TRIP HIGHLIGHTS: This itinerary not only offers gorilla tracking experience but also gives you an opportunity to get involved in conserving nature through various projects like the pack for a purpose initiative that was started to encourage children conserve the environment through collecting plastic bottles and whoever collects up to 10 or more bottles wins himself a prize like a t-shirt or scholastic materials and thus we encourage interested travelers to support this initiative in order to encourage conservation and sustainability, tree planting, WALK WITH THE GORILLAS a sustainable practice which gets you through various gorilla tracks on foot.
There are also other activities that involve interaction with the local community like the coffee tour experience at a local home, community walks, cycling through the local villages, Batwa cultural entertainment, storytelling at the fire place and many others.
NOTE:
Entebbe International Airport (Google Map)
Entebbe International Airport (Google Map)
3 Hours Before Flight Time
Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met by your guide who will then transfer you to your hotel for an overnight.
Overnight at 2 friends beach Hotel / Hotel N0.5 Boutique hotel on BB
Travel distance: 300km, 9-10hours drive
After breakfast, you shall set off for Bwindi national park passing through hills with panoramic views and the equator arriving in the evening.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is best known for its mountain gorillas as well as spectacular birds. There are 23 of the 24 Albertine Rift endemics including the African green broadbill, bar tailed trogon and other beautiful forest species.
Accommodation: Lake Mulehe Gorilla lodge / Mahogany Springs lodge / Gorilla Forest Camp F/B
Time to trek the gorillas. After breakfast, you will drive to the departure point for a full briefing and to meet your gorilla trek guide. The guides will have been identifying the position of each gorilla group and know which is the closest departure point to trek from. The hiking is through thick, verdant rainforest. With your guide and porter using a machete to clear a path and assist you up and down steep terrain, spend time with the gorillas in their natural habitat is an amazing and unforgettable experience. The final trek times can vary enormously according to where the gorillas have moved to but most guests spend an hour with these amazing wild animals.
Activities of the day: Optional activities like a walk with the gorillas.
Today you shall have the day to yourself with a chance to join various optional activities like,
1. Walk with the gorillas: this involves a guided walk through the impenetrable forest with a chance of encountering with the gorillas (if lucky enough) this is a great way to reduce carbon emission, be sustainable and a great experience as well. You’ll get to learn a lot about nature, the gorillas, other wildlife that can be found within the impenetrable forest, storytelling plus learning about various tree species and herbs used by the local people for medication that can be found in the jungle. This is worth a life time experience.
2. Community walk where you shall visit the local beer brewing factory, traditional healer, craft making workshops and local schools and here you shall have an opportunity to learn their way of life, cultural beliefs and others.
3. Cooking lesson: you can join the chef in preparation of dinner basically local cuisines and using authentic organic food which is purchased from the local community as a way of supporting them and some from the lodge garden especially fresh vegetables.
4. Go for the coffee experience as a way of supporting the local community. You shall visit a local homestead, take you to their local farm where they will experiment the coffee process from nursery, planting, taking care of the plant until harvesting. Then you shall proceed to their home and you’ll learn about the local way of drying coffee using local tools, willowing until roasting on the local stoves. Here you shall have an opportunity of engaging in the activity and make your own cup of coffee to drink.
5. You can go for a canoe boat on Lake Mutanda or Mulehe and after wards a village walk.
6. You can opt for hiking in the Virungas or visiting the Golden monkeys in Mgahinga national park.
7. Visit the community and support the Pack for a purpose initiative: This is a community initiative that includes conserving nature through the pack for a purpose campaign where school children are offered clothes or school supplies in exchange of every 10 bottles collected in order to encourage conservation in the community. We encourage any interested clients to participate by bringing in any used or new items in support of this conservation campaign.
8. Evening Batwa Cultural entertainment at the lodge while on a fire place. Here you shall have an opportunity to get to learn about the stories of the batwa through music and dances, portraying their old ways of life like lighting fire using wood and how they used to live in forests many years ago.
9. Cycling: During your stay, you can choose to hire a bike from the lodge and go for cycling and here you shall have an opportunity to explore villages and various communities on a bicycle riding through hills and valleys and thus a way of carbon emission.
10. Golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga.
Accommodation: Lake Mulehe Gorilla lodge / Mahogany Springs lodge / Gorilla Forest Camp F/B
After breakfast, you shall proceed to Entebbe arriving in the evening to catch your flight back home.
