The 3-day fly-in gorilla trekking tour is a specialty safari in which you transfer from Entebbe to Bwindi by air. The fly-in gorilla safari option allows you to spend fewer hours of transfer as you spend only 1 hour and 45 minutes as compared to over nine hours on the road. This tour starts in Entebbe with a transfer to Bwindi where you will spend three days / two nights with the second day of the trip spent tracking the mountain gorillas in what is referred to as once in a lifetime experience and highlight of a visit to Uganda.
Day 1: Fly to Kihihi – Transfer to Bwindi Forest
You will be picked up by our company representative and transferred to the Entebbe International Airport or to Kajansi airstrip to catch your flight to the west of Uganda. There are two flight schedules, the morning and or afternoon option. Upon confirmation of your trip, our travel consultant will book your flights and provide you with the details.
In Kihihi a representative from the company or your lodge will be waiting for you. He will transfer you in about 1.5 hours to the lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Journey time: 1h45 flight, 1.5 hours transfer to your lodge
Morning flight option
Departure time from Entebbe: 07.00 AM or 07.45 AM
Arrival time in Kihihi: 08.45 AM or 09.30 AM
Afternoon flight option
Departure time from Entebbe: 12.45 PM or 12.00 PM
Arrival time in Kihihi: 1.55 PM or 2.45 PM
Timings may vary depending on aircraft routing.
Day 2: Gorilla Tracking
Today is the Great Gorilla Trekking Day, prepare yourself for an encounter with one of Bwindi’s gentle giants: the rare Mountain Gorilla. For most people, this is the absolute highlight of their tour in Uganda. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest boasts both Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees – the only forest in Africa that can make this claim. It also hosts five other species of primate, 113 species of mammal, over 200 butterflies, and 360 birds. The gorillas you track belong to one of nine habituated family groups that can tolerate the presence of humans for a brief period every day.
En route to the gorillas, your guide will point out signs of previous gorilla activity, including dung, nests, and chewed bamboo shoots. Your gorilla tracking will be an exciting journey along forested slopes, entwined vines, bushes, and bamboo before you eventually reach the gorilla family.
The time taken to track the gorillas can be as few as 2 hours to as many as 7 hours. Once the gorillas have been located, your group will be allowed a maximum of one hour with them. Coming face-to-face with a mountain gorilla is a truly humbling and emotional experience. This is a fantastic and privileged opportunity to get up close and personal with Uganda’s very own ‘Gorillas in the Mist’.
Day 3: Return to Entebbe
Your guide will transfer you from the lodge to Kihihi Airstrip for your flight back to Entebbe International Airport or Kajansi. Upon arrival at Entebbe, our other driver will pick you up and transfer you back to the lodge or to the airport for your scheduled flight back home.
Morning flight option
Departure time from Kihihi: 09.45 AM
Arrival time in Entebbe: 11.25 AM
Afternoon flight option
Departure time from Kihihi: 2.05 PM or 3.15 PM
Arrival time in Entebbe: 3.55 PM or 4.25 PM
End of tour