One of a Kind Luxury Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari
4 – hours with a Gorilla Family on this 3-Day Luxury Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari
A Luxury Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari with more time and fewer participants with the Gentle Giants in the Rusha 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.
This one-of-a-kind Gorilla Habituation Experience takes Gorilla Trekking to another level. Here you are an actual participant in the habituation process where the gorillas become accustomed to having humans around.
Your incredible up-close Gorilla Encounter is 4 hours in length instead of one hour. You are on an all-day Trek that ends in the late afternoon.
This is not offered in any other country. It is an Uganda Gorilla Exclusive with a maximum of 4 participants allowed per group compared to 8 participants for a regular Gorilla Trek.
Stay at the exclusive Luxury Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge or the upmarket, luxury Gorilla Safari Lodge, and you have Luxury in the African Wild in the Gorilla Highlands of Uganda.
Safari Highlights for the 3-Day Luxury Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari
- All-Day Gorilla with 4-Hours with a Gorilla Family on this Gorilla Habituation Experience
- 4-hours from Kigali
- Golden Monkey Trekking – Optional $100 per person.
- Luxury Lodge Choice – Exclusive Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge or Upmarket Gorilla Safari Lodge
- Full-Board Meal Plan
- 4×4 Toyota Land-Cruiser – with Luxury Safari orientated Driver-Guide
- Porter, Bottled Water, and Walking Sticks are included in the Trek
- 1,500 USD Gorilla Habituation Experience Permits are part of the Safari Package
- Safety and Security Measures are in place at the Lodge and on the Gorilla Habituation Experience.
This Safari is dependent on available Gorilla Habituation Experience Permits. This Safari should be booked well in Advance due to permits. Furthermore, be flexible.
Your 3-Day Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari in Detail:
Arrival Day in Kigali, Rwanda
Arrival Day: Your arrival time may mean you need a room for one night in Kigali. The city is the Singapore of Africa and, unlike most other capitals, is clean, safe, attractive, and welcoming.
We can arrange for your Pickup directly at Kigali Airport and add a night’s Stay in Kigali at a Hotel there. The luxury Hotel choices include Serena Hotel, Radisson, Hotel, Marriott Hotel, des Mille Collines Hotel {Hotel Rwanda} and others.
If your arrival is early in the day, we can meet you at the Kigali airport and drive directly to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
To enter Rwanda and Uganda, you will need an East African Visa and proof of Yellow Fever immunization. There is no Yellow Fever in either country, but Uganda is part of the Yellow Fever Belt that spans the Globe. The East African Visa can be obtained on arrival at the Kigali Airport but must be specifically requested. The Visa allows you to exit Rwanda, enter Uganda and reenter Rwanda for your flight out.
Day 1 – Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest:
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, or 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 Mgahinga Gorilla Park.
The Route you are on from Kigali t
Lodging Choices for Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge:
This exclusive Luxury Lodge overlooks Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the Virunga Volcanoes in the distance. It ranks as one of the Best Lodges in Uganda and the southern area of Bwindi Forest. From here, it is a short walk to the Trailhead in Nkuringo.
The Lodge exudes class throughout, including in your private River Stone Cottage. 24/7 Butler and Maid Service are available to you.
The views from your bedroom balcony are uplifting, and the patio is the perfect setting for the early morning Ugandan Arabica Coffee grown in some of the nearby fields.
Authentic African Art is found throughout the Lodge, including g in your cottage, and the Meals are delightful. Many of our Clients have loved their stay at Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge.
Gorilla Safari Lodge – Rushaga Area-Luxury Lodge:
This upmarket Lodge is near the trailhead for your Gorilla Trek.
Gorilla Safari Lodge has great Cottages, including one Family Cottage, which is also suitable for a group of 4, such as Friends.
The Deluxe cottages have a fireplace in this cooler region in the Gorilla Highlands. The temperature at night drops to 10 Degrees Celsius or 50 Degrees Fahrenheit. Hot water bottles are supplied at bedtime to keep you warm as you go to sleep.
The Lodge serves quality food consisting of Western – Asian and African Dishes. The experienced staff here have your comfort in mind and are a service-orientated lodge.
Featured in Vogue and the Huffington Post – it is the only Luxury Lodge in the Rushaga area.
Afternoon Activity Choices for you:
- Batwa Cultural Encounter: See the Forest through the Eyes of its first people, the Batwa.
- Village Walk: Go on a guided walk and Experience Ugandan village life.
- Nature Walk: Take a nature or birding walk with a guide.
- Hands-on Cultural Experience: Learn a new skill such as African drumming, dance, basket weaving, carving, cooking, etc.
- Relax and read a Book: Read a book about Uganda.
Meal Plan: Luch and Dinner
Day 2 – Gorilla Habituation Experience – Rushaga:
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.
What Should I wear 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 the Gorillas but 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 of 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: This is to 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 packed 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.. A moderate fitness level is required. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is made up of ridges and valleys.
The gorilla habituation experience begins with an orientation where you are told how to conduct yourself on the trek. This is an all-day trek that includes four hours with a gorilla family. The total trek can last up to eight hours. Usually, the trek is over in the late afternoon.
In the presence of the Gentle Giants of the Forest: Few will experience what you are now experiencing, and most cannot get the permits needed for this one-of-a-kind experience. An Experience that you can only have here in Uganda.
For many, it is an almost spiritual experience being in the living room of a gorilla family. An experience that will leave lasting memories, and it truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
You are a participant in the habituation process. There is a maximum of four participants, plus rangers and porters. The Gorilla Habituation Experience is perfect for photographers since you have maximum time to get some great photos.
You will learn a lot about the habits and ways of the Gorillas. We suggest that you know before you go. Understand what is involved, get the right gear for the day, and more.
Please return to the trailhead, and it is back to the Lodge.
Private Gorilla Habituation Experience Treks can be arranged but typically must be done well in Advance and at a higher cost. The Trekking Party would still include Rangers, Porters, and Security Detail as always but no other tour participants.
Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 3- Return to Kigali:
Optional: $90 per person Golden Monkey Trekking:
Mgahinga Gorilla Park is home to thousands of endangered Golden Monkeys, and the park provides the best setting for Golden Monkeys in the Virunga Volcanoes. The Golden Monkeys are beautiful and different from other primates due to their striking features. An adult Golden Monkey weighs about 15 Kilos, meaning they are pretty agile and will be all around you as you observe them on your trek.
The trek will be over by noon, and as we cross the border into Rwanda, we gain one hour since Rwanda is on Central African Time and is one hour ahead of Uganda.
The 3-Day Luxury Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari comes to an end. The activities on this day depending on your flight time out of Kigali International Airport, Rwanda, and we will fine-tune it to fit you. On the return to Kigali, you gain one hour as you cross the border from the East African Time Zone to the Central one.
Drop off at the airport 3 hours before your flight, which is the end of your 3 Day Gorilla Habituation Experience. We can arrange a Hotel for you in Kigali.
Add a Day – Relax and Chill Out-Unwind on one of Africa’s most scenic and Photographed Lakes:
In 2019 the scenery of Mgahinga Gorilla Park’s Volcanoes, as seen from Lake Mutanda, became the “Third in the World Must Photograph 
Locations.” Many of our Clients spend a day or two at the Chameleon Hill Lodge, and this is Africa’s funkiest Lodge with its bright colors and Fairy Tale Castle Theme.
Chameleon Hill Lodge is an upmarket Lodge with one of the best views. It is the perfect way to end your Gorilla Trekking Safari in Uganda. The Lodge is close to the border and just 2 1/2 hours from Kigali, Rwanda.
Lake Mutanda is a pristine Lake with emerald Isles framed by the brooding Volcanoes. One of our clients exclaimed that it was the most beautiful lake he had ever seen.
You can enjoy a Sundowner Boat ride here having Uganda’s drink of Choice, Uganda Waragi with a Krest Bitter Lemon Soda. You can try your hand paddling a dugout canoe. Birding Walk and island discovery boat rides can be done here, such as village walks and nature trails along Lake Mutanda.
Please Note: The above Private Safari includes all activities and permits needed as described. It is an entire board, water in the vehicle, and it does not have tips, drinks at lodges, or laundry. Mount Gahinga Lodge does offer complimentary non-premium beverages to their guests.
Contact Us about this Safari
