This 5-day gorillas and whitewater rafting tour allows you to visit the mountain gorillas. The gorillas are in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Thereafter, proceed to Jinja town for a whitewater rafting adventure on the River Nile. thus, by the end of the tour, the experience you’ll have will be like no other.
Detailed Itinerary of the 5-day Gorillas & Whitewater Rafting Safari
Day 1: Pick up and transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
on the first day of your 5-day Gorillas and Whitewater rafting, Our guide will pick you up from your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe. You will embark on your 8-9 hour road trip to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in southwestern Uganda. Specifically, The park is home to half of the remaining mountain gorilla population in the world. Even though the journey seems long, it’s worthwhile. You get to enjoy the beautiful scenery as drive across the rural countryside.
You will have a stopover at Agip Motel or Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara for lunch. Then, resume your journey to Bwindi. Check-in at your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: Gorilla Trekking and Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
After an early morning breakfast, you will drive to the Park headquarters for a briefing about the gorilla trekking rules. After that, you will divide into groups of 8. The rangers will assign you to different gorilla families. Once you finish this, you will begin your trek. You’ll trek through thick creepers and undergrowth with your guides to find the Gorillas. The gorilla trek lasts between one to eight hours before you meet the gorillas.
The steep landscape with forests is incredibly dense but numerous animal trails allow access to tourists crisscross it. On your trek, you are likely to spot other primates, birds, and rare tree species. After finding the gorillas, you will spend one hour with them before trekking back to the Park headquarters.
This is indeed an extraordinary feeling to be with these beautiful yet endangered Creatures. You will get a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking and thus contributing to the conservation of mountain gorillas.
Later in the afternoon, you will transfer from Bwindi to Lake Bunyonyi. Lake Bunyonyi is Uganda’s deepest and most scenic lake with several islands dotting it.
Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 3: Canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi and transfer back to Kampala
After an early morning breakfast, you will go for a boat ride on Lake Bunyonyi. You will see several islands and also interact with the locals. Later you will transfer back to Kampala, stopping over for lunch in Mbarara and later at the equator. Proceed to check in to your lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4: Whitewater rafting in Jinja
After having an early breakfast, you depart from Kampala city to Jinja. The journey takes about 2 hours. While on your journey to Jinja, you will get to see Mabira forest Uganda’s largest rainforest. Mabira has a lot of birds and some primates.
Meet up with the rafting team in Jinja and attend a briefing session. After that, you will get into the vehicle and drive to the starting point. Here, you will also be taken through a brief exercise to familiarize yourself with the rafting experience. Make your choice between grade 3 or grade 5 rapids and begin your adventure. Rafting on the Nile River lasts between 1 to 3 hours and it is always celebrated with a cold bottle of Nile special beer at the end.
Your driver/guide will then be ready to transfer you back to Kampala arriving in the evening.
Day 5: Optional Kampala City tour and departure
After a relaxed morning, you will have an optional Kampala city tour. This will allow you to visit some of the attractions in the city. These may include the Namugongo Martyrs Shrine, and Uganda Museum, or choose to visit a school or orphanage. After lunch, we shall drop you off at the airport for your scheduled flight back home.
End of tour
Price includes:
- Gorilla trekking permits at $800
- Accommodation and meals
- Transport
- A professional guide
- A visit to Lake Bunyonyi
- Whitewater rafting in Jinja
