4-Day Luxury-Bwindi Forest-Mgahinga Gorilla Park Trekking Safari
From Kigali – 4-Day Luxury Twice Gorilla Trekking Safari in 2 Parks in Uganda
A 4-Day Luxury Twice Gorilla Trekking Safari in 2 Parks. Trek Gorillas in both CNN’s 2019 most beautiful Place in the World, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest 
and Mgahinga Gorilla Park in the Virunga Volcanoes. On this luxury Gorilla Safari, you trek Gorillas in two different environments. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with its ridges and valleys and the Virunga Volcanoes in Mgahinga Gorilla Park which is like Trekking Gorillas in Rwanda but with permits costing 900 USD less, meaning that this safari saves you, 1,800 USD (per person) just in Permit Savings.
This Luxury Twice Gorilla Trekking Safari begins and ends in Kigali Rwanda from where the southern Area of Bwindi Forest is only a 4-hour drive instead of the 9-10 Hour Drive from Entebbe Airport
Flying into Rwanda and Trekking Gorillas in nearby Uganda is the most logical, money and time-saving choice for those wanting a Luxury Gorilla Trekking Safari.
What makes this Gorilla Safari unique is that you are trekking the Gentle Giants in two very different environments. The Virunga Volcanoes in Mgahinga Gorilla Park and in an ancient Afromontane Forest – Bwindi. You can do this only in Uganda.
The Lodging Choices for this Safari are Exclusive or Luxury Lodges – Clouds Mountain Lodge or the upmarket Gorilla Safari Lodge in Bwindi Forest and Mount Gahinga Lodge in Mgahinga Gorilla Park.
The Safari Highlights of this 4-Day Luxury Twice Gorilla Trekking Safari in 2 Parks
- Gorilla Trekking with 600 USD Permits in Mgahinga Gorilla Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (note Gorilla Habituation Experience with 1,500 USD Permits – 4-Hours with a Gorilla Family can be substituted in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest when permits are available}.
- Optional Golden Monkey Trekking
- Choice of Upmarket or Exclusive Lodging for 3-nights
- Save 900 USD on Gorilla Permits over Rwanda’s 1,500 USD Permits
- 4×4 Toyota Land-Cruiser with Luxury Safari Experienced Driver
- Porter and Walking Sticks for your Gorilla Treks plus Bottled Water
- Secure Gorilla Trekking with Ranger Escort
- Add a Day and relax along one of Africa’s most scenic lakes, Lake Mutanda.
During Off-Season Months – April, May, November – Lodge Off-Season Discounts are automatically passed on to you. Flexibility in dates is needed with this Safari due to limited permits being available in Mgahinga Gorilla Park (8-per day).
Your Luxury Gorilla – Golden Trekking Safari in Uganda in Detail:
Day 1 – The Journey Bwindi Impenetrable Forest:
Your 4-Day Exclusive Luxury Gorilla Trekking Safari in Uganda begins as your seasoned Tour Guide meets you at Kigali Airport or the Hotel where we have booked you for the night before the Safari Starting Date.
You will need an East African Visa that is obtainable from the first East African Country that you Visit (Kenya-Rwanda – Uganda are participants in the East African Visa Program). You will also like in Rwanda need a Yellow Fever Certificate. Change your watches to one hour back since Uganda is on East African Time.
Check you into the Lodge of your Choice either the exclusive Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge or the Upmarket Gorilla Safari Lodge in Rushaga.
If you desire that extra touch, elegance served in subdued style, money is not an object, then the choice is none other than Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge in Nkuringo, at the Southend of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
Afternoon Options:
Gorilla Trekkers fall into two different categories. There are those that want one activity after another and we can do that for you. You can go on a guided Cultural Village Walk, hike or bird watching. Others want to relax and chill out with
Dinner
Meal Plan: Lunch – Dinner
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Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge – Nkuringo-Exclusive 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 distance to Gorilla Trekking in the Nkuringo Area or a 45-minute drive to the Rushaga area Trailhead.
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 or the early morning Ugandan Arabica Coffee grown in some of the nearby fields.
Authentic African Art is found throughout the lodge including 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-Upmarket Luxury:
This upmarket lodge near the trailhead for your Gorilla Trek. If you choose the Gorilla Habituation Experience which means 4-hours with a Gorilla Family, the distance is a bit longer.
Gorilla Safari Lodge has great Cottages including one Family Cottage which is also good for a group of 4 such as Friends.
The De-Luxe cottages have a fireplace which in this cooler region of what is referred to in Uganda as 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 which is a fusion of Western – Asian and African Dishes. The experienced staff here has your comfort in their mind and they are a service orientated lodge.
Featured in Vogue and the Huffington Post – it is the only upmarket Lodge in the Rushaga area.
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Day 2- Gorilla Trekking
It is an early Breakfast – the right equipment and clothing for your Trek. Further Trekking Information that will make this day more comfortable is found here.
Gorilla Wear: We suggest a day pack, packed lunch from the lodge, two liters of water, long trousers, long-sleeved shirt, hat, boots, thick socks, and sturdy gardening gloves. All this is not to make a fashion statement but for your protection against nettles, thorns, brush.
Tuck your trousers into the socks for extra protection against fire ants and exposed skin from touching nettles that abound here.
We supply you with bottled water, a walking stick, and a porter. One porter is needed for two people. The porter is an added plus since they assist you on the at times challenging trek.
The Gorilla Family that you will trek today is determined at the orientation with your input. Your level of fitness and age are things that are part of the Gorilla Family determination equation.
The location of the gorilla family determines the length and difficulty of the trek on the day that you are trekking. Pre-Trackers are out at the crack of dawn location the different groups and calling in the GPS locations of the various groups. The length of the trek is generally between three and five hours. At times a trek may be longer than that.
There are up to eight trekkers in your group. Add to that the rangers and porters. Private treks can be done for a total of $4,800 for the 
trek. There would not surprise other trekkers besides you, the Rangers and Porters. You are with a Gorilla Family for one hour. Some rules and guidelines govern the trek. It is good to know the rules ahead of time. The main one is that you have no cold or flu, intestinal disorder, or other infectious illness on the day of your trek.
Option in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest: Instead of the Normal Gorilla Trek where 8 participants are in The Group – Consider the exclusive All-Day Gorilla Trek where you are for four hours with the gentle giants of the Forest on a Gorilla Habituation Experience. The Permit cost for the Gorilla Habituation is 1,500 USD – only 4 permits are available in the latter part of 2018 for one group, making this a very exclusive option.
Suggestion: Be sure to pack a sweater the temperature here at night is 10-degree Celsius or 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Fireplaces are in your rooms at Clouds Mountain Lodge, Gorilla Safari Lodge, and Mount Gahinga Lodge.
After the Gorilla Trek: We drive to Mount Gahinga Lodge in Mgahinga Gorilla Park where your second Gorilla Trek will place. Mount Gahinga Lodge is the only upmarket lodge near the park.
Meal Plan: Breakfast -Lunch – Dinner
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Mount Gahinga Lodge – Mgahinga Gorilla Park:
Mount Gahinga Lodge is an exclusive upmarket Lodge with an upmarket price tag. If you choose to trek Gorillas in Mgahinga Gorilla Park this is the Lodge for you.
Located near the Park Headquarters with views of the Virunga Volcanoes and Lake Mutanda just from a scenic point of view, this lodge is priceless.
The Cottages come with a cozy fireplace, it gets a bit nippy here at night, down to 50 degrees Fahrenheit or 10 degrees Celsius. Luxury showers, large bedroom with a sitting area, delightful food, and excellent service at a lower price since Mgahinga Gorilla Park is off the radar for many a visitor Uganda.
The Lodge offers a variety of activities to clients such as a Visit to the Mount Gahinga Batwa Village that was built by the lodge, a Caldera Walk, and Batwa Heritage Trail for lodge guests.
Mount Gahinga Lodge is your Best Choice for Gorilla Trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla Park.
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Day 3- Gorilla Trekking
An early Breakfast – the right equipment and clothing for your Trek. Further Trekking Information that will make this
day a Success is found here. We suggest a day pack, packed lunch from the lodge, two liters of water, long trousers, long-sleeved shirt, hat, boots, thick socks, and tough gardening gloves. All this is not for a fashion statement but your protection against nettles, thorns, brush, and branches.
We provide a porter, the cost of one,20 USD is well worth it. The porter carries your daypack and this frees you to enjoy the trek. We also suggest a local walking stick that steadies you on at times on slippery Trails.
We supply you with bottled water, a walking stick, and a porter. One porter is needed for two people. The porter is an added plus since they assist you on the at times challenging trek.
You are trekking at an elevation above 2,200 meters which is not problematic for most. Though the trek is upward, it is not grueling and poses no problems for those with a moderate level of fitness.. The bamboo walking stick and the porter assist you in traversing the not so difficult trail.
You are off on your Safe and Secure Gorilla Trek with Rangers and secure escort to visit the Nyakagezi Family 10-members with now five Silverbacks, which is highly unusual. The blackbacks have matured into Silverbacks. Mark is the Leader of the family, assisted by his brother Mafia, their father Bugingo who used to be the leader has absconded the leadership to his son and plays the role of grandpa. They are followed by the now Silverbacks Ndungutse and Rukundo. Females, Toddlers make up the rest of the Family. Keeping up with Gorilla Families is not always easy. The family was beset by a respiratory ailment in 2019 but intervention by the Gorilla Doctors saved the day and they all recovered from what could have been a fatal ailment. It is important for gorilla Trekker to abide by the rules for Gorilla Trekking.
The Nyakagezi Family advantage for trekkers is obtaining better photographs. The family is normally found in a more open area allowing photographers to obtain some excellent photos.
The length of the Trek is between four to five hours including one hour with the Nyakagezi Gorilla Family which is for most is a once in a lifetime experience. Normally you are back at Mount Gahinga Lodge by about 1:00 PM.
After the Gorilla Trek, most want to relax and think or talk over with others their trekking experience and meeting with the Mountain Gorillas.
Suggestion: Be sure to pack a sweater the temperature here at night is 10-degree Celsius or 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Fireplaces are in your rooms at Mount Gahinga Lodge.
Meal Plan: Breakfast -Lunch – Dinner
Day 4 – Optional Golden Monkey Trekking – Return to Kigali
Breakfast and you are off for your 2nd exciting adventure -the Optional Golden Monkey Trekking in the Bamboo Forests of the Volcanoes. There you normally encounter a large number of Golden Monkeys that are flitting about you, over you and near you. The Golden Monkeys are an endangered species only found in the Virunga Massif with Uganda having the most of them.
This activity can be done if you are staying in the Bwindi Forest area but it calls for an early breakfast and 1 1/2 hour drive to the Mgahinga Gorilla Park headquarters.
Mgahinga Gorilla Park is the only park in Uganda where you can trek them.
This is a 3 to 4-hour activity and afterward, it is lunchtime at your lodge and then we continue the journey back to Kigali for your flight out.
This activity can be changed to fit your flight out. A Rwanda city tour can be added if time permits. We can add a hotel in Kigali to the safari prior to your departure.
Meal Plan: Breakfast -Lunch if Golden Monkey trekking is added
Meal Plan: Breakfast
Add a Day to Relax and Chill Out on Scenic Lake Mutanda
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. 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 anywhere. 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, island discovery boat rides can be done here among other things such as village walk and nature trails along Lake Mutanda.
Practical Gorilla Habituation Experience Information:
Please Note: The above Private Safari includes all activities and permits needed as described. It is full board, water in the vehicle. It does not include tips, drinks at lodges, laundry.
Please contact us if you are interested in this 4-Day Luxury Gorilla Trekking Safari.
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