During this trip, you will start off in Kampala and head to Kibale Forest on day one. On the next day, you will go on a chimp walk in search of primates and take a walk through Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary. You will continue your journey on day three through beautiful mountainous landscapes to Kisoro. Day four is the time for embarking on your Gorilla tracking adventure and viewing this endangered species from up close at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. On the last day, you will make a stop at the Equator to take photos before heading back to Kampala.
Day 1: Kampala to Kibale Forest
Early in the morning, you will get picked up from your guesthouse or hotel and leave for Kibale Forest. You will get there in the afternoon. In the night, you will experience sleeping to the sounds of the tropical rainforest at Kibale Forest Camp. Sometimes, you will stay at Chimpanzee Guesthouse instead which overlooks Nyabikere Crater Lake. The lake is famous for its frogs that give beautiful concerts at night. Driving time will take around six and a half hours.
Day 2: Chimp and swamp walk
At 8:00 a.m., you will start off with a four-hour chimp walk, during which you may also get to see 10 other primates. Kibale park is well-known for all the butterflies and birds that live there as well. In the afternoon, you will walk through Bigodi Swamp which is home to a community-based project.
Day 3: Kibale Forest to Kisoro
Early in the morning you will leave for Kisoro. You will cross Kazinga Channel traveling through Queen Elizabeth Park and reach Kabale in time for lunch. From Kabale, you will continue on through a beautiful landscape nicknamed the Switzerland of Africa, passing mountains, lakes, hills with cultivated terraces, tropical rainforest, and bamboo forest.
On the last hill, the landscape unfolds beneath you, offering great views of the vast planes between Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, and of the Virunga volcanoes dominating the landscape. You will descend into the valley and stay overnight at the famous Travellers Rest Hotel near Kisoro.
In the sixties, the famous American ‘gorilla-woman’, Dian Fossey, visited the Travellers Rest Hotel many times to do paperwork, relax, or meet people. Fossey said about the hotel that it was her second home. Travellers Rest Hotel is just outside of Kisoro and offers a cozy stay for tourists coming to see the endangered mountain gorilla. The hotel, built in a somewhat colonial style, and entirely renovated in 1999, has a comfortable atmosphere. Driving time will take around eight hours.
Day 4: Gorilla tracking day
This day will be gorilla tracking day. You will rise up early and feel the excitement as you get ready for this unforgettable experience. You will travel about one hour by car from the Travellers Rest Hotel in Kisoro up to Nkuringo in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.
Once there, you will receive a briefing and start tracking around 8:30 a.m. Once you have found the gorillas, you will be able to spend up to one hour with them. You are expected to be back at the starting point by 7:00 p.m. at the latest. Being physically fit is recommended.
Day 5: Kisoro to Kampala
Early in the morning after your breakfast, you will travel back to Kampala. On the way back to the city, you will have lunch in Mbarara town and after passing Masaka town, there will be an opportunity to stop at the Equator for photos and buying souvenirs. Driving time will take around nine hours.
