5 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking & Habituation Experience Safari

Book and enjoy this 5-day Uganda gorilla and habituation experience safari in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National pal tailored and guided by Superfine Safaris Limited.  The 5 Days gorilla adventure rewards you with the best of mountain gorilla encounters. Spend an hour with the fully habituated gorilla family and also spend a half day with the semi-habituated gorilla group for better comparison between trekking and habituation experience.  Gorilla trekking and habituation are two different experiences that you should not miss on your next Uganda gorilla safari.

In gorilla trekking, you trek a habituated gorilla family. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park is home to over 450 mountain gorillas habituated into 20 families. This 5-day Uganda gorilla safari allows you to trek one of the 20 gorilla groups in Bwindi Forest. On the other hand, gorilla habituation experience is the training of wild gorillas to make them familiar with human presence.  The experience is only done in Rushaga sector, south of Bwindi Forest National Park and only two gorilla groups are undergoing the experience.  Here, travelers hike alongside trackers, rangers, researchers and gorilla doctors in search of the semi-habituated gorilla family. These gorillas are not used to human presence, and they barely settle in one place. The experience is there more hectic and tiresome compared to normal trekking

Trip summary

Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Bwindi Forest Park

Day 2:Mountain Gorilla trekking

Day 3: Relax and Visit Batwa communities

Day 4: Gorilla Habituation Experience

Day 5: Departure

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Pick up ad transfer to Bwindi Forest Park

Early today, the driver guide from Superfine Safaris Limited will pick you up from either your hotel in Entebbe or from the airport to begin the 5-day Uganda gorilla trekking and habituation experience.  Meet m greet and have a brief guide on what to expect on this 5-day gorilla adventure.  Start the drive to Bwindi Forest, taking you through different districts, local communities, farms, and villages. A stop at the Uganda Equator for refreshment and photography is  a not miss. Have lunch en route and proceed to Bwindi, arriving in the evening. Dinner and overnight at your lodge

Day 2: Mountain Gorilla trekking

After an early morning breakfast, transfer to the respective park headquarters for registration, pre-gorilla trekking briefing and gorilla family allocation.  Gorilla groups are allocated in three categories, which are low, medium, and high hikes, depending on the location of the family. Travelers are urged to disclose their hiking abilities to their driver guides so they can be assigned suitable gorilla families. At 8:00 am, begin the hike into the jungle forests searching for the endangered gorillas.

The trek through dense forests is strenuous but worth it. The actual trekking time is not certain but ranges between 30 minutes to over 4 hours, depending on your hiking speed and the location of the gorillas. You will be allowed to spend an hour with a gorilla family, counting from the time you meet the gorillas. Keep a distance, hold your camera tight, and have this magical gorilla encounter. You will be awarded a gorilla trekking certificate and then transferred to your lodge for dinner and overnight

Day 3: Relax and Visit Batwa communities

Have a relaxed morning at your lodge, have breakfast and chill as you wait for lunch. In the afternoon, go for a community tour to the batwa pygmies to learn and experience their traditional forest life. Engage in their traditional activities such as hunting, cooking, making fires, and collecting honey, among others. These short people will also perform their traditional songs and dances to entertain you. Visiting Batwa communities is an indirect way of supporting and improving their standards of living. Dinner and overnight at your lodge

Day 4: Gorilla Habituation Experience

Rise early, have breakfast, and go for the experiential gorilla habituation experience in Rushaga sector of Bwindi Forest. Assemble at the park head quarters where you will be registered and briefed on the dos and don’ts of this adventure experience. Thereafter, start the trek penetrating through the dense forests of Bwindi Forest. Together with the gorilla trackers, doctors, and researchers, hike through the forests searching for the semi-habituated gorilla families. You are certain where the gorillas will be and therefore the trek is likely to take longer! Upon meeting the wild gorillas, your ranger guide will alert you! Keep a distance and stay steady.

These gorillas are quite wild, and you have to be vigilant. Also, the gorillas undergoing habituation are not familiar with people and will therefore not settle for you. Be ready to chase after them. Hold your camera tightly and make sure you capture every shot you get.  The allowed time from the moment you meet the gorillas is four hours.  Enjoy the encounter, take part in taming the gorillas, and have fun. You will then hike down to meet your driver guide and transfer to the lodge for dinner and overnight

Day 5: Departure                                                                                        

This is the last day of our 5-day gorilla safari adventure. Have breakfast, enjoy your last moments in Bwindi Forest, check out, and drive back to Kampala for your departure flight

End of the safari

Safari includes

• Mountain gorilla trekking permit
• Gorilla habituation permit
• Full-time English-speaking guide
• Accommodation and meals
• Government taxes
• Bottled drinking water
• Miscellaneous
• All activities included in the itinerary

Safari excludes

• Alcoholic beverages
• Tips
• Visa fees
• Porters fee
• Extra activities included in the itinerary