This 5-Day Triple Gorilla Trekking Tour itinerary combines the best of mountain gorilla trekking. Discover bwindi, surrounding cultures, and an array of incredible and endangered apes in 3 different regions, all while staying in characterful accommodation.
Discover Uganda’s prime highlights on this 5-Day Triple Gorilla Trekking Tour itinerary. Taking you to Ruhija, Rushaga, and the Sacred Buhoma regions, this Uganda safari captures the essence of Bwindi National Park and is sure to leave you wanting more.
5-Day 3 Gorilla Treks Tour Highlights
- Day 1: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Buhoma Sector)
- Day 2: First Gorilla Trekking & Transfer to Ruhija Sector of Bwindi
- Day 3: Second Gorilla Trekking & Transfer to Rushaga Sector
- Day 4: Third Gorilla Trekking Encounter & Batwa Community Walk
- Day 5: Transfer to Kigali
Detailed 5-Day 3 Gorilla Treks Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Buhoma Sector)
Upon arrival in Kigali for your 5-Day Triple Gorilla Trekking Tour, you will be met and transferred to a local restaurant located in the historical heart of Kigali city. Refresh with a hearty cup of coffee to shake off the fatigue of long flights.
Enjoy a city tour with a private guide and wander the Kigali streets lined with towering shopping malls, modern restaurants, supermarkets, and carefully preserved colonial buildings.
See the main city square, Kigali conversion center, visit the genocide Museum, presidential palace museum, the Belgian monument, and enjoy panoramic views of the city.
Have lunch, and then immediately transfer north to the border of Uganda. Cross via the Katuna border and continue to Buhoma sector in the north of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Check into the lodge, have dinner, and stay overnight.
Day 2: First Gorilla Trekking & Transfer to Ruhija Sector of Bwindi
After breakfast at 7:30 am, take packed lunch/snacks and bottled water with you. Join other trekkers for a briefing by the rangers at the Buhoma park headquarters. Start your gorilla trek at 8:00 am. The trek involves hiking through the thick, misty, and semi-penetrable rainforest, leading you to where your allocated gorilla family is located.
An eventual meeting with the mighty gorillas in their natural habitat is undoubtedly an exceptional and unforgettable wildlife experience.
This tour lasts between 1 to 8 hours and is the highlight of an African wildlife adventure safari. You will be allowed 1 hour of close contact with these calm, gentle apes, while taking pictures and getting acquainted with them more closely.
Descend from the jungles and link up with your guide who will drive you back to the lodge for relaxation and later transfer to Ruhija sector in the east of Bwindi. Arrive in the evening, relax, and contemplate this magical gorilla experience.
Day 3: Second Gorilla Trekking & Transfer to Rushaga Sector
This is the second day of gorilla trekking in Ruhija sector in the east of Bwindi. Early in the morning, gather at the Ruhija ranger station where you will meet other trekkers. Attend a briefing session where the ranger will explain the rules of gorilla trekking.
While here, you’ll be grouped into small groups of 8 people and assigned to one gorilla family. Make sure to let the ranger understand your preferences before being assigned to a group. Some gorilla families are easier to reach while others are located deep in the jungles and may not be favorable to everyone.
Thus, providing this information to your ranger will help determine the appropriate gorilla group for you to track. Trackers move ahead of the group and ranger guides use radio communication to keep in touch with the trackers to easily locate a gorilla family in the forest.
After locating the gorillas, you will be limited to only 1 hour in the presence of your gorilla family. Here you can take pictures, videos, and learn in detail about the everyday life of these primates.
After the experience, have a picnic lunch and trek out of the forest ready to transfer to your lodge in Rushaga sector in the south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Day 4: Third Gorilla Trekking Encounter & Batwa Community Walk
Early morning after breakfast, leave the lodge and head for a briefing session at Rushaga ranger station. The head ranger will educate you about the Do’s and Don’ts of gorilla trekking expedition, and advise you on simple gorilla trekking etiquette to observe. Off to the jungles you go, with a porter (hired at the park headquarters).
Visits are strictly controlled to only 8 people per family to limit the possibility of transmission of contagious infections to the endangered mountain gorillas.
The dense jungles of Bwindi can sometimes be wet, muddy, and extremely steep, reaching altitudes of almost 2000 meters above sea level. The terrain is by no means easy and can be quite tedious for a novice hiker, often humid, but the sheer joy of meeting a habituated family of gorillas, led by a giant silverback, is worth the difficulty.
After spending an hour up close with the mighty gorillas, trek back to the starting point, have a picnic lunch, and relax at the lodge recalling the experience you’ve just had.
In the late afternoon, take a community walk around the forest to experience the life of the Batwa pygmies.
Among the many activities, participate in basket weaving, dancing, and listen to the fascinating stories of the Batwa. After the experience, return to your lodge for a campfire, dinner, and overnight stay.
Day 5: Transfer to Kigali
Today, return via Cyanika border through Kisoro town and on to Kigali city, where this trip will conclude late in the afternoon. If you have time, explore the local cuisine or go shopping. Depending on your flight time, be dropped off at Kigali airport for your departure flight.
End of 5-Day Triple Gorilla Trekking Tour.
