Gorilla trekking is where a tourist gets an opportunity to have an encounter with the gorillas in the wild. These gorillas inhabit the tropical dense forests of Bwindi impenetrable forest National Park and Mgahinga gorilla park. The gorilla permits in Uganda go for USD 700. This price is quite high but the money is used for the conservation of the forests and the protection of mountain gorilla. When tourists visit these gentle giants, then they are ensuring the survival of our closest cousins living in the wild.
Below is the breakdown of what will happen in the two days gorilla trekking in Uganda
Day 1
The Ganyana safaris driver will pick you from the hotel and proceed to Bwindi impenetrable National Park home of gorillas. The park is accessable through various routes for example; Kampala -Ntungamo-Rukungiri-kihihi-Buhoma that takes about five hours by road and is the shortest route to the home of Gorillas.
You will have a stopover in Kayebwe for photographs at the Uganda equator and souvenir shopping accompanied. Lunch in Mbarara town then proceed to Bwindi impenetrable National Park. You will then have dinner and an overnight at the booked hotel.
Day 2
After an early morning breakfast, the long-awaited day is here to have an encounter with the gorillas in the dense forests of Bwindi. You will proceed to the headquarters of Bwindi for briefing about how you should conduct while with the gorillas. Walking through these forests is hard. It’s advisable to carry a bottle of water with you not forgetting jungle boots and a walking stick for support in the forests.
After trekking, go back to the lodge for relaxation. Incase you still have some energy then you will go for a community walk and meet the Batwa people of Uganda. These people that were initially staying in the bush have an interesting culture that is worthy visiting while in Bwindi. Another option is to go to lake Bunyonyi. Which has 29 islands for relaxation or boat cruise on the second deepest lake in Africa.
In summary a two days trekking in Uganda is basically for travelling to Bwindi and second day is specifically for trekking the gorillas in the world. However, there are other activities that take place in Bwindi for example birding, nature walks, community walks and hiking and for a tourist to enjoy other activities in Bwindi, we recommend minimum of 3 days gorilla trekking.
