5 Day Mgahinga Gorilla & Golden Monkey Trekking And Batwa Trail Experience Safari

This 5 Day Uganda Mountain Gorilla & Golden Monkey trekking and Batwa trail experience safari will take you Uganda’s most Scenic Mgahinga Gorilla national park. Mgahinga gorilla national park offers one of the most adventurous safari experiences which includes mountain gorilla and golden monkey trekking, Volcano Climbing and the indigenous Batwa cultural experience. This particular safari will give you a chance to meet eye to eye with both mountain gorillas and golden monkeys and to interact with Batwa pygmy people. Mgahinga gorilla national park is the smallest national park in Uganda but with a lot to inspire and make you busy throughout your safari.

Highlights of the 5 Day Mgahinga Gorilla & Golden Monkey trekking and Batwa Trail experience safari

Day 1: Pick up from a hotel in Kampala / Entebbe international airport – Transfer to Mgahinga gorilla national park

Day 2: Mountain gorilla trekking – Evening boat canoeing

Day 3: Golden monkey trekking – Explore Lake Mutanda

Day 4: Batwa trail experience – Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

Day 5: Lake Bunyonyi – Morning boat canoeing – Return Kampala / Entebbe international airport

Day 1: Pick up from your hotel in Kampala city / Entebbe international airport – Transfer to Mgahinga gorilla national park

This first day of 5 Day Mgahinga Gorilla & Golden Monkey trekking and Batwa Trail experience safari after breakfast at your place of residence in Kampala (0600am) or on arrival at Entebbe international airport with an early morning plane, you will be warmly met by our company representative who will be your safari guide for a short briefing on 5 Day Mgahinga Gorilla & Golden Monkey trekking and Batwa Trail experience safari, get all your luggage packed in the vehicle and then start your adventurous to Mgahinga gorilla national park based in Virunga conservation area found in the southwestern Uganda a cross the equator landmark. Mgahinga gorilla national park is a combination of bamboo and rain forests and the only park in Uganda where you can meet both the magical mountain gorillas and the beautiful golden monkeys and the park correctly defined as the habitat of Gold and Silver. The park also used to a home to the Batwa pygmy Bushmen therefore, this makes it a definite place to visit to experience the Batwa culture in Uganda. Therefore, this safari is a combination of mountain gorilla and golden monkey trekking with Batwa trail experience. On your way to Mgahinga gorilla national park, you will have a stopover at Kayabwe equator landmark to watch the water experiences that are done on both sides of the equator to show difference in the movement of forces on the northern and southern hemispheres, take some photos to keep your memories of visiting this place, and later continue with journey with another stop at Igongo culture center to have lunch, tours the museum and later drive straight to the park to check in at your booked lodge, relax, dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation options; Lake Mutanda Resort (Luxury), Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge (Mid-range), Lake Chahafi Lodge (Standard)

Meal Plan; Lunch / Dinner

Day 2: Mgahinga gorilla national park – Mountain gorilla trekking – Spend your evening relaxing

Wake very early in the morning to have to breakfast (0600 am), have all your required gorilla trekking gears like hiking shoes, a hat, light long sleeved rain coat, a long trouser, thick socks, and tough gardening gloves to protect yourself against nettles, thorns, brush, and others, get your packed lunch and drinking water and then meet safari guide to drive to the Mgahinga gorilla national park information offices to join other guests for the pre-trekking briefings on the guidelines to follow during mountain gorilla trekking and how to behave once you have met the mountain gorillas, get a ranger guide and then start your guide forest walk to search for the rare mountain gorillas which may take between  45 minutes to 4 hours before spotting the mountain gorillas depending on their movements and your walking spend. While searching for the mountain gorillas, you may have a chance to spot other species such as Elephants, bush pigs, some monkeys plus several bird species and your ranger guide will be able to give you information regarding everything that you will encounter. When you meet the gorilla family, you will stay with them for a maximum of one hour to fully enjoy them, take enough photos as you would want and ask from your ranger guide the information you would need to know about mountain gorillas. After an hour with the endangered mountain gorillas, return to the park information center to receive your certificate for completing the trek, have some refreshments, meet your safari guide and drive back to lodge to have full lunch, freshen yourself and spend your evening while relaxing on the shores of the lake. Dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation options; Lake Mutanda Resort (Luxury), Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge (Mid-range), Lake Chahafi Lodge (Standard)

Meal Plan; Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 3 – Mgahinga gorilla national park – Golden Monkey Trekking – Evening boat canoeing on Lake Mutanda

Rise up very early in the morning to have breakfast, get some drinking water and snacks, meet your safari guide and drive to the park information office for the briefings on Golden monkey trekking and get allocated a golden monkey family to trek, get a ranger guide and then start the forest walk to search for the golden monkeys which are of the most interesting primates to see in Mgahinga gorilla national park. The time taken before meeting the golden monkey is not known because it highly depend on the movements of golden monkey family you are tracking and your walking spend plus the stopovers made. Once you meet them, you will spend with them a maximum of one hour in their natural environment that will let you know about their lifestyle, how they feed, see them playing in the bamboo forest where they are normally, take as many photos as you would want and record some videos to keep you great memories with the golden monkeys. After spending an hour with the beautiful golden monkeys, return to the starting point to meet your safari guide to drive back to your lodge to have lunch, freshen yourself, relax till evening and the go for an exclusive boat canoeing safari on Lake Mutanda that will take you to visit several fascinating islands on the lake with your local guide that will introduce you to the lake’s local life.

After exploring Lake Mutanda, go for behind the scene at Kaboko river channel on the north banks of Lake Mutanda to see the clawless otters the unforgettable one, visit the Gihuranda village one of the neighboring community to Lake Mutanda to see the amazing fresh water springs from the underground. Then, return to your lodge to have dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation options; Lake Mutanda Resort (Luxury), Lake Mulehe Safari Lodge (Mid-range), Lake Chahafi Lodge (Standard)

Meal Plan; Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 4: Mgahinga gorilla national park – Batwa trail experience – Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

After having breakfast at your lodge, get all your luggage loaded into the vehicle, get your packed lunch, check out of your lodge and drive to the Batwa community settlement to start your Batwa trail experience which is done around Mgahinga gorilla national park. The Batwa trail experience will be guided by the Batwa local guide and will take you through everything regarding their lifestyle and culture such as the prayer by Batwa local guide asking their spirits to keep everyone safe during the forest walk. So, the trail will let you learn about the roles of each member in the community, how they survive life without modern technology, how their life got affected after they were evicted from the forest. During you Batwa tour, they will exhibit to you how they use different plant species to cure themselves, how they used to use bamboos to make cups, how to have fire from woods, different hunting techniques, listen to their ancient stories, and visit the Garama caves which used to be the King’s Palace, and later be entertained by women groups through their traditional dance, music and drama and this will be the end of your Batwa trail experience. Return to the starting point to have lunch, plus other refreshments and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi the Uganda’s deepest lake which offers great view of the landscape and a home to several bird species. Lake Bunyonyi is the best place to chill after mountain gorilla trekking and other activities. So, you will spend your evening relaxing, have dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation options; Birdnest @Bunyonyi (Luxury), Bunyonyi Rock Resort (Mid-range), Bunyonyi View Resort (Standard)

Meal Plan; Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 5: Lake Bunyonyi – Morning boat canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi – Return to your hotel in Kampala/Entebbe international airport

On this fifth day of the 5 Day Mgahinga Gorilla & Golden Monkey trekking and Batwa Trail experience safari, wake up to have breakfast, go for a morning boat canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi to enjoy the beautiful view of the sunrise on a good day and to explore some of the 29 beautiful islands on Lake Bunyonyi such as the Akampene island to know the interesting stories behind it. During your boat canoeing safari, you will see some bird species, viewing the forested hills and terraced farmlands among others. After the boat cruise on Lake Bunyonyi, return to your lodge to check out and start the journey back to your hotel / residence in Kampala or to Entebbe international airport to prepare for your return flight. On your journey, you will have a stopover at Igongo cultural center to have lunch, have another stopover at Kayabwe equator landmark to buy some souvenirs and gifts such as craft and art pieces, paintings among others, have a cup of coffee and thereafter continue with your journey to Kampala or Entebbe international airport or any other place of your convenience around Kampala or Entebbe. This is the end of 5 Day Mgahinga Gorilla & Golden Monkey trekking and Batwa Trail experience safari.

Meal Plan; Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

The 5 Day Mgahinga Gorilla & Golden Monkey trekking and Batwa Trail experience safari includes;

Pick up and drop off (return airport transfers)

Private transport for 5 day using a well-modified safari van/land-cruiser (4WD, air-conditioned and pop up roof)

English speaking safari guide for 5 days

Luxury/Mid-range/Standard accommodation for 4 nights on full board meal plan (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner)

All en-route meals and bottled mineral water throughout your tour

1 mountain gorilla trekking permit per person

1 golden monkey tracking per person

Batwa trail experience

Boat canoeing on Lake Mutanda

Boat canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi

Igongo museum tour

Kayabwe equator

The 5 Day Mgahinga Gorilla & Golden Monkey trekking and Batwa Trail experience safari excludes;

Domestic and international flight

Entry visa

Personal travel insurance

Optional activities not included on the itinerary

Tips and souvenirs

Alcoholic and soft drinks (Beers, wines, sodas, special juice and coffee orders at the lodge and hotels)

Telephone, laundry services, hiring a porter, among others that are not mentioned on the list of inclusions.