While visiting Uganda enjoy flying gorilla safaris a great way to reduce travel time, especially for those planning a safari within limited time-frames. You can substitute the long 8-10+ hour drives to Bwindi with a scenic 1 ½ hour flight from Entebbe International Airport, leaving you more time to enjoy the lodges and surrounding activities.
The gorilla safari is specially designed for those who wish to trek the mountain gorillas in a minimum amount of time, or who prefer not to spend too much time traveling from one place to the next.
This safari includes flights over the beautiful highlands of Uganda boasting incredible scenery. There is a drive from the airstrip via local villages to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, from where you will be able enjoy a thrilling visit with the Mountain Gorillas!
Uganda boasts some of the best bird watching in Africa, with over 1000 different species, including the rare shoe bill and the remarkable grey crowned crane. Luxury accommodation, professional guides and custom-made safari vehicles, this safari will be the trip of a lifetime.
The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies in south-western Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley. Its mist-covered hillsides are blanketed by one of Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rain forest, which dates back over 25,000 years and contains almost 400 species of plants. More famously, this “impenetrable forest” also protects an estimated 460 mountain gorillas – including several habituated families.
The flying time is just over an hour (depending on routing and aircraft used). Upon arrival you will be met by your guide and driven to Mahogany Springs Lodge, located inside the national park or outside Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The drive takes approximately two hours and leads you through local villages and mountain roads.
Enjoy early breakfast at the lodge, travel to the Park Headquarters in Bwindi Forest to meet your guides for the day and begin your gorilla tracking experience. Experienced guides and trackers will accompany you on an early morning trek into the dense rain forest on the mountain slopes.
Gorilla tracking is strenuous with treks ranging from 45 mins up to eight hours, at high altitudes in hot African conditions. The thrill of the hour you spend quietly observing these gentle giants once you find them is so worth the trek to get there! Although mountain gorillas are wild animals and sightings cannot be guaranteed, viewing success rates 95%.
If time allows, we recommend exploring the local community on a guided afternoon walk. Optional activities include visits to a traditional home, local orphanage or school, banana brewing demonstrations and even meeting traditional medicinal healers.
This three-to-four-hour walk is easily tailored to your individual schedule and interests. This walk provides guests with an opportunity to support the local community whilst enjoying visiting various interesting places as you follow a walking trail through the village.
After all the above is done, depart Bwindi Forest and drive to Kihihi Airstrip for your scheduled flight to Entebbe Airport.
