3 Day Luxury Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari-4-hours with Gorillas

4 – hours with a Gorilla Family on this 3-Day Luxury Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari

A Luxury Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari with more time with the Gorillas. 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 a whole level. Your incredible up-close Gorilla Encounter is 4 hours in length instead of one hour on an all-day Trek that ends in the late afternoon.

This is not offered in any other country, and it is a Uganda Gorilla Exclusive with a maximum of 4 participants allowed per group compared to 8 participants for a regular Gorilla Trek.

On this  3-Day Luxury Gorilla, Habituation Experience Safari, we take advantage of the short drive 4-hour drive from Kigali to the Rushaga Area of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Stay at the exclusive Luxury Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, or the upmarket Gorilla Safari Lodge, and you have Luxury in the African Wild in the Highlands of Uganda.

The Gorilla Habituation Experience allows you to be a participant in the actual Habituation Process instead of being an observer like on a typical Gorilla Trek where you are one hour with a Gorilla Family.

You save 6 hours drive time one way by flying in and out of Kigali-Rwanda, the little-known gateway into Southwest Uganda – The Drive time from Kigali is 4-hours plus to the Southern End of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a scenic one through vast Tea Plantations, terraced farms on Mountain Sides, the Virunga Volcanoes and then Lake Mutanda in Uganda. Flying in from Entebbe International Airport with Aerolink is also an option for this Safari.

Arrival Day:  Your arrival time and may mean that you will 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 both 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.

Exposure to mosquitoes is minimal on this Safari due to the elevation and the cold nighttime temperatures that are below 15 degrees Celsius.

Day 1 – Drive to Rushaga – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda:

We leave your hotel in Kigali at 6:30 am. or meet you at the airport for the 3-Day Luxury Gorilla Habituation Experience Safari in Rushaga. The drive time to Rushaga is about 4 hours plus depending on Border Crossing, which is an event in itself.

Afternoon Options:  Safari Goers fall into two major categories, the one want activity after activity.  There are optional choices for them, such as a Community or Cultural Village Walk.

Others, just arriving want to take time out and drink it all in.  Sit on their patio and drink in the views of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the Virunga Volcanoes in the distance, read a book and we have a few Gorilla Reads that you might like, Try a Uganda Waragi with Krest Bitter Lemon Soda getting ready for the next day being with the Gentle Giants of the Forest. Other might want a Cultural Encounter with the First People of the Forest on the recently added Batwa Bwindi Experience in the Rushaga Area where you see the forest through the eyes of those that lived here for thousands of year in harmony with the Gentle Giants of the Forest.  è  The choice is yours, just let us know.

Meal Plan: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

Lodge:  Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge -exclusive or Gorilla Safari Lodge – upmarket

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Gorilla Safari Lodge – Upmarket – Luxury

Gorilla Safari Lodge is a comfortable upmarket lodge near the Rushaga trailhead for Gorilla Trekking and the Gorilla Habituation Experience.

Many of our clients like this lodge, its cottages with Fireplaces, and a hot water bottle at bedtime. A family cottage is available with two bedrooms.

This is a Ugandan owned lodge that has done an excellent job serving the upmarket guests that come here.  There is also a Family Cottage that sleeps four people in separate bedrooms.

This is the closest Luxury Lodge to the Gorilla Habituation Experience Trailhead. However, the drive-time to the trailhead one half-hour from the lodge.

Vegetarians and vegans tastefully prepare the food can easily be accommodated. The Lodge is also family-friendly where children are welcomed, and arrangements can be made for them while you on your Gorilla Trek in the Forest.

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Day 2 – Gorilla Habituation Experience – Rushaga:

Early Breakfast and take your packed lunch from the lodge.  Here is the Gorilla Gear that you will need: A daypack, packed lunch from the lodge plus some snacks such as granola bars.  You will need three liters of water to keep hydrated on the trek.

Wear long trousers, gardening gloves for pulling yourself up on branches, long-sleeved shirt. Waterproof boots, thick socks.  Tuck the pants into the socks for extra protection.

Be sure to wear a hat for protection against the sun.  Put a rain jacket into your backpack. Use a good insect repellent to keep the flies away.  There are not many mosquitoes at this elevation. We also recommend unscented sunscreen to protect against the midday sun.

Why wear such things as long trousers and longsleeved instead of shorts and tank-tops.  It is for your protection.  You will find that the rangers on your trek will not be wearing shorts.  There are nettles, thorns, brush, and bushes that cause discomfort.  This is not a hot and humid forest due to its elevations, much of the forest is 2,000 meters above sea-level. The morning is chilly, with temperatures around 10 to 12 degrees Celsius. Gorilla Wear we recommend will keep you comfortable.

We provide you with bottled water, a walking stick, and the services of a porter that can assist you on the trail and when there is no trail.  A moderate level of fitness is required.  Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is made up of ridges and valleys. 

The gorilla habituation experience begins with an orientation where you are told as to how to conduct yourself on the trek.  This is an all-day trek which 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.

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 fo get some great photos.

You will learn a lot about the habits and ways about the Gorillas.  We suggest that you know before you go.  Understand what is involved, get the right gear for the day, and more.

You will not need Binoculars since you are up close to the Gorillas, unlike a game drive or savannah nature walk.

Tips – Advice for the Gorilla Habituation Experience

Return to the trailhead, and it is back to the lodge.

Is Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Safe? What about Security?

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

Lodge:  Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge -exclusive or Gorilla Safari Lodge – upmarket

Day 3- Return to Kigali:

Optional: $90 per person Golden Monkey Trekking:

Mgahinga Gorilla Park is home to thousands of the endangered Golden Monkeys. The park provides the best setting for Golden Monkeys in the Virunga Volcanoes.  The Golden Monkeys are quite beautiful and different from other primates due to their striking features.  An adult Golden Monkey will weigh about 15 Kilos, meaning that they are quite 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.  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 airport 3 hours before your flight, and this is the end of your 3 Day Gorilla Habituation Experience, We can arrange a Hotel for you in Kigali.