Uganda – 4 Day Gorilla Trekking Safari

Who could have known that a trip to Antarctica would lead to longterm friendships/future travel buddies. The idea to go gorilla tracking came from someone my cousin and I met while in Antarctica (see post here). A year and a half later we were hiking in the jungle with her observing mountain gorillas.

We chose a 4-day safari that consisted of one day of driving from Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, two days of tracking gorillas and one day of driving back to Entebbe.

Since the gorilla trekking trip was only 4 days, we decided to head to Dubai for 4 days before heading home.

Once we decided to go gorilla tracking, we had choose the country, company and price point we wanted for our trek. The first decision we made was to narrow down the country; the two main ones are Uganda and Rwanda. We decided on Uganda, in part because the daily permit (that is required for gorilla tracking) was cheaper there.

All of the Ugandan mountain gorillas live in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. We used the park’s website to find their recommended list of tour providers. Ultimately we decided on Wild Whispers because they had decent reviews and prices.

They had several tour options to choose from. We opted for two days of gorillas trekking, but 1 day is also common, as is going gorilla tracking as part of a longer safari. The accommodations (and thus prices) range from budget to super luxury. We opted for the luxury option.

Note: Although the gorilla tracking permit fee is expensive, it supports the national park and the surrounding villages.

DAY 1: FLIGHT TO ENTEBBE

The Entebbe airport is fairly small, so it didn’t take long to get through customs and get my checked bag. I did apply for my visa ahead of time (visa requirements here) and went to a travel clinic to make sure I had the correct vaccinations (including yellow fever).

I had prearranged a taxi through Secrets Guesthouse (for $10 one-way). However, it also would have been easy to get one from the airport.

DAY 2: ENTEBBE TO BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

Our Wild Whispers driver, Edmond, picked us up promptly at 7 AM to start the 10 hour drive from Entebbe to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Most of the way was on bumpy, windy and unpaved roads. Along the way we made several stops to stretch and break up the drive.

Our first stop was the at the equator, which had photo ops and local gift shops. We also saw a science experiment that showed how the water turns different directions depending on the side of the equator. Right at 0° latitude, it didn’t spin at all. Following the equator, we stopped for lunch.

At the Equator

We arrived at Buhoma Lodge, our hotel in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, at 6:30 PM. We were greeted with welcome drinks and appetizers in the main building. At 7:30 dinner was served. Each day there we chose between two options for the main course.

View from our Balcony at Buhoma Lodge

DAY 3: GORILLA TRACKING

Trekking is definitely a good way to describe the process of finding the gorillas. The lodge made us breakfast and packed us lunches to bring for the day. We met at the ranger building, which was down the road, at 8 for a briefing, after which we were split up into our trekking groups. There was a maximum of 8 people allowed per group.

Note: Once at the ranger building, we had the option to hire a porter ($15 for the day) to carry our backpacks and to help pull/push up the hills as needed. A traveler also staying at our lodge recommended hiring a porter. On the first day we each hired one and did not regret it.

Each morning trackers locate the gorilla group’s nest and track them based on droppings, footprints, broken branches, etc. They stay in touch with the guides of each trekking group to let them know when they find the gorillas and where. The trackers stay with the gorilla group all day until they make their nest again for the night.

For the first day we were assigned to track the Mubare gorilla group, which had 14 members, including 6 baby gorillas. We had to hike for about 3 hours before we found them. The first two-thirds of the hike was uphill, but thankfully on a trail. When we go close to the gorillas we left our stuff with the porters and followed the guides and guards off the path. They used a machete to hack through the jungle to follow the gorillas.

Mom and Baby Gorilla

Note: Usually groups have to trek for 2-8 hours to find the gorillas, depending on how far the gorilla group moved from the previous day.

I got smacked (lightly) by the first mama gorilla who wanted to go right by where we were standing. We then hiked around for an hour trying to find different members of the family. They were mostly on the move, so we walked around quite a bit. We got to see a mama with a month old baby. Another baby was having fun showing off by banging his chest and twirling around. At the end we saw the silverback (adult male) gorilla of the group. However, he was injured so just as we left the gorillas doctors showed up to monitor him.

Note: Gorillas tend to be gentle, shy animals.

We then headed back, stopping for lunch along the way. We made it back to the ranger station at 3 and got our gorilla tracking certificates. We then went back to our lodge to relax and get free massages before dinner.

DAY 4: GORILLA TRACKING

For the second day of gorilla tracking we headed to the eastern part of Bwindi to track a different gorilla family. Since it was a 1-1.5 hour drive, we left at 6 AM. Once again we had a briefing at 8 AM and then split up into our tracking groups. This time we tracked the Orugozo gorilla group.

Overlooking Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Today’s trek was shorter (only 3 miles compared to 9 yesterday) but definitely more challenging. We drove 15-20 minutes to our starting point. We started the hike winding down through tea fields, which were on a hill that was at a 75 degree angle. From there we headed into the jungle, only today we had no path to follow. At one point to cross a stream, the guides chopped down two trees to use as a bridge.

After the stream crossing we slowly trekked our way up a steep hill to the area where the gorilla group was. This time we were able to stay in one spot to observe the gorillas for our hour with them. They mostly stayed in one place eating (gorillas spend most of their time eating or sleeping). We saw two babies, a few female gorillas and a male gorilla. The male (not quite old enough to be a silverback yet) ran right through the middle of our group and then spend most of the time posing and relaxing.

Gorilla Tracking Day 2

Following our hour with the gorillas, we started the adventurous hike back and made to the van just before it started raining. We spent the rest of the day relaxing before a final dinner.

DAY 5: BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK TO ENTEBBE

We left around 7:30 AM for our 10 hour drive back to Entebbe. Along the way, we passed the village Edmond grew up in and were able to convince him to stop there. He drove us to his old house and introduced us to his cousin’s family and his uncle. They invited us to come inside. However, Edmond politely declined since we had to be on our way and going in would have meant staying for awhile.

We stopped at a cultural center for lunch and were able to try some local cuisine, including, mashed green bananas and fried sweet bananas. Following lunch we stopped at the equator again before making it back to Entebbe and Secrets Guesthouse again.

For dinner we ordered fresh fish, which is caught daily from Lake Victoria. We enjoyed a final meal together and took a quick nap before heading to the airport.