Safari Overview.

The 5-day flying safari to Mgahinga National Park, gets you close to the highest peaks of the Virunga volcanoes in Southwestern Uganda. The lower slopes of these amazing mountains harbors Gorillas and Golden Monkeys.

A visit to this great Volcanoes region offers unique opportunities of visiting Gorillas and Golden Monkeys on foot. You will also interact with the Batwa, known to be one of the oldest surviving indigenous people in the world.

Brief Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive at Entebbe international airport – Uganda.

Day 2: Bush flight from Entebbe to Kisoro airstrip. Afternoon Caldera walk.

Day 3: Gorilla Tracking – Afternoon, visit the Batwa village.

Day 4: Golden Monkey tracking with an option to hike a Volcano – afternoon cave walk.

Day 5: Fly from Kisoro airstrip 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 through customs, get your luggage, and transfer to the hotel. Depending on arrival time, you may have a briefing on your safari today or the following day before setting off for the trip.

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: Flight to Kisoro/Mgahinga National Park – Afternoon caldera walk.

Early morning transfer Entebbe airport, proceed through to the domestic check-in point for your bush flight to Kisoro (flight departs Entebbe @ 0700 hours, Check in time – one hour in advance). Note that flight schedules are subject to change and sometimes at last minute.

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. 

Upon arrival at Kisoro airstrip, meet your guide, go through registration procedures at the airstrip offices. Adventure Consults guide will give you a briefing for the day’s program and drive to the lodge.

The drive to Mgahinga National Park is amazing as you cross the frontier town of Kisoro, driving through fam lands and get closer to the highest Volcanoes in the region.

After lunch, you have an option to relax at the lodge, take a walk around the property, and enjoy the colorful Birds, butterflies, and breathtaking views of the giant volcanoes.

Alternatively, go for a caldera walk. The magnificent dry Caldera is located at Gisozi Hill providing a Bird’s eye view of the surrounding towns. The vantage point offers views stretching to as far as Bwindi Forest, Lake Mutanda and the five highest points of the Virunga Volcanoes. You will interact with the local communities, visit roadside markets, shops and get to learn more about the local lifestyles. The walk to the caldera prepares you to get ready for the following day’s adventure.

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 in Mgahinga – Afternoon Batwa village community walk.

Breakfast is always ready by 0500 hours, so ensure you have had yours by 0700 hours.

Meet your personal guide at the lounge and drive or walk to the Park Headquarters for a detailed briefing about Gorillas – see more information here – Gorilla information. Gorilla tracking starts at 0800 hours and is done once a day.

Experienced Wildlife guides along with trackers and porters will accompany you through the bamboo forest and hilly National Park.  The journey, through dense foliage and up steep climbs, leads you to lifetime experience of viewing mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.  After finding the Gorillas, you will have an opportunity to be within restricted distance. Watch them, follow them as you they share their daily lifestyles of feeding, grooming the young ones, taking care of each other and sometimes play up and down in the tree branches.

With an estimated 1,063 Gorilla population in the world, spending one hour with a Gorilla family is a once in a lifetime experience! You will later follow your footsteps and return to the forest edge, meet your guide, head back to the lodge.

Depending on trek duration, you have an option for a picnic lunch or have a warm meal at the lodge.

Afternoon is dedicated to visiting the Batwa village which is one of the community projects established by our conservation partners (Mgahinga Lodge). The community village supports over 100 Batwa individuals (adults and children) and has helped them manage to cultivate their own food.

The Batwa are known to be one of the oldest surviving indigenous people in the world. They 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 collected plants and fruits for food, hunted any animals within their reach, caves were their homes with Big ones reserved for Kings.

A visit to Gahinga Batwa village 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 simply tools (sticks and stones) and take 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 brew.

Return to the lodge late afternoon.

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 4: Golden Monkey tracking (Mgahinga Gorilla National Park) – Afternoon Cave walk.

Breakfast is always ready by 0500 hours, so ensure you have had yours by 0700 hours.

Meet your personal guide at the lounge and drive or walk to the Park Headquarters for a detailed briefing about the elusive Golden Monkeys. Just like Gorillas, Golden Monkey tracking starts at 0800 hours and is done once a day.

Mgahinga National Park is the only place in Uganda that harbors Golden Monkeys. The elusive colorful monkeys live in the thick bamboo forests, they are very playful, energetic, and shy. Golden monkeys travel in groups, very photogenic yet hard to photograph. Spending half a day, following them as they play in the high branches or on the ground in the bamboo shoots is enchanting.

Lunch at the Lodge. In the afternoon, you have an option to go for a tour of bat caves. The caves are outside the park and activities are guided by the local communities.

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 5: Fly from Kisoro airstrip to Entebbe – connect to your international flight.

After breakfast, transfer to Kisoro airstrip in time for your morning flight to Entebbe Airport.

The drive from the lodge to Kisoro airstrip is between one to two hours depending on lodge location, nature of the road and weather at the time of travel. Check in time for the flight is 45 minutes to one hour in advance.

The flight departs Kisoro Airstrip at 0825 hours, but schedules can change and sometimes at short notice or no notice due to unforeseen circumstances.

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.

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 Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Mount Gahinga Lodge is the only luxury property closest to Mgahinga National Park. There are not many accommodation options and some of the available facilities are over one hour drive away from the park. Luckily, most of the properties have beautiful locations with views of the rolling hills, Lakes, farmlands, the Virunga Volcanoes, and the verdant green forests. Properties range from high-end, midrange to budget.

  • Mount Gahinga Lodge.
  • Mutanda Lake Resort.
  • Chameleon Hill Forest Lodge.
  • Travelers Rest Hotel.
  • Kisoro Tourist Hotel.
  • Lake Chahafi Resort.