Explore Uganda’s mist-covered Bwindi Impenetrable Forest on the edge of Rift Valley, listed as a World Heritage Site due to its unique ecology and biological diversity.
The forest is home to an estimated 400 mountain gorillas – approximately half of the world’s population – and also home to baboons, chimpanzees and many of the planet’s rarest birdlife.
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Few animals have sparked the imagination of man as much as the gorilla, the largest of the living primates. Although strong and powerful, mountain gorillas are generally gentle and shy. Gorillas have strong attachments to members of their own group, which are led by the dominant male silverback. Most gorillas live in inaccessible regions in various dense forests in tropical Africa, and one subspecies, the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), was not even known to science until 1902. The mountain gorilla has a robust build with long, muscular arms, a massive chest, and broad hands and feet. It is the hairiest race of gorillas; its long, thick black hair insulates it from the cold of living at high elevations.
Mountain gorillas have a slow rate of reproduction. This slow reproduction makes this species even more threatened. In a 40-50 year lifetime, a female might have only 2-6 living offspring. Females give birth for the first time at about age 10 and will have offspring every four years or more. A male reaches sexual maturity between 10 and 12 years. Able to conceive for only about three days each month, the female produces a single young and in rare cases twins.
Trekking through dense jungle to spend time with a family of mountain gorillas will be an incredible experience, creating memories for a lifetime.
Your tour highlights
• Gorilla Trek
• Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Tour itinerary
Fly to Kihihi, and road transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Transfer to your selected lodge or camp for the next two nights.
An ancient rain forest, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest extends over a series of steep ridges in the Virunga Volcanoes mountain range. Declared a World Heritage Site due to its ecological uniqueness and biological diversity, the forest is home to roughly half of the world’s total gorilla population. With terrain that varies from swamp and bamboo forest to dense thicket, this beautiful area poses both challenges and rewards for anyone interested in an intimate glimpse of the life of these fascinating primates. Over the next two days, you have one included and one optional (must be pre-booked) gorilla trek with expert guides in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Optional village visits and forest walks are also available.
*The gorillas you will track belong to one of the ‘habituated’ family groups in northern Bwindi. Experienced guides accompany the tracking, many of whom have been involved in the habituation process themselves. One population of mountain gorillas inhabits the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. A census in 2011 recorded over 400 gorillas here.*
Transfer to Kihihi, to connect with your return flight to Entebbe.
What you’ll see on the tour
Tour pricing:
from $6090
Buhoma Lodge
1 Jan – 28 Feb; 1 Jul – 30 Sep; 1 – 31 Dec NZ$6,805 /NZ$7,450
1 – 31 Mar; 1 – 30 Jun; 1 – 31 Oct NZ$6,430 / NZ$6,875
1 Apr – 31 May; 1 – 30 Nov NZ$6,090 / NZ$6,380
Bwindi Lodge
1 Jan – 28 Feb; 1 Jun – 30 Sep; 1 – 31 Dec NZ$17,595 / NZ$20,140
1 Mar – 31 May; 1 Oct – 30 Nov NZ$11,845 / NZ$11,845
To secure your place now:
Phone: 03 364 3400 or 0800 747 737
Email: [email protected]
Tour Inclusions:
- Tailor-made journey
- 3 nights’ accommodation at your property of choice
- All meals (B, L, D) during your stay
- Select alcoholic beverages
- Private transfer from your Entebbe pre-night hotel to the airport
- Shared transfers in Kihihi
- Scheduled flights from Entebbe > Kihihi > Entebbe
- English-speaking lodge host
- One gorilla tracking permit in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
- One complimentary massage per person
- Community fee contribution
- Liability insurance cover