Mountain Gorilla Camping Tour in Uganda - 6 Days

Day 1. Kampala to Chimpanzee Trekking Area Highlights. Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda.

We are on the road early today travelling through the lush rolling hills of the Ugandan countryside. Passing through farmland we may see herds of the Ugandan Ankole cattle as we make our way to our camp a short distance from the Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Uganda is home to over 1000 different species of birds, a variety of wildlife including having the densest population of primates in the world. In addition, it has more inland water bodies than any other country in Africa giving the visitor a varied landscape to enjoy.

Day 2. Kalinzu Forest or Kyambura Gorge Highlights. Chimpanzee Trek, Kalinzu Forest, Uganda.

This morning, we trek to see the chimpanzees. Unlike their larger cousins, the mountain gorilla, chimps live mostly in the trees and so our viewing consists mainly of peering high into the forest canopy. Predictably, the experience of seeing man’s closest relative in the wild is a memorable one.

Day 3. Chimpanzee Trekking Area to Lake Bunyonyi Highlights. Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda.

Travelling through the picturesque hills and lakes of the region we can easily see why the country is called the 'Switzerland of Africa'.

Our destination in the South Western corner of the country is Lake Bunyonyi, our base for the trek to see the mountain gorillas.

The lake itself is one of the deepest in Africa and the islands and coves make it a beautiful tranquil spot.

Day 4-5. Lake Bunyonyi, Gorilla Trek Highlights. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Mountain gorillas.

There are many activities to do at Lake Bunyonyi such as hiring canoes to visit some of the lakes islands, visit local tribes and villages, visit the local orphanage, bird watching and nature walks. Alternatively just relax, catch up on your travel diary or postcards to home.

Mountain Gorilla Trekking
This region of Africa is home to the world’s remaining 700 mountain gorillas, many of which inhabit the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

On the day of our trek we gather in the early morning to meet our local guide and tracker. Walking in small groups we trek into the thick rainforest. The trek can be demanding at times with uneven terrain and hilly terrain but the privilege of spending time with a family of these gentle primates makes the effort well worthwhile.

The usual procedure, once we have located the gorilla ‘family’, is to squat or sit down and simply observe them for around an hour – the time set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (the national body charged with controlling and maintaining the gorillas in Uganda). Gorillas are sociable creatures, living in groups between 12 and 20 individuals, usually led by an ‘alpha male’ (the ‘silverback’ - so called because of the silver hair on his back which grows once the male gorilla attains maturity). Most people find that the gorillas are remarkably human-like at close quarters – particularly in the social interaction between family members and in ‘play’ activity in which the young engage. Photography is permitted (although not with a flash and there are restrictions for those who wish to use a video camera.)

Your permit allows you one trek and gorilla viewing (time limited to one hour). However because the authorities maintain strict limits on the number of visitors allowed to view the gorillas each day we may spend several days in the area while all passengers in our group complete the trek and viewing.

Day 6. Lake Bunyonyi to Kampala Highlights. Equator.

Our short adventure comes to an end today as we travel back through to Kampala.

Crossing the equator this morning we are back into the northern hemisphere and we arrive in Kampala late this afternoon.