Day 1: Pickup and drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Pickup by your Gorilla Cousins Rwanda Tour Guide – Kampala or Entebbe International Airport
Welcome to the start of your Uganda trip! Your guide will either pick you up directly from Entebbe International Airport or from your hotel if you are already staying in Kampala.

Journey to Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (5 hours)
Jump into your trip to Uganda on a journey to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

You will travel about 2.5 hours through the Kigezi Highlands of Uganda. Marvel at the terraced hills and pasturelands spreading out into the distance. Enjoy the ride on your Uganda trip as you realize the differences in culture, lifestyle, and architecture between Ugandans and Rwandans. For example, Ugandans tend to be livelier and friendlier than Rwandans, but as Uganda is less developed, the roads tend to be dustier and bumpier than in Rwanda. Enjoy the differences; all are part of the adventure!

Along the way, you will stop for lunch in the Ugandan city of Kabale. Enjoy local specialties like matooke, a dish of boiled savory bananas with peanut sauce and beans, or rolex, a simple meal of eggs rolled in a freshly pan-baked flatbread.

Check in and dinner; Cultural Explanation in Bwindi (Optional)
Check in at your accommodation for a well-earned dinner and rest in the shade of the sprawling jungle in preparation for your gorilla trek tomorrow.

Optional: Cultural Exploration in Bwindi

Travelers can also take the chance to learn about the Batwa Pygmy culture, the original “Keepers of the Forest.” They were the first people to settle in the forest, and survived as nomadic hunter-gatherers in the forest for more than 60,000 years. Unfortunately, the Batwa were forced to move out of the park when it became a World Heritage Site in 1992, and since then, the tribe has been on the verge of extinction. It was not until 2001 that two American missionaries set up clinics, water projects, and schools to serve the indigenous people, and to help them integrate into outside society.

Together with your Gorilla Cousins guide, take this opportunity to venture into the local community, listen to their music, and dance together near their homes. Ugandans are especially warm and welcoming people; hear their stories, and feel yourself sinking into a new world in the shadow of the jungle.

Day 2: Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Breakfast and Gorilla Tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
After breakfast, you will be taken to the Park Ranger Station in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for your Uganda gorilla tour. You will be briefed on park etiquette and assigned to one of the families of mountain gorillas living in the park. With your Ranger Guide, you will head to the start point for your gorilla trekking safari. It could take anytime between one and eight hours to meet the gorillas, as they are constantly on the move. You will also bring snacks with you; visitors are not allowed to eat in front of the gorillas.

Entering the forest is an adventure in itself; embark through the misty jungle under a thick, untouched canopy of green. The forest is over 25,000 years old and famously contains 320 mountain gorillas, half of the world population. The forest houses not only gorillas, but 120 other mammal species such as baboons and antelopes, as well as 350 bird species.

You will have one hour to visit gorillas in the forest, after which your guide will escort you back through the jungle to your lodge. The guides know all of the gorillas individually by name, and are happy to answer your questions about gorilla habits and lifestyle.

Lunch and Drive to Lake Bunyonyi (2 hours)
After visiting the gorillas, head back to your hotel for a late lunch and depart from the jungle for the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi. The 2-hour drive will take you through more hillside agricultural villages, largely populated by smallholder farmers.

The challenges of farming at high altitude on steep hills are many; erosion, high altitude, and the difficulty in transporting water up to their crops make farming in this region difficult. Farms are often terraced on the steep hills of Uganda. However, the soil in Uganda is incredibly fertile, and farmers can grow a great variety of crops, from bananas and passion fruit to coffee and peanuts.

Upon arrival, check into your lodge for dinner and watch the sun sink into the lake.

Lake Bunyonyi

Lake Bunyonyi, an essential part of a Uganda vacation, stands apart from other large bodies of freshwater in East Africa because it does not contain schistosomiasis (bilharzia) or dangerous animals such as crocodiles and hippos. Enjoy the cool, clear water of the lake near your lodge or relax at one of the many beachside resorts in the area. The island is dotted with many small islands, and the sunsets over the water spray the sky with shades of pink red, and orange.

Day 3: Lake Bunyoni Island Boat Tour and Nature Hike
Breakfast and Island Hopping on Lake Bunyonyi
After an early breakfast at your accommodation, your Gorilla Cousins guide will show you where you can hire a wooden motor boat or paddle boat to explore the islands on the lake. Spend the early morning paddling or whizzing along from island to island, greet the friendly local people, and, if you like, spend some time talking with them.

Return to your accommodation by 11:00 to check out and begin your journey back to Kampala or Entebbe International Airport.

Lunch at Mbarara and Equator Crossing at Kayabwe
Stop in the Ugandan city of Mbarara for a delicious African buffet lunch. Enjoy traditional Ugandan favorites, such as tilapia with peanut sauce, matooke, and mandazi doughnuts. To wash it all down, try some hot, sweet, silky chai tea.

Afterwards, enjoy a stop at Kayabwe city near the equator and enjoy the opportunity to take photos.

Arrival in Kampala or Entebbe International Airport
You will arrive in the evening in Kampala, and your driver will be happy to escort you to your accommodation or to Entebbe International Airport if you are flying out this evening or the next day.

We hope you will have enjoyed your Uganda gorilla tour with Gorilla Cousins Rwanda!