5 Days Mgahinga Gorillas, Golden Monkey Trekking and Lake Bunyonyi Safari
this 5 days Mgahinga gorillas, golden monkey trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari is an amazing adventure that will take you to Mgahinga gorilla national park which is located in the southwestern part of Uganda. While in the park you will participate in interesting activities like gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking which give you breathtaking moments during the safari. You will also engage in Batwa trail experience an exciting activity that gives you an opportunity to interact and know more about the Batwa who used to live in Mgahinga forest before it was gazette as a national park. From Mgahinga gorilla national park you will connect to Lake Bunyonyi which is the deepest lake in Uganda and the second deepest in Africa.
Highlights of the 5 days Mgahinga gorillas, golden monkey trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Mgahinga gorilla national park
Day 2: Gorilla trekking
Day 3: Golden monkey trekking and Batwa trail experience
Day 4: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for canoeing
Day 5: Departure to Kampala
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 of the 5 days Mgahinga gorillas, golden monkey trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari
Arrival and transfer to Mgahinga gorilla national park, upon arrival at Entebbe airport on the first day of the 5 days Mgahinga gorillas and Lake Bunyonyi safari you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then start the journey to Mgahinga gorilla national park. It’s a full day journey to the park but filled with spectacular views of the beautiful landscape, local people, traditional homesteads, Kigezi hills and a stopover at Igongo Cultural Center for lunch. After lunch you will continue the journey to the park and upon arrival you will check into the lodge, have dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga gorilla national park
Gorilla trekking, after an early breakfast on the second day of the 5 days Mgahinga gorillas, golden monkey trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari, you will carry packed and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Ntebeko park headquarters for a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be allocated a park guide who is well conversant with trails in the jungle and then start trekking. Gorilla trekking in Mgahinga gorilla national park takes about 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on where the mountain gorillas are located.
During trekking you will be able to view other wildlife species for example primates like black and white colobus monkeys, dwarf Galago, l’hoest monkeys, animals like bush pigs, buffaloes, forest elephants, bushbucks, bird species like black kite, speckled mouse bird, cape robin chat, paradise flycatcher, double collared sunbird among others. Once the gorillas are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn more about their behaviors, habits, watch females breastfeed, feed, take photos and record the moments to show people back home. After the one hour with the mountain gorillas you will trek back to the park headquarters, meet up with your driver guide and transfer back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Golden monkey trekking and Batwa trail experience
Golden monkey trekking, on the third day of the 5 days Mgahinga gorillas, golden monkey trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari you will have breakfast and your driver guide will pick you up to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations of golden monkey trekking. After the briefing you will be allocated a golden monkey family to trek and a park guide who will be showing you different trails to follow as well as sharing information about them. Golden monkey trekking is an active and interesting activity in Mgahinga gorilla national park that takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on the location of the golden monkeys because they like to move from one place to another in search of bamboo shoots, leaves. During golden monkey trekking you will be following trails of leftover bamboo shoots, buds, leaves because that’s the main food for the golden monkeys and once they are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural environment which helps you to learn about their lifestyle, watch them jump up from one tree to another, take photos and record videos. After spending one hour with the golden monkeys you will trek back to the park headquarters, meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the lodge for lunch.
Batwa trail experience, after lunch you will go for Batwa trail experience in the forest where you will know more about the Batwa people. The Batwa trail experience will be led by the Batwa themselves and it begins with a prayer by Batwa guides who will be begging the spirits to keep everyone safe during the forest walk. During the Batwa trail experience in Mgahinga gorilla national par, you will learn about different plant species which were used to cure different ailments like fever, diabetes, learn how they used to make cups from bamboo, listen to their ancient stories, visit Garama caves which used to be the Kings Palace, food store and hiding area by the Batwa. You will also be entertained through traditional dance, music and drama from Batwa men and women and after the fascinating experience you will meet up with your guide and drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
On the fourth day of the 5 days Mgahinga gorillas, golden monkey trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale district. Lake Bunyonyi is the deepest lake in Uganda and offers great views of the lake, landscape, terraced farmlands, islands, bird species among others hence the best place to chill and relax after a gorilla trekking activity. The journey to Lake Bunyonyi takes about 2 to 3 hours drive and upon arrival you check into the lodge for lunch and relaxation.
Boat cruise, after lunch you will go for an amazing boat cruise on the lake. Boat cruise on Lake Bunyounyi is done in a dugout canoe and during the boat ride you will explore some of the islands, have views of different animals, bird species, local people, terraced farmlands among others. After the boat cruise you will drive back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Departure to Kampala
After a relaxed breakfast on the last day of the 5 day Mgahinga gorillas, golden monkey trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to start the journey back to Kampala. On your way you will have a stopover in Mbarara for lunch and another stopover at the Equator in Kayabwe where you will take photos and buy some souvenirs like craft items, art pieces, paintings among others. From the Equator you will continue the journey to Kampala and your driver guide will drop you off at Entebbe international airport in case you have a flight to catch or drop off at any place of convenience.
End of 5 day Mgahinga gorillas, golden monkey trekking and Lake Bunyonyi safari
Tour includes
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Golden monkey trekking
- Batwa trail experience
- Boat cruise on Lake Bunyonyi
- An English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Pick up and drop off
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled water
Tour excludes
- Air flight tickets
- Visas
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, crafts, alcoholic drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.
