5-Day Gorilla Trekking Safari in Uganda with Batwa and Lake Bunyonyi

Depart after an early breakfast and head to the western part of Uganda. This route will take you past the Equator line crossing, Lake Mburo National Park, and on to Igongo Cultural Centre, where you will break for lunch.

The main attraction at Igongo Cultural Centre is the Community Museum of South Western Uganda, with the tagline "Obwengye bugira Emizi" (Wisdom is rooted in the past). The museum presents many themes related to the ancient and modern history of south-western Uganda, the cultures of the people of south-western Uganda, and traditional skills such as pottery and ironworking, all of which you will gain insight into.

Afterwards, proceed to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park - Rushaga Section, where you will have your overnight stay.

After an early morning breakfast, your guide will drive you to the Rushaga section park entrance for a briefing on gorilla trekking etiquette. After the briefing at the headquarters, you shall penetrate the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to trek these gentle giant gorillas under the guidance of a knowledgeable guide and park ranger.

The time taken for trekking highly depends on how quickly you locate a gorilla family. It can take from 30 minutes to 7 hours, depending on the location of the mountain gorillas on that particular day.

Once you find them, you can spend one hour observing and photographing them before returning to the park headquarters for certificate awarding.

After breakfast, prepare for the Batwa Trail Experience, which leads you into the lives of the ancient people of the forest. They display their hunting skills, harvesting of honey, traditional performances, and demonstrations of making bamboo cups, among other activities.

Learn as they guide you through the forest, dance, sing, and share stories about their traditional ways of farming, handling the bow, gathering honey, and picking herbal medicine from roots and leaves as a local way of treating people. Get a chance to share a local meal with them made from plants and goat stew. This will be another way of learning about the life of the Batwa people.

The experience shows how they lived in thatched grass houses and caves and hunted small animals for food. The trail begins with a nature walk and hikes through the forest as you learn from the first keepers of the forest. This takes a full day, or about 5 hours, and your simple presence will give great honour to the Batwa people.

After the Batwa Trail Experience, depart for scenic Lake Bunyonyi for an overnight stay.

Take a boat ride on the second deepest lake in Africa. Scenic Lake Bunyonyi has over 29 islands, including Punishment Island.

Zipline on the second deepest lake and take a village walk through Muko Market, then climb up via a church. Your walk will be punctuated with stops to interact with farmers you will meet.

After Butengo, you will view the Virunga panorama while enjoying your lunch. Your walk continues to Nyamiyaga for the best Bwindi panorama, and along River Ruheza Myenda Go.

Dinner and overnight stay at available safari lodges.

After an early breakfast, check out of your lodge and drive back to Kampala, with lunch en route, arriving in the evening, or continue to Entebbe for your outbound flight back home.