Gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking work well together. This 4-Day Uganda Tour from Kigali combines gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Because the two parks sit close together in southwestern Uganda, most travelers prefer combining gorilla and golden monkey trekking into one trip.
4-Day Uganda Gorillas and Golden Monkey Tour Highlights
- Day 1: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Day 2: Mountain gorilla trekking
- Day 3: Transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
- Day 4: Golden monkey trekking and transfer to Kigali
Detailed 4-Day Uganda Gorillas and Golden Monkey Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Your guide will pick you up in the morning from your hotel or the airport in Kigali to begin the journey southwest to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
The drive takes 4 to 5 hours, passing rolling hills and small towns along the way.
Cross via the Katuna border, with a lunch stop in Kabale town. Stops for photos or scenery along the way can be arranged on request.
Continue to Bwindi’s Rushaga sector, arriving in the evening to check in at your lodge.
Day 2: Mountain Gorilla Trekking
This is the highlight of the trip. Have an early breakfast, then with your trekking gear, packed lunch, water, and snacks, leave the lodge for the Ruhija briefing point to join other trekkers.
At the briefing, you’ll be grouped with up to eight other trekkers and assigned a specific gorilla family. Head into the forest with an experienced tracking guide to search for them.
Gorillas tend to stay in the more remote parts of the forest, so be prepared for varied terrain along the way.
Trekking time runs 1 to 8 hours, depending on the gorillas’ movements. Once you find them, spend an hour taking photos and video, with your ranger guide explaining their behavior.
Transfer back to the lodge and spend the evening reflecting on the day.
Day 3: Transfer to Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Leave Ruhija and head to Kisoro via the Kisoro-Kabale highway. The route passes through Kisoro’s hills, farmland, and the Echuya Forest Reserve, home to vervet monkeys and olive baboons, among other wildlife, on the way to Kisoro.
You’ll arrive with views of the three Virunga volcanoes, Muhabura, Sabyinyo, and Gahinga, part of the wider Virunga range.
Check in to your lodge, have lunch, and rest for the remainder of the day. Take a walk through the nearby Batwa community to learn about their history, food, and traditional dance.
Day 4: Golden Monkey Trekking and Transfer to Kigali
Have breakfast, then transfer to the briefing point. After the briefing, head into the forest with your guide to find the golden monkeys.
Golden monkeys are an endangered primate species found only in the Virunga foothills, in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.
Once you find them, spend up to an hour observing and photographing them, with your guide explaining their behavior, family structure, and conservation status.
Afterward, have lunch and depart Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for Kigali. The drive from Kisoro district includes stops for photos and scenery along the way.
Arrive in Kigali in the early evening, marking the end of your 4-Day Uganda Tour from Kigali, with a drop-off at your preferred hotel or Kigali Airport if your flight departs that evening.
End of 4-Day Uganda Tour from Kigali.
