Mountain Gorillas!

This extraordinary safari brings together the world’s two top places to encounter mountain gorillas: Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Rwanda’s Virunga Volcanoes National Park, where researcher Dian Fossey was based for 13 years. In these two World Heritage Sites, we hike through primeval equatorial forests with specialist tracker-guides, searching for gorilla clans. With four full days of gorilla tracking, we have amazing up-close encounters with these magnificent animals—it’s one of the most thrilling wildlife adventures on the planet. Our journey also features Kibale Forest National Park, with its bands of wild chimps, and a breathtaking big-game safari across the savannas of Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of the gems of the celebrated Great Rift Valley.

Itinerary at a Glance

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Days 1-3
Kibale Forest National Park, Uganda / Wild Chimpanzees

We head through Uganda’s gorgeous countryside to Kibale National Park. From romantic Ndali Lodge, with its magical location at 5,000 feet in tropical rainforest, we track bands of chimpanzees as they play, feed, and scamper across the treetop canopy. We may also see other denizens of the park, including vervet, colobus, red-tailed monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabeys.

Days 4-6
Queen Elizabeth National Park

In the Great Rift Valley, vast Queen Elizabeth National Park features stunning and diverse ecosystems teeming with wildlife. We safari by 4WD vehicle on lake-dotted savannas, walk in the Maramagambo Forest, and cruise on the Kazinga Channel, with its huge population of hippos—up to 30,000!

Days 7-9
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park / Gorilla Tracking

Set on Uganda’s western border, Bwindi is one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth, a remnant of a once-vast primeval forest. Today it is home to 11 primate species including some 300 highly endangered mountain gorillas. From lovely Gorilla Forest Camp, with its warm, cozy beds and claw-footed bathtubs overlooking the forest, we hike at altitudes of 3,800 to 7,500 feet for the spine-tingling experience of coming face to face with gorillas in the wild.

Days 10-13
Virunga Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda / Gorilla Tracking

A drive brings us to the awe-inspiring setting of the 12,000-foot Virunga Volcanoes, an incredible backdrop for our mountain lodge and two fantastic days of gorilla tracking. We depart on Day 13 by way of Kigali.

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What the Trip is Like

This trip is rated Level 4, Moderate to Strenuous. During game drives in our 4WD vehicles, we guarantee window seating for all—there’s no taking turns on who gets the window seats. We use five-passenger Toyota Land Cruisers or Land Rovers (never minibuses!), and all vehicles have roof hatches for easy wildlife viewing and photography. A cooler of drinks and refreshments is carried aboard. And our 4WD vehicles can go virtually anywhere, an important feature when we’re tracking game. Please note there are some long driving days over rough roads and dirt tracks.

The hikes to see the mountain gorillas can last anywhere from 3 to 6 hours over moderately steep, thickly forested, and uneven terrain, and the climate will be hot and humid. Gorilla tracking will occasionally feel strenuous as we hike uphill to follow the clans, but we will take breaks along the way.  The shape you’re in will be an important factor in your enjoyment of these hikes. Make an effort to get in good physical condition with hiking, biking, running, or other kinds of exercise beyond your normal routine. A brisk 30-45 minute walk every other day over moderately steep terrain can do wonders for your conditioning.

Any African safari is an adventure, and the traveler to Africa should bring along flexibility, a sense of humor, and an openness to the unexpected.

Our accommodations will be in comfortable hotels, safari lodges, and tented camps with spacious tents equipped with en suite facilities.

Explanation of Trip Levels