Safari overview.

Gorillas and Batwa adventure, is the shortest visit to the endangered great apes of the world. This is an ideal safari package for anyone who doesn’t have enough time to participate in other available Uganda’s Big-five, Birding and historical Adventures.

You will spend 1 night in Entebbe and 3 nights in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Bwindi is home to over 50% of the remaining Mountain Gorillas on earth. You will get immersed in the culture and traditions of the people living around Bwindi. Get to meet the oldest tribe on earther – the Batwa. Visit the Conservation center and Gorilla Lab for an introduction on how wildlife and humans can co-exist.

Brief Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Uganda, via Entebbe International Airport.
Day 2: Bush flight from Entebbe to Bwindi & Afternoon village walk.
Day 3: Gorilla tracking & Afternoon visit to the conservation center and Gorilla lab.
Day 4: Walk to the water falls and Batwa experience.
Day 5: Fly back to Entebbe – connect to your international flight.

Detailed Itinerary.

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe international airport – Uganda.

Adventure Consults’ airport staff will meet you on arrival, assist you through customs, get your luggage, and transfer you to the hotel. Depending on arrival time, you may have a briefing on your safari today/tonight or opt to have it in the morning after some hours of relaxation.

Overnight accommodation on Bed & Breakfast basis.
Most of the hotels are 10 minutes’ drive from Entebbe airport.
Inclusions: Bed & Breakfasts basis.
Excludes: All meals and Drinks.

Day 2: Entebbe to Bwindi by Air (flight takes about one hour, twenty-five minutes)

After breakfast, transfer to the airport in time for your flight to Kihihi airstrip. You will be assisted by Adventure Consults representative, check-in and connect for your Bush-flight to Kihihi airstrip (The flight departs Entebbe @ 7:00 AM & 1245, Check in time – one hour in advance). Note that flight schedules are subject to change.

Baggage restrictions on domestic flights: Maximum luggage weight is 15 kgs /33lbs in soft-sided bags. Standard luggage should have the three dimensions of 24 inches (60cm) height, 18 inches (45cm) length, and 13 inches (33cm) width. Any excess luggage can be paid for at 3$ per Kg depending on space availability or can make advance reservation. Alternatively, any extra baggage can be kept in Entebbe at the hotel, to be returned to you at the end of the trip.

On arrival at Kihihi airstrip, meet your guide and start one hour and thirty minutes’ drive to Buhoma, arriving early afternoon.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has got almost 400 species of plants, providing habitat for over 120 mammal species (including 11 primates), 346 species of birds (including 23 highly localised Albertine Rift endemics), 202 species of butterflies, 100 species of ferns, 27 species of frogs, chameleons, geckos and many other endangered species. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is notable for being home to over 50% of the approximately 1,060 Mountain Gorillas still living on earth.

In the afternoon, go for a tea plantation walk. Bwindi has got the best soils that favors growth and flourishing of tea farms. You don’t have to be a ‘tea-person’ to learn more about tea! Afte lunch, you will head out for a tea tour and get to know how tea is grown, picked and traditionally processed. The tour also shows how ‘black’, ‘green’ and ‘white’ teas are produced and differentiated. You have an opportunity to sample the fine teas at the end of the tour whilst looking over the impressive forests. We call it the tea ceremony.

Time permitting, go for a visit to Ride for a woman project: This is a charitable organization set up to support women struggling with poverty, HIV and domestic violence. Your visit indirectly supports the project work and while here, you may participate in basketry, weaving, and have an opportunity for craft shopping. You can as well place your order for African designed cautions, dresses, wrappers, table mats and all that has got an African touch on it! The ladies will ensure your orders are ready for collection within 24 hours or earlier.

Meals and Overnight at the Lodge.
Standard inclusions: All Meals (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner).
Some lodges include drinks with exclusion of premium/imported wines and spirits.
Standard exclusions: All drinks.

Day 3: Gorilla tracking – Afternoon Gorilla lab visit

Today is dedicated to visiting the Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

While in Buhoma, you can access Gorilla families of Buhoma or Ruhija sectors. Depending on the sector/family booked to track gorillas, you may leave the lodge either at 0600hrs for Ruhija or 0700hrs for Buhoma area. Breakfast is always ready by 0500 hours or can opt to have a packed breakfast if leaving at 0600hrs.

This beautiful park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to over 50% of the world’s remaining Gorillas. The rainforest is spectacular, heavily vegetated, and dense landscape crisscrossed by numerous animal trails, allowing access for trekkers. The time taken to find the Gorillas depends on Gorilla movements and in most cases, they are either looking for food or simply taking time to walk in their territory.

When you finally find them, you are allowed to spend 60 minutes while watching and following their movements. The thrill of spending time with and observing these gentle giants is a rare and moving adventure that will leave you with long-lasting memories of a truly unique experience.

Mountain gorillas are generally shy and peaceful creatures, and it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to watch and photograph them as they interact with each other.

In the afternoon, Visit Dr. Gladys’ Conservation through Public Health (CTPH) center. This is a non-profit organization that promotes conservation by improving the quality of life of the people living around protected areas. CTPH focuses on human and wildlife coexistence in and around protected area. It’s at Conservation through Public Health that samples from the Gorillas are examined as part of the health observation process to ensure the good health of Gorillas. If you are lucky, you may meet the founder (Dr. Gladys Kalema). If not at the center, you are assured of meeting one of her team members who will take you through detailed explanation and experiments of their day-to-day job to ensure animals and local community health is taken care of. Listen to their stories and you will fall in love with Mountain Gorillas.

Day 4: Walk to the waterfalls – Afternoon Batwa experience.

Today, you have an option to go for a second Gorilla experience. This would be on payment of supplement (USD 700 per person).

Alternatively, go for a morning Forest walk to the waterfalls (included in the package). This is a perfect way to experience the depth of impenetrable forest. Starting from Buhoma – at the north gate, Munyaga river trail gets you to beautiful pristine waterfalls. The sounds of the forest and the gentle cover of morning mist makes your walk enchanting. Along the way you will see plenty of flora and fauna, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, lots of colorful butterflies, orchids, tree ferns, epiphytic ferns.

In the afternoon, visit the Pygmy/Batwa community. This is cultural tourism activity at its best! It’s a hands-on, mind-opening adventure you will never forget as you go for an incredible hike in the rain forest with the elderly Batwa (pygmy) guides.

The Batwa are known to be one of the oldest surviving indigenous people on earth. A very special and unique group of people, lived in the bush and entire lifestyle depended on the forests. Just like the well-known ‘hunters and gatherers’, the Batwa gathered plants and fruits for food, hunted any animals within their reach, caves were their homes with the main big caves reserved for Kings.

A hike to the Batwa community, will enrich you with the history of these historical people. You will enjoy demonstrations and storytelling sessions of how the Batwa lived before they left the forest in favor of conservation programs. They will make fire using very simple tools (sticks and stones) and take you back to the old stone age period. You may participate in the mock hunting exercise, learn how to use a bow and arrow, and can taste the local meals and drinks, and participate in traditional dances.

Day 5: Fly to Entebbe and connect to your international flight.

After breakfast, transfer to Kihihi airstrip in time for your morning flight to Entebbe Airport. The morning flight departs Kihihi airstrip at 9:45 am (flight schedule can change and sometimes at short notice due to unforeseen circumstances, but in most cases would be for safety reasons).

The drive from Buhoma to Kihihi airstrip takes about 2 hours. The approximate flight duration is one hour and forty-five minutes. It can be shorter than that, but the actual duration depends on the routing of the day.

You will arrive Entebbe airport by 1125hrs (sometimes earlier). If you have a connecting international/regional flight today, ensure it’s scheduled to depart Entebbe not earlier than 1345hrs.

On arrival at Entebbe airport, you will be assisted through customs and connect to your international/regional flight.

If you have more than 4 hours layover from 11am, Adventure consults offers various options.

Complementary transfer to the nearby restaurant (outside the airport) where you will have an early lunch (on own account), then later transfer back to the airport in time for your flight.
Day room at a hotel near Entebbe airport (on payment of supplement).
Optional day activities to keep you busy and get to see more of Entebbe. Please ask for detailed info and related costs to ensure reservations are in place.

Accommodation options.

There is a wide range of accommodation facilities in Uganda that meet our clients’ standards. It’s quite difficult to list all of them but have done our best to mention the few we can. Get in touch and we discuss all your safari specifications.

Accommodation in Entebbe

The gateway to Uganda has got several accommodation options that cater for the needs of all visitor categories ranging from large groups to small boutique hotels with 10 to 20 rooms that take care of honeymooners and family travelers. while in Entebbe or Kampala, our safari packages include Bed & Breakfast.

Hotel Number 5.
Protea Hotel by Marriott Entebbe.
The Boma hotel.
Lake Victoria Serena Golf resort and spa.
2 Friends Beach Hotel.
Papyrus Guesthouse.
Best Western Premier Garden Hotel.
K Hotels.
Admas Grand Hotel.

Accommodation in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi has got a variety of accommodation options. They range from high-end luxury camps/lodges, midrange, to budget camps.

Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge.
Buhoma Lodge.
Mahogany Springs lodge.
Trekkers Tavern Lodge.
Kiho Gorilla Safari Lodge.
Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp.
Engagi Lodge.
Ride 4 a woman Cottages.

Gorillas and Batwa on Foot – 5 Days