Moderately Priced 3-Day Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari in Uganda
Value+ Moderately Priced 3-Day Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari in the Rushaga Area of Bwindi Forest
A Value+ Midrange 3-Day Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari. in the Rushaga area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
For most, being with a Gorilla Family on a Gorilla Trek where you have one hour with a Gorilla Family is the Experience of a lifetime. The Gorilla Habituation Experience takes Gorilla Trekking to another level with more time with a Gorilla family and fewer participants.
The Gorilla Habituation Experience is Gorilla Trekking on Steroids, and you have More Time with the Gentle Giants of the Forest.
This is an all-day trek in the ancient Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. You are an active participant in the habituation process and more.
This Value+ Midrange 3-Day Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari gives you more time on your close encounter with the Gentle Giants of the Forest.
Please Note: A Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari is not for everyone, and it is an all-day trek in a Rainforest made up of Ridges and Valleys. It is a long day, from early morning to late afternoon.
A moderate fitness level is required, and we strongly recommend using a porter for assistance on the all-day trek. We also suggest you take some walks and hikes in your country before arriving for your Gorilla Habituation Experience.
Value+ Midrange 3-Day Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari Highlights::
- 4-Hours with a Gorilla Family on a Gorilla Habituation Experience on an All-Day Trek
- Optional Activities at Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge include hiking, birding, biking, and village visits.
- Optional Golden Monkey Trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla Park
- Optional: Add a day of relaxation after the Gorilla Habituation Experience by staying at Chameleon Ridge Lodge overlooking Lake Mutanda and the Virunga Volcanoes.
- Stay full-board at the comfortable midrange Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge overlooking the Lake with an en-suite bath.
- Fly in from Entebbe International Airport or into Kigali International Airport, where we will take you to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest on a four-hour drive.
- Add on Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest and Wildlife in Queen Elizabeth Park.
Your Value+ Midrange 3-Day Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari in Detail:
Your arrival time at Kigali International Airport in Rwanda or Entebbe International Airport determines whether you will need to stay overnight in
either location as we organize your private, Value+ midrange Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari. A Quality midrange-priced Hotel will be selected in either Kigali, Rwanda, or Entebbe, Uganda.
Arrival Day in Kigali, Rwanda
Arrival Day in Kigali, Rwanda for your Private 3-Day Gorilla Trekking Safari: Many flights from Europe arrive during the evening, others at night at Kigali International Airport, the Gateway not only to Rwanda but also to Southwest Uganda. We will pick you up at the airport and take you to the Value Plus Moderately priced Heaven Boutique Hotel in a residential setting with a lovely garden and a small swimming pool. Their excellent restaurant serves
Alternative Arrival in Entebbe:
Fly into Entebbe International Airport in Uganda, where your driver guide will meet you and take you to your hotel in Entebbe. The following day you take the early morning flight to Kisoro in Southwest Uganda with AeroLink Safari Airline. This is the quickest and most convenient way chosen by an increasing number of our clients, and the convenience outweighs the extra cost and will give you more time in and around Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Day 1 – Drive or Fly to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – Rushaga Region:
Drive to Rushaga from Kigali-Rwanda:
Your 3-Day Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari begins as we leave your hotel in Kigali at 6:30 am or the Kigali Airport for your moderately priced Safari. The drive time to Rushaga is about 4 hours, depending on the Border Crossing.
Visa for Uganda is $50, and the East African Visa is $100 and covers entry to Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. Both visas must be obtained online. In addition, you will need a Yellow Fever certificate for entry into Uganda.
Usually, the border crossing is about 30 to 45 minutes, and you are in Uganda heading for the ancient Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Officials on both sides will try to ease the border crossing for Tourists.
Any inconvenience fade in the light of the shorter drive time you have before you. Please note that it takes nine to ten hours from Entebbe or Kampala to reach the Rushaga area.
The Route you are on from Kigali to Bwindi is one of the most scenic drives in East Africa through the rolling, terraced hills of Rwanda and Uganda.
Fly from Entebbe International Airport to Kisoro – 90-minute scenic flight:
We will pick you up at your hotel in Entebbe at around 6:15 am for your 7:00 am departure with AeroLink Airline to Kisoro. Your flight time is 90 minutes, with a brief stopover at the Kihihi Airstrip. In Kisoro, you are met by your driver-guide, who will take you to your Lodge. This is the quickest and most convenient way to reach the Rushaga area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The Drive-Time from Kisoro to the Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge is 45 minutes.
There is a 15 kg weight restriction for your flight. Excess baggage costs $6 additional payment, and you can leave extra luggage with us. To save on the weight of your bag, we suggest that you wear your gorilla wear for your flight, including the rain jacket and hiking boots.
The benefit of a fly-In Safari is that you can spend a few days in Queen Elizabeth Park and include Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest on the return flight.
We arrive in the southern Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and check into Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge, overlooking Lake Mulehe.
Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge:
Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge is an excellent, moderately priced lodge with splendid views of the Virunga Volcanoes above the scenic Lake Mulehe. The food is one of the European-Ugandan Fusion’s fantastic services.
The stone cottages are perfect for your stay while doing Gorilla Trekking or the Gorilla Habituation Experience in the Rushaga Area Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
This Lodge gives you Value+ for your Dollar and value in terms of its setting, quality of rooms, and service on the Lake. We have used the Lodge for our Clients and have had no complaints during that time.
The Lodge is owned by a woman which years of Experience in providing quality accommodations to International and Domestic Tourists.
Afternoon Optional Activities at Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge:
There are two kinds of Gorilla Trekkers on Safari. One likes to settle in at the Lodge and read one of our Gorilla Safari Books while resting in a hammock along Lake Mulehe, while others want one activity after another and not miss anything. The good news is that we can fulfill either request from you,
The activities below can be chosen at Lake Mulehe Gorilla Lodge
- Dugout Canoe on Lake Mulehe
- Village Visit
- Batwa Cultural Encounters
- Birding on Lake Mulehe
Meal Plan: Lunch – Dinner
Day 2 – Gorilla Habituation Experience – Rushaga:
What Should I wear tracking for the Gorilla Habituation Experience?
Here is practical advice about what to wear while the Gorilla Habituation Experience in Uganda. Often Trekkers are not dressed right for the occasion, which can spoil your day, and your focus might not be on the Gorillas but on personal discomfort and misery. Wearing suitable clothing and footwear is about protection.
Gorilla Wear and Gear you will need:
- Daypack: Preferably a waterproof daypack, you can use it as a carry-on flying to Uganda. Pack all essentials inside the daypack.
- Hiking Boots: Make sure that they have good treads on them. You will need ankle support, something boots give you and give you reactions on muddy trails. Have a good pair of merino wool socks.
- Long Trouser: They will protect you from nettles and thorns. Tuck the trousers into your socks for added protection from ants.
- Long-Sleeved Shirt: Neutral in color. Again, this is for your comfort and protection.
- Rain Jacket or Poncho: Pack into your daypack. You never know when it will train. You are in an Afro-montane Rainforest.
- Tough Gardening Gloves protect your hands from thorns, nettles, and sharp branches.
- Wide Brimmed Hat: It gives you protection from the Sun.
- Camera Equipment – Binoculars: Ensure extra batteries and storage devices. Put them into Ziploc bags. Binoculars are not needed if you are not a birder.
- Packed Lunch and Bottled Water: You will need your lunch from the Lodge and two liters of bottled water.
- Insect Repellent – Sun Lotion – Sunglasses: We recommend the effective Australian RID Insect Repellent. Good Sun blocker cream and sunglasses.
- You will need a Porter and Walking Stick: The services of a porter free you on the often-difficult trail, and a local walking stick helps you and steadies you on the often-challenging path. We supply our clients with both.
Read more about Gorilla Gear and Wear here.
Early Breakfast and take your packed lunch from the Lodge. For Gorilla Trekking Gear. Having the right gear and wearing the right clothes and boots make a difference in the quality of a Trek that you will have.
The Gorilla Habituation Experience Orientation:
Here you receive instructions about the Gorilla Habituation Experience. You are given specific instructions for the Habituation Experience, which is different since there are only four participants.
The Rangers will go over the Rules and Guidelines before going on you embark on the Habituation trek. The Distance and Face Mask Rules are there for the protection of Mountain Gorillas from diseases, including respiratory illnesses.
If you are ill on the day of your Gorilla Habituation Experience, it is required that you cancel the Habituation Experience Trek. This requirement protects the Mountain Gorillas and all human participants, including rangers, researchers, and porters.
Your Time with the Gorilla Family being Habituated:
The length of your trek is determined by the location of the Gorilla family being habituated. The gentle giants make new nests daily and move up to
three kilometers up and down ridges and valleys. One reason you need the assistance of a porter and a walking stick.
The Gorilla Habituation Experience turns into an all-day trek with a return to the trailhead in the late afternoon.
You are one of the fortunate few that can take the Gorilla Habituation Experience. Many attempts, but since there are only four permits per day, the number of trekkers that have experienced more time with the Gorillas is few.
The actual encounter with the Gentle Giants is like entering someone’s living room. You experience with your eyes and ears how they live out their days, how they relate to one another, what they eat and how they communicate.
It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You will never forget an event, a most moving experience that can only be done in Uganda.
Trek in and trek out, the 4 hours with a gorilla family, is an all-day activity. There are only four participants and not eight like regular gorilla trekking.
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day – 3: Return to either Entebbe International Airport or Kigali Rwanda
Early Breakfast, and you can fly back to Entebbe International Airport, or we drive you to Kigali, Rwanda, for your flight out.
Optional Golden Monkey Trekking – $100 per person
We drive to Mgahinga Gorilla Park and meet with Rangers for a Golden Monkey Orientation before you head up into the Bamboo Forest found in the Virunga Volcanoes, three of which are in Uganda.
The Beautiful Golden Monkeys weigh about 15 Kilos. and are pretty active. They will be moving all around you, overhead in the trees, and you must take some quick pictures.
The trek lasts 3 hours, and afterward, we depart for Kigali. Drive Time to Kigali is 3 hours plus; we gain one hour crossing Time Zones at the border.
Drop off at the airport 3 hours before your flight and end your moderately priced 3-Day Gorilla Habituation Experience.
Gorilla Habituation Experience Add-Ons
The Luxury Version of this Safari
What is included in your Value+ Midrange 3-Day Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari?
- Full-Board stays at safe, secure quality Lodges: We choose welcoming, friendly, and hospitable quality lodges for your Safari, including the
incoming hotel in Entebbe or Kigali, Rwanda.
- Vegetarian and Vegan Meals: We can accommodate vegetarians and vegans on a safari. Additionally, there are kid-friendly meals for families with children. Kosher Friendly meals can also be provided. Other dietary needs, such as gluten- and sugar-free, can be met if we are notified.
- Gorilla Habituation Permits: Permits are included in the Safari.
- Porter Services for Gorilla Treks: Porter Services are automatically included in your Safari. You are walking sticks; we supply bottled water for your treks, volcano climbs, and hikes.
- Private 4×4 Safari Vehicle equipped with Pop-Up Roof: You have an experienced driver-guide that will guide you on a Safari through the Pearl of Africa. The vehicle has a refrigerated unit, and bottled water and fruit snacks are available on longer drives. WiFi is available. We can make arrangements for a MiFi Router for you, which would give you access to the internet even in your cottage since, at most lodges, WiFi is available only in the leading club. You would incur a small charge for the use and data of a MiFi Router.
- AMREF-Flying Doctors Medivac Insurance: Your Well-being is foremost on our mind, and we automatically include emergency air-evac insurance yo your Safari.
- Not included: Visas, Travel Insurance, Laundry, Tips, drinks at lodges such as Alcoholic drinks and sodas, and optional listed activities.
For over a Decade since 2008, we have offered Hakuna Matata – No-Worries Safaris:Our private Hakuna Matata – No Worries Safaris are full-service Value+ Midrange and Luxury Safaris that come with all needed for a successful Safari in Uganda. You have your own Safari Vehicle with an experienced driver, stay at a quality midrange or luxury Lodge, and all the activities listed are included. The outcome of your Safari is more important to us than income.
Enquire about this Value+ Midrange 3-Day Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari below
