4 Days Gorillas and Lake Bunyonyi Safari

Your safari begins with a welcome from your Bespoke Safaris driver-guide, who goes through the journey ahead. You reach Bwindi by road from Entebbe or Kampala, leaving after breakfast and travelling southwest through the countryside, past rural settlements and cultivated hillsides, with a stop for refreshments or lunch. An early departure is recommended because the journey is long.

If you choose the fly-in option, you transfer to Entebbe International Airport for a domestic flight to the airstrip serving your trekking sector, which may be Kihihi or Kisoro. Your local driver-guide then takes you to your lodge.

You check in at your lodge near your trekking sector and rest, with a short nature walk or birdwatching around the lodge if time allows. Your guide briefs you on the next day’s trek, including the meeting point, clothing and equipment, and you enjoy dinner near the rainforest.

Enjoy an early breakfast, then transfer to the Uganda Wildlife Authority briefing point. Park rangers register the group, explain the trekking guidelines and introduce the gorilla family assigned to you. You then enter the forest with trained rangers and guides.

The trek takes you through dense rainforest with towering trees, tangled vines and steep, sometimes muddy slopes. Its length and difficulty depend on where the gorillas are, so a reasonable level of fitness is important, and you can hire a local porter to help. When you find the gorillas, you spend the permitted viewing time, normally up to one hour, watching the family feed, groom, rest and play. Photography is allowed under the rangers’ instructions, but flash and touching the gorillas are not permitted.

After the trek, return to the briefing area for refreshments and a short rest, then transfer to Lake Bunyonyi in the afternoon or early evening, timed around when your trek finishes. You check in at your lakeside lodge for dinner with views of the water.

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast overlooking the lake. After the gorilla trek, today is deliberately slow and gives you time to unwind and explore at your own pace.

In the morning you meet a local guide for a canoe excursion across the lake, taking in the islands, terraced hillsides and scattered settlements, and learning about the lake’s cultural significance and the lives of nearby communities. The length can be adapted to your interests, subject to weather and water conditions, and safety arrangements are confirmed before you set off.

Back at the lodge you can read, take photographs or relax on the terrace. In the afternoon, choose a guided nature walk, birdwatching with a local guide, a community visit to learn about local food and crafts, or a quiet lakeside lunch. Optional activities can be arranged at extra cost where applicable. You then enjoy dinner and a peaceful second night by the lake.

Enjoy a final breakfast beside the lake, with time for a short walk or a viewpoint before you check out. If you have time, you can request a brief cultural stop, arranged in advance so it does not delay the return journey.

By road, you meet your driver-guide and set off for Kampala or Entebbe. The drive is long, so an early start is advisable, with comfort breaks and a lunch stop along the way. If you chose the fly-in option, you transfer to the airstrip for a scheduled domestic flight back to Entebbe, timed with the flight operator.

If you connect to an international flight the same day, allow plenty of time for transfers and check-in. Where the schedules do not give a comfortable connection, an extra night near Entebbe may be advisable.