you to the airport; but if departing in the evening, there are many activities, you still can do in Kampala and Entebbe.

Optional: - Kampala City tour (USD $120 for vehicle including driver and fuel)

Entebbe Tour: - Ngamba Island for the orphaned chimps (USD $88 per person), and it can be combined with Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (the former Zoo)

Botanical Gardens at USD $10 p.p

Mabamba swamp tour - $80 p.p