Our guides Joseph and Herbert were very well organised and made sure we had a good time and were always safe and well looked after. The gorilla trek itself was a real highlight and was very well coordinated. We were amazed to find the gorillas sitting around going about their daily business and not bothered by our presence. The thrill of being so close to these wonderful creatures and sensing how comfortable they were was truly beautiful. To know that they were not threatened by us, was the most rewarding experience. We were able to observe them for more than an hour and took plenty of great photos and videos of the silverbacks, mothers, juveniles and a couple of adorable babies… We got to see nearly all of the creatures mentioned in our itinerary. The accommodation was of a very high standard and did not disappoint.
4-Day Uganda Gorilla Fly In Trek and Chimp Habituation
See Tree-Climbing Lions in Ishasha Sector
Chimpanzee Habituation in Kibale NP
Gorilla Trekking Bwindi NP
This 4-day adventure is the best of wildlife safaris in Uganda, offering you the opportunity to spot creatures from Uganda’s myriad of natural wonders. See the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, catch a glimpse of the tree-climbing lions, and venture into the natural wonderland that is Kibale National park, famous for its numerous species of trees and primates.
Tour Highlights
Track the rare mountain gorillas through the mountains of Bwindi National Park
Spot the unique tree-climbing lions, as they lazily hang from candelabra trees in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park
Observe other animals in the QE National Park such as hippopotamus, leopards, and elephants
Experience the habituation of chimpanzees through Kibale Forest, also home to six other species of primates
Explore the flora and fauna in Kibale Forest with its 414 species of trees and 378 species of birds
Click the Tabs to Find out More
Trip Details
Trip Details
Price
Adults (15-80): $2,988
Please inquire for the budget accommodation price, this is our mid-range accommodation tour
2 persons or more: $2,487 per person
3 persons or more: $2,356 per person
4 persons or more: $2,210 per person
Departure Time
Pick up on day one depends on the flight arrival time
Meeting Point
We offer pick-up to the following places for this experience:
- Kisoro Airport or
- Kihihi Airport
Availability
Monday to Sunday, year-round
Duration
4 days
Difficulty Level
Moderate – uphill trekking
Group size
1 to 5 persons
Included
- Meals: 3 x breakfasts, 3 x dinners, 3 x lunches
- Accommodation included: 3 nights
- Transport in 4×4
- Gorilla trekking permits ($700 per permit)
- Chimpanzee habituation permits ($250 per permit)
- Park entrance fees:
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Kibale Forest National Park
Not Included
- Optional activities (see tab 4)
- Visas, travel insurance, and items of personal nature
- International flights
What to Bring
- Hiking boots
- Garden gloves
- Rain jacket or poncho
- Long-sleeved shirt/blouse
- Cameras and extra batteries
- Hat/cap and sunglasses
- Pair of binoculars
- Flashlight (torch)
- Mosquito repellent
- Other items to include: zoom lens for wildlife shots and energy bars/bites
Participation Requirements
- Age restriction: 15-80 years old
- A valid passport is required on the day of travel
- This tour is not wheelchair accessible
- We advise against people with heart problems or other serious medical conditions participating on this tour
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Good to Know
On day 2, depending on the availability of gorilla permits, we may propose trekking gorillas at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
What You’ll Do
You will board a domestic flight from Entebbe Airport to Bwindi National Park area airport. There are two airports serving Bwindi National Park: Kisoro airport in Kisoro district & Kihihi airport in Kanungu district. The choice of the airport will depend on the availability of flights & gorilla permits. The flight from Entebbe to Bwindi National Park departs at 7:00am and the flight from Kisoro airport to Entebbe departs around 8:30am.
A Bamboo Ecotours representative will pick you up at the Bwindi area airport and drive to the lodge. Check-in at the lodge and choose a local activity to do in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at Bwindi National Park.
Today is a special day! The gorilla safari Uganda is famous for. You will head to Bwindi National Park immediately after breakfast to get a briefing about the gorilla trek. The presentation will cover the basics of what to expect during the trek, how to approach the animals for both your and their safety. The national park guide will assign all visitors a gorilla family to track and after that, your adventure begins. Depending on how far the gorillas are inside the forest, the trek can last from 3 to 8 hours, the average time being between 3 and 5. Venture into the vegetation until you come across these incredible creatures, it is a truly unique experience. After the trek, you will return to the lodge to relax, eat dinner, and enjoy a good night’s sleep.
We will start the journey in the morning from Bwindi National Park and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The drive will take you through the stunning landscapes of southwestern Uganda. On arrival at northern Queen Elizabeth National Park at Mweya Peninsular, you can join a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel to enjoy possible sightings of hippos and elephants. After the Kazinga channel boat trip, we will drive for 3hrs to Kibale National Park for dinner and overnight.
You will head to the Kibale forest immediately after breakfast to experience the habituation of the chimpanzees. If you are lucky on the trek, you might encounter other different species of monkeys in the Kibale forest. These include colobus monkeys, olive baboon, and red-tailed monkeys.
The chimpanzee habituation experience allows visitors to join a group of Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers and researchers training chimpanzees to get familiar with humans. The habituation experience at Kibale Forest National Park for visitors takes the whole day with a short break for lunch. The process of altogether getting a group of chimpanzees habituated for tourism takes at least two years.
After the chimp habituation experience, transfer to Kampala or Entebbe (~6-7hrs drive). And this will be the end of the 4-day trek.
Accommodation & Meals
- Day 1 & 2:
- Lake Mutanda Resort(opens in a new tab)
- Rushaga Gorilla Lodge(opens in a new tab)
- Bakiga Lodge(opens in a new tab)
- Gorilla Mist Lodge(opens in a new tab)
- Meals:
- Day 1: Dinner
- Day 2: All meals included
- Day 3: – All meals included
- Day 4: Breakfast & lunch
We will choose from one of these lodges according to availability.
Optional Activities on Days 1 & 3:
- Golden Monkey Trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park – $90 USD
- The Batwa Trail Cultural Tour inside Mgahinga Gorilla National Park – $80 USD
- Visit the Batwa Community in the Village – $30 USD
- Canoe Trekking at Lake Mutanda – $30 USD
- Coffee-Making Experience – $30 USD
- Mabungo Community Village Tour in Kisoro – $30 USD
- Boat trip on the Mweya Peninsular – $30 USD
See our Local Experiences(opens in a new tab) page for more information on each activity.
See What Our Previous Guests Have Said...
The gorilla trek was phenomenal, well surpassing my expectations. Our time in Queen Elizabeth National park was amazing as well; we saw just about every animal possible there. Highly recommend also doing the boat safari (a little extra cost, but 100% worth it), as Herbert recommended. The accommodations were LOVELY, both my cabin in the jungle and the tent cabin in Queen Elizabeth Park. Herbert did a superb job driving us everywhere and adding commentary as we went. Would do this again in a heartbeat!!
I was traveling solo & I felt safe & comfortable the whole time. Joseph (guide) & Herbert (driver) were fantastic & friendly, couldn’t have asked for better companions. They were both very knowledgeable & able to answer any questions be it about Rwanda or Uganda. As they are both from the local area it was interesting to see & hear about life from their perspective.
Communication with the company was easy, they were very responsive, payment was easy, the hotels we stayed at were great, and our guide Fred was very professional and had a lot of information to share with us. He was a great driver and also seemed knowledgeable about our questions on local history and culture…Fortunately, there were just 4 tourists in our group so we were able to easily maneuver around each other in the dense vegetation to get a good look at him (the silverback).
