3 Days Bwindi Gorillas & Lake Bunyonyi safari
3 Days Bwindi Gorillas & Lake Bunyonyi safari
This 3 Days Bwindi Gorillas & Lake Bunyonyi Safari combines gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with a visit to Lake Bunyonyi in western Uganda. This 3 Day Uganda Safari starts and ends in Kampala, Uganda.
Detailed Itinerary for 3 Days Bwindi Gorillas & Lake Bunyonyi.
Day 1: Pick up from Kampala & Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Welcome to Uganda! Today marks the start of your 3 Days gorilla trekking safari to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Your guide will pick you from your hotel and then embark on a 5 hour drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Mbarara- Masaka Highway. You will have a stopover at the equator monuments in Kayabwe, Mpigi district. These two equator monuments mark the point where the equator runs through Uganda.
You will the Proceed to Igongo Cultural Centre for lunch. This epic cultural center is a good stop for many travelers on route to western Uganda and it is just 12 km from Mbarara Town. Igongo Cultural Centre was opened to the general public in 2010. While here, take a short tour of the center’s museum which has a lot to tell about western cultural history. You can also visit the Nkwanzi crafts and bookshop where you can purchase a few souvenirs for yourself.
After having a hearty meal, proceed to Bwindi where you will check into your accommodation, have dinner and your overnight stay at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge/Buhoma Haven Lodge/Silverback Lodge.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and transfer to lake Bunyonyi.
This is the day you have been anxiously waiting for! Have breakfast very early at you lodge as your guide will pick you up at 6am. You will embark on a short journey to the Parks headquarters in Buhoma. You are supposed to be at Buhoma at exactly 7am for a briefing by the park’s head ranger which will begin at 8am and then you will be put in groups of 8 individuals per group depending on the gorilla group you are going to track. Tracking begins at exactly 8:30 am hence endeavor to always keep time.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a total of 15 habituated gorilla groups that are tracked from four trailheads. Of these 15 habituated gorilla groups, 3 are found in Buhoma area in the northwest part of the park; while 4 gorilla groups are situated in Ruhija in the eastern part of Bwindi and 8 gorilla groups in Nkuringo and Rushaga respectively, located south of Bwindi.
Each tracking group consists of strictly eight individuals with each group having a park guide and ranger. Tracking can take about 1- 6 hours depending how easily and quick the gorillas are spotted. Once you have located a gorilla group, you will be give exactly an hour with them; hence you should maximize your time well and don’t forget to take lots of pictures without using your camera’s flash. The tracking trails can be very wet, steep and slippery thus you should wear a good pair of hiking boots.
After your gorilla trekking experience, you will head back to your lodge for lunch and if you you had your packaged lunch, you could simply relax briefly and later check out of the lodge and transfer to lake Bunyonyi, check in at the hotel and spend the entire afternoon relaxing or swimming as you unwind.
Dinner and after night at the hotel.
Day 3: Lake Bunyonyi experience and Drive back to Kampala.
Today you will get to explore the beautiful and stunning Lake Bunyonyi. Have your breakfast in the morning and head hit the lake for a boat cruise to see the different islands , The lake happens to be the third deepest lake in the world, and it is popular for its 29 islands. You will take a boat ride on one of the traditional canoes and explore some of the popular islands on the lake such as ‘the punishment island,’ where young women long ago were abandoned to in isolation when they got pregnant out of wedlock. The lake is also rich with a variety of bird species, which you can get to view during your tour. After your tour of Lake Bunyonyi, your guide will transfer you back to Kampala City. Depending on your arrival time in Kampala and flight departure schedule back home, you can have a short tour of Kampala City. Just inform your travel consultant from Explore Rwanda Tours if you want the Kampala city tour incorporated into your travel itinerary. End of Tour.
