
4 days Mgahinga and Lake Bunyonyi safari will offer you a diverse and memorable experience, combining gorilla trekking, scenic landscapes and relaxation to top it all off at Africa’s second largest lake. You will get a chance to see the mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, bush bucks, bush pigs, giant forest hogs, yellow-billed kite, fly catchers, alpine chat, grey crowned hornbill, malachite sunbirds, speckled mousebirds, the Batwa and Bakiga people for cultural tours, and the rare vegetation which is Afromontane. All these put together will certainly make for a unique and beautiful experience on this safari. The trip will start from Kampala to Mgahinga and back to Kampala.
Day 1: Drive from Kampala to Mgahinga
At the agreed spot, you will meet with our driver guide from Glory summit tours and travel in the morning who will brief you about the trip, at which point any questions or concerns from you will be addressed. You will set off for at 7:30am Mgahinga which will take about 9 hours enjoying the great scenery, landscape and physical features of the country side. A stopover will be made in Mbarara for lunch, then you will proceed to Mgahinga where you will arrive in time for dinner and then check into your lodging for the night so you can rest and be ready for the next day.
Day 2: Gorilla trekking and Batwa community tour
A very early breakfast will be served and after you will be driven to the park’s headquarters for briefing about the regulations to follow during the trek, how to behave and what to expect to ensure a smooth trek. With a guide and armed ranger your trek will start and will take about 30minutes- 6hours and when the gorilla family is found you will be given an hour with them get to see the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat, how they live, care for each other, care for their young, how and when they eat, during the trek you will be given water and a snack for when you need it. Also expect to see monkeys, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, forest hogs, bush pigs, bushbucks, porcupines and spotted hyenas. When done with the trekking, you will go back to your lodge and freshen up then have lunch. There after you will visit the Batwa people for a community tour. With the help of a local guide, you will be involved in different community activities like music, dance and drama, crafting and honey harvesting. Story telling will also be key as a way to learn the Batwa people’s history and what makes them an interesting group people. You will the return to the lodge, have dinner and then wind down the day with a relaxed evening into the night, and retire as and when you wish.
Day 3: Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
You will wake up in time for breakfast and checkout, after which you will exit the park for Lake Bunyonyi which will take about 2-3hours. On route to Lake Bunyonyi you will feast your eyes on the evergreen scenic views and also have some picture moments as beautiful views must be captured for memories. You will get to your lodge at Lake Bunyonyi in time for lunch, after which you will check and rest before heading out for some canoeing. As the only lake stable enough for one to ride a canoe to visit all 29 islands including the punishment island where girls who got pregnant out of wedlock were taken. During this 2hour ride you will also see a variety of bird species like the pied kingfisher, malachite kingfisher, herons, bronzy sunbird, black crake, common stone chat, great cormorant, black-headed weaver, fly catcher and many more. You will head back to your lodging after the ride, have dinner and rest while sharing experiences of the trekking and Bunyonyi by the fire and retire at will.
Day 4: Checkout and departure
You will wake up to a beautiful breakfast, and then check out of the lodge and prepare for your departure for Kampala and this will take about 9hours. You will have a stopover in Mbarara for lunch and another at the equator for picture taking moments and exploring the craft village after which you will continue to Kampala and will be dropped off at the agreed upon point which will mark the end of the 4 day trip.