3 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking Rushaga Bwindi
3 days gorilla trekking Rushaga is the most popular package for tourists visiting Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, the haven to at least half the population of the surviving endangered mountain gorillas. This safari allows physically fit tourists of at least 15 years old and in possession of a valid gorilla permit to trek one of the habituated gorilla groups and spend only one hour with them.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was gazetted into a National Park in 1991 and presently extends for over 321 square kilometers in the south-western part of Uganda on the brim of the Great Rift Valley.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has been made interesting because it’s divided into four sectors/regions that shelter the total 20 habituated gorilla families of the Park. This particular 3 days gorilla trekking Rushaga, you will be visiting Rushaga sector in the southern part of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Entebbe/Kampala is the main starting point for this 3 Days Gorilla Trekking Rushaga but you can alternatively start from Rwanda’s Kigali Airport and cross to Uganda through the Katuna border.
What to expect for the 3 days gorilla trekking Rushaga
• 8-9 hours’ journey from Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
• Several stopovers including at the equator and Mbarara Town for Lunch.
• One full hour interacting with a habituated gorilla group.
• Spend time with a Batwa community.
• Enjoying breathtaking scenery of the rolling hills of Kigezi and the hills of Bushenyi.
• Comfortable 4WD Vehicle.
• A Gorilla trekking certificate after the activity.
• Airport transfers if it’s within the 3 days Bwindi Gorilla trek
Highlights of the 3 days gorilla trekking Rushaga Uganda
Day 1: Transfer from Entebbe or Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Day 2: Trekking the Gorillas and a walk to the Batwa community.
Day 3: Drive back to Kampala.
Detailed itinerary for the 3 days Uganda Gorilla trekking Rushaga
Day 1: Transfer from Entebbe or Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for gorilla trekking
Get ready for the 3 days Bwindi Gorilla trek by having an early breakfast and be picked from your place of residence at 6:30 am by our driver/guide. Begin the 8-9 hours’ journey and travel south-westwards through different Towns including Mpigi, Masaka, Mbarara, Ntungamo, Rukungiri, Kabale and Kisoro. There will be a stopover at Igongo Cultural Center and Country Hotel before approaching Mbarara Town.
Continue with the journey while enjoying the countryside and the lush rolling hills of Kigezi highlands and arrive the Rushaga sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the evening for check-in into the Safari Lodge for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation options
• Luxury: Gorilla Safari Lodge, Clouds Mountain Lodge or Chameleon Hill Lodge
• Midrange: Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge or Gorilla Valley Lodge.
• Budget: Nshongi Gorilla Camp or Travellers Rest Hotel.
Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner.
Travel time: It takes 8-9 hours to travel from Kampala/Entebbe to Rushaga Uganda sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Day 2: Trekking the Gorillas and a walk to the Batwa community
Get up at least by 6:00 am to prepare for the gorilla trek (by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long trousers, strong waterproof hiking boots, gardening gloves) and have breakfast so that you are at the briefing point by 7:00 am for briefing by the Park ranger on the guidelines of mountain gorilla trekking. You will be assigned to one of the gorilla families in Rushaga including Kutu, Bikingi, Rwigi, Mishaya, Nshongi, Kahungye, Busingye, Bweza and Mucunguzi.
With your backpack (containing a sweater, camera, binoculars, drinking water, and snacks), a walking stick that will be provided at the briefing point and after hiring a porter (optional), you will be driven to the trailhead at 8:00 am.
With so much excitement, start the trek in the thick forest where you will be treated to the sights of the primates, birds as well as tree species and after 30 minutes to 4 hours (depending on the location of the gorilla family), the guide will notify you of their presence and will spend one hour interacting and taking their photos with non-flash camera. After the one hour, return to the trailhead where you will find the driver waiting for you and continue to the starting point for the gorilla trekking certificate.
Go back to the Lodge to relax and have a walk to Batwa communities at the boundary of the forest. While here, you will be entertained in their traditional dances, get to learn how they make fire out of ordinary sticks like they used to do when they used to live in the forests before eviction and also visit the nearby school where you will see how the children learn without electricity, piped water, proper furniture and also make donations (out of will). Return to the Lodge for dinner, relaxation and comfortable sleep.
Accommodation options
• Luxury: Gorilla Safari Lodge, Clouds Mountain Lodge or Chameleon Hill Lodge
• Midrange: Rushaga Gorilla Haven Lodge or Gorilla Valley Lodge.
• Budget: Nshongi Gorilla Camp or Travellers Rest Hotel.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 3: Drive back to Kampala
After a hefty breakfast, embark on another 8-9 hours’ journey back to Kampala or Entebbe with a lunch break in Igongo cultural center and Country Hotel and another stopover at the Equator where you will stand on two hemispheres-northern and southern. Also, buy souvenirs and take photos then continue straight to Kampala or Entebbe.
Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch.
End of the 3 days gorilla trekking Rushaga
The 3 days gorilla trekking Rushaga includes
• Bottled water.
• Full-board accommodation for two days and en-route meals.
• Ground transportation with our comfortable 4 WD Vehicles.
• A full-time English speaking driver.
• Relevant Government taxes.
• All activities on the itinerary.
The 3 days gorilla trekking Rushaga excludes
• Visa fees
• Airfares.
• Personal expenses such as insurance, tips, souvenirs, telephone bill, drinks, and laundry fees.
• Optional activities not included on the itinerary.
Mountain gorilla trekking guidelines
Some of the guidelines of gorilla trekking in Bwindi are;
• You are allowed to spend only one hour with the mountain gorillas.
• Tourists have to be above 15 years to trek the mountain gorillas.
• A distance of 7 meters must be maintained when seeing the gorillas.
• Avoid making noise during trekking and when with the mountain gorillas.
• Do not trek the gorilla when sick of flue or cough.
• Littering the Park is prohibited because rubbish acts as a breeding ground for germs.
• Avoid using flash cameras.
What to carry for the 3 days gorilla trekking Rushaga
Don’t forget to carry the following items for the 3 days Bwindi Gorilla Trek;
• Long trousers to protect your legs from being scratched white trekking.
• Long-sleeved shirts.
• Gardening gloves to protect hands from being scratched by tree branches when using them for support.
• A backpack for carrying the things you will need during trekking.
• Energy giving snacks and enough drinking water
• Non-flash camera.
• Sunglasses.
• A flash torch.
• A sweater to keep you warm during chilly mornings and evenings.
• Poncho
Best Time for the 3 days gorilla trekking Rushaga
The 3 days Bwindi Gorilla trek can be undertaken at any time of the year but if you visit during the months of January, February, June, July, August, September and December, you will trek through less slippery and muddy trails because these months are in the dry season but the demand for permits is also high during these months thus you have to book at least 3 months in advance.
The months of March, April, May, October, and November receive much rainfall making the forest trails muddy and more slippery, hence making the activity uncomfortable during the wet season. The heavy rains also allow vegetation to grow and the great apes have much food. Trekking them becomes faster because they don’t move farther.
How to get to the Park for the 3 days gorilla trekking Rushaga
Rushaga sector is found in the southern side of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and about 570 kilometers from Kampala, can be reached through the Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara-Ntungamo-Rukungiri-Kabale-Kisoro-Rushaga route.