GORILLA TRACKING IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

Characterized by dense vegetation and a rugged terrain and located in southwestern Uganda at the edge of the Albertine Rift Valley, Bwindi is home to almost half of the world’s engendered mountain gorillas.

CATEGORY: MID-UP MARKET | DURATION: 5 DAYS | NO. OF PEOPLE: 2 | |COST P/P: From USD. 3,624

Note: Local flights and luxury options available (in some locations) upon request. 

Cost disclaimer: The cost of the package is per two people sharing. Prices may change due to inflation and other factors, and will vary according to number of people, season and preferences, among other reasons. Please contact us for an up-to-date costing. 

DAY 1: ARRIVAL INTO UGANDA

Travel 45km (28mi) from Entebbe Airport to Kampala. Check into hotel for the night. If arrival into Kampala is early enough, you will have the option to explore Kampala’s cultural, religious and political history as well as get a feel for the sights, sounds and tastes of East African’s Entertainment Capital.

Meal Plan: Bed and Breakfast

DAY 2: TRAVEL KAMPALA TO BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

Depart for 9.5 hours to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The drive is incredibly scenic with villages, homesteads, lush green countryside, and rolling hills that characterize the southwest. The park protects an estimated number of 459 endangered mountain gorillas, roughly half of world’s population. It also provides shelter to other mammals, including several primate species,forest elephants and antelopes, 350 bird species, and 200 butterfly species. 

En route to the Park, stop at the equator for the gravitational experience. Upon arrival at the Park, you will check into the hotel and relax for the night. 

Meal Plan: Full Board

DAY 3: GORILLA TRACKING

Go on an early morning gorilla trek, an experience of a lifetime. The gorillas you will track arehabituated family groups who can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day. Locating the gorillas can take a few hours or the whole day depending on how far they have moved from their resting place. For conservation purposes you are allowed to spend only 1 hour with the gorillas. After the trek, you will return to your hotel and relax.

DAY 4:  BATWA COMMUNITY VISIT AND TRANSFER TO LAKE BUNYONYI

You will go on a cultural visit to the Batwa community. Commonly known as pygmies, the Batwa are an endangered group of people. Believed to have migrated from the Ituri Forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they are widely accepted as the original inhabitants of the Great Lakes region of Central Africa. Following the visit, you will travel 2 hours to scenic Lake Bunyonyi. The perfect place to relax, Lake Bunyonyi (meaning ‘place of many little birds’), is made of 29 islands and is surrounded by high, terraced hills that are such a beautiful sight. The lake is about 1,950m (6,500ft) above sea level. The hills rise about 2,500m (8,200ft) above sea level. You will cruise around the lake and visit several islands in a motorized boat. Dinner and overnight at Lake Bunyonyi.

Meal Plan: Full Board

DAY 5: TRAVEL BACK TO KAMPALA AND DEPARTURE FROM UGANDA

Travel 7.5 hours back to Kampala through another scenic drive. Transfer to Entebbe Airport. Ensure departure flight is at 10pm or later. Option to spend the night in Kampala or Entebbe (accommodation not included in price but can be arranged). 

INCLUSIONS:

Vehicle hire with diver/guide, fuel, gorilla permits, activity fees, 2-night up-market accommodation, 2-night mid-range accommodation, medical emergency evacuation by AMREF, soft drinks and light snacks in vehicle.

EXCLUSIONS:

Flights in and out of Uganda, visa fees, travel insurance, meals and drinks not included in the itinerary, tips (gratuity) and items of a personal nature.

Notations:

BB – Bed and Breakfast

HB – Half Board (breakfast and lunch/dinner)

FB – Full Board (breakfast, lunch, dinner)

The Tiananmen, a gate in the wall of the Imperial City, was built in 1415 during the Ming dynasty. In the 17th century, fighting between Li Zicheng’s rebel forces and the forces of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty caused heavy damage to, or even destroyed, the gate. Tiananmen Square was designed and built in 1651, and has since been enlarged by four times its original size in the 1950s.
Near the centre of the square stood the “Great Ming Gate”, the southern gate to the Imperial City, renamed “Great Qing Gate” during the Qing dynasty, and “Gate of China” during the Republican era. Unlike the other gates in Beijing, such as the Tiananmen and the Zhengyangmen, this was a purely ceremonial gateway, with three arches but no ramparts, similar in style to the ceremonial gateways found in the Ming tombs. This gate had a special status as the “Gate of the Nation”, as can be seen from its successive names. It normally remained closed, except when the Emperor passed through. Commoner traffic was diverted to side gates at the western and eastern ends of the square, respectively. Because of this diversion in traffic, a busy marketplace, called “Chess Grid Streets”, was developed in the big, fenced square to the south of this gate