4 Days Bwindi & Lake Bunyonyi Tour
4 Days Bwindi & Lake Bunyonyi Tour is an amazing Uganda safari tour where you will do gorilla trekking & a refreshing visit to Lake Bunyonyi. Bwindi impenetrable national park is one of the 2 national parks in Uganda that inhabit mountain gorillas. The tour begins and ends in Kampala. Key points of this tour include Gorilla trekking in Bwindi, Forest walk, a Canoe ride on Lake Bunyonyi, Community walk to Batwa [pygmies] community, Akampene or Punishment Island, traditional healer & craft maker, Bwama Island & former leper colony, and an Optional Kampala city tour.
Highlights of the 4 Days Bwindi & Lake Bunyonyi Tour
- Day 1: Pick up and Transfer to Bwindi.
- Day 2: Gorilla Trekking Uganda and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi.
- Day 3: Canoe ride, hiking and community walk
- Day 4: Departure.
Detailed tour itinerary
Day 1: Pick Up and transfer to Bwindi
- Transfer to Bwindi: Begin your day with an early morning breakfast in your hotel in Kampala city. Your guide will pick you from your hotel and then embark on a 5-hour drive to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Mbarara- Masaka Highway. You will have a stopover at the equator monuments in Kayabwe, Mpigi district. These two equator monuments mark the point where the equator runs through Uganda.
- Igongo Cultural Center: You will Proceed to Igongo Cultural Centre for lunch. This epic cultural center is a good stop for many travelers on route to western Uganda and it is just 12 km from Mbarara Town. Igongo Cultural Centre was opened to the general public in 2010. While here, take a short tour of the center’s museum which has a lot to tell about western cultural history. You can also visit the Nkwanzi crafts and bookshop where you can purchase a few souvenirs for yourself.
- Check-in: After having a hearty meal, proceed to Bwindi where you will check into your accommodation, have dinner and your overnight stay.
Accommodation options include:
- Luxury: Silverback Lodge
- Mid- range: Buhoma Haven Lodge
- Budget: Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge
DAY 2: Gorilla Trekking and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi.
- Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi: This is the day you have been anxiously waiting for. Have breakfast very early at you lodge as your guide will pick you up at 6am. You will embark on a short journey to the Parks headquarters in Buhoma. You are supposed to be at Buhoma at exactly 7am for a briefing by the park’s head ranger which will begin at 8am and then you will be put in groups of 8 individuals per group depending on the gorilla group you are going to track. Tracking begins at exactly 8:30 am hence endeavor to always keep time. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a total of 15 habituated gorilla groups that are tracked from four trailheads. Of these 15 habituated gorilla groups, 3 are found in the Buhoma area in the northwest part of the park; while 4 gorilla groups are situated in Ruhija in the eastern part of Bwindi and 8 gorilla groups in Nkuringo and Rushaga respectively, located south of Bwindi. Each tracking group consists of strictly eight individuals with each group having a park guide and ranger. Tracking can take about 1- 6 hours depending on how easy and quickly the gorillas are spotted. Once you have located a gorilla group, you will be given exactly an hour with them; hence you should maximize your time well and don’t forget to take lots of pictures without using your camera’s flash. The tracking trails can be very wet, steep and slippery thus you should wear a good pair of hiking boots.
- Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi: After your tracking activity, you will drive to Lake Bunyonyi with lunch on the route. Lake Bunyonyi is known to be the ‘lake of the little birds’ and is one of the most beautiful destinations in western Uganda. Lake Bunyonyi is characterized by green rolling hills and valleys, papyrus swamps and beautiful Islands, 29 in total. There are also walkways with beautiful, tall eucalyptus and pump trees which act as great spots to sit, chill and catch your favorite book. Have dinner at your lodge and a good night’s sleep.
Accommodation options:
- Luxury: Bird Nest.
- Mid-range: Acadia Cottages.
- Budget: Lake Bunyonyi Overland Camp.
Day 3: Canoe ride, hiking and community walk
- Canoe Ride: On this day of the 4 Days Bwindi & Lake Bunyonyi Tour, you will have breakfast at your lodge and head out to go canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi, covering a distance of 6.5 km. This will be followed by a hike over and around the beautiful hills of Lake Bunyonyi. On your hiking expedition, you will visit local Batwa communities living near the lake and surrounding islands such as Bwama Island which was an isolated place for lepers. You will also pay a visit to historical and cultural sites such as; the punishment island were women back in the days; were excommunicated to if they got pregnant before marriage. Enjoy the spectacular views on the islands and lake while listening to folk tales told by local guides. You will also visit a traditional healer and crafts maker in the local community and later have lunch. After a long day filled with adventure and fun, retire back to your lodge for dinner and a good night’s rest.
Day 4: Departure via Equator
- Departure: Have a relaxed breakfast before heading back to Kampala with lunch in Mbarara town. You will have a stopover at the equator where you can take pictures again and visit the nearby crafts shop to buy yourself some souvenirs. Your guide will drop you off at your hotel in Kampala; however, you can opt to do a half-day city tour. Please do inform our consultants so that this activity can be added to your itinerary.
End of tour 4 Days Bwindi & Lake Bunyonyi Tour
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Please note that the above tour package is inclusive of;
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Canoe ride
- hiking
- Safari driver/ guide and 4×4 safari vehicle
- Cultural tour/ community walk
- Lake Bunyonyi
- Half-day city tour [optional]
- Park entrance fees
- Accommodation and meals as per your itinerary
- Mineral water while on safari
Tour Exclusions
- Alcoholic beverages
- Tips
- Porters fee
- International Flight tickets
- Visa fees
