Essential Gorillas Safari​

From $2,295 per person

5 to 10 Days

Private Tour

Reviews Of Our Partner

Minimum Age 15 years

Bwindi and Lake Mburo Adventure

Experience the ultimate Ugandan short tour wildlife adventure with our Essential Gorillas Safari. This compact yet thrilling journey combines the once-in-a-lifetime experience of Mountain Gorilla trekking in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with a classic savannah game drive, night safari and bush walk at Lake Mburo National Park. Raw, thrilling experiences with ‘meanda’ style balance of rest and relaxation. A short and sweet taste of Uganda with easy options to customize.

Summary

Day 1. Airport Arrival. Meet and transfer to hotel. Day 2. Scenic Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Day 3. Mountain Gorilla Trek. Day 4. Lake Mburo Game Drive and Night Safari. Day 5. Lake Mburo Bush Walk and Return Entebbe.

Customise Your Tour

Add Hotel on Return · Fly Down · Gorilla Habituation · Jungle Rafting · Mgahinga Golden Monkey Trek · Mgahinga Volcano Trek · Lake Bunyonyi Chill-out

The details

Taste the Pearl of Africa

Trekking through the jungle to find and spend time with a family of mountain gorillas is a truly remarkable experience. This compact tour combines this perhaps once-in-a-lifetime experience with some of Uganda’s other classic wildlife en route. For the sake of an extra day, take a little time out to put the experience in context with a night safari, game drive and bush walk through the savannah of Lake Mburo. Superb lodges – time to relax and reflect. Plenty of easy options to add one or two extra days.

Day by Day

Day One. Arrival

Your driver will be waiting at Entebbe Airport, holding a sign with your name on it. No queues, no stress. A short transfer to the hotel and, if timings permit, we will help you get sorted with some local money and a SIM card for your phone. Perhaps relax around the pool before dinner.

Stay: Entebbe

Via Via or upgrade to Karibu Guesthouse

Day Two. Scenic Journey to Gorilla Country

After an early breakfast and a safety briefing, you will embark on the scenic road journey to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – gorilla country. We will stop en route at the Equator for morning coffee; Mbarara for lunch; and Kabale for afternoon tea, enjoying an ever-changing landscape as you head from the swamps of Lake Victoria; through the cattle belt of the Banyankole and finally to the mountainous jungle of Bwindi. Leaving the main road, we will head into the jungle on forest trails climbing to over 2,000m to arrive at your lodge early evening, to settle in before dinner.

Stay: Rushaga, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Rushaga Gorilla Lodge or upgrade to Rushaga Gorilla Cottage

Day Three. Mountain Gorilla Trekking Experience

This is the highlight of your Uganda tour. After an early breakfast, usually in the mist, you will transfer to the trekking centre for a cultural dance performance and a formal briefing on the “dos and don’ts” of gorilla trekking. You will then head into the jungle, suited up and with a ranger, a packed lunch and porters if required to trek for typically one to two hours, sometimes more. Eventually, you will come face to face with a family of mountain gorillas – a moment you will long remember. Spend an hour with our very close cousins as they feed, play and interact, coming up much closer than you might expect as they come over to check you out. Returning from the trek, we will transfer back to the lodge for lunch and a well-earned rest. Relax on your balcony overlooking the jungle, spend some time around the pool, or perhaps a spa treatment or massage.

Stay: Rushaga

Rushaga Gorilla Lodge or upgrade to Rushaga Gorilla Cottage

Day Four. Lake Mburo and Night Game Drive

Enjoy an early breakfast before beginning your journey back towards Entebbe. You will stop for lunch in Mbarara before we make our stopover at Lake Mburo National Park in the early afternoon. Settle in to the lodge and relax, perhaps by the pool. In the late afternoon, we will head out for a thrilling game drive into the savannah. This is an excellent park for spotting classic African wildlife such as buffalo, zebra, giraffe, warthog, impala and waterbuck. We will drive down to the lake to see the hippos before returning slowly through the park to the lodge after dark, using night lights to scan the acacia trees in search of the elusive leopard. Return to the lodge for dinner and a relaxing evening.

Stay: Lake Mburo

Rwakobo Rock or upgrade to Kigarama Wilderness

Day Five. Bush Walk in Lake Mburo and Return to Entebbe

After a relaxed breakfast, head back into the park for a bush walk to truly connect with nature. Accompanied by a ranger, you will walk through the savannah, experiencing the raw presence of nature. Walk among the giraffe as they glide through the brush and absorb the scents and sounds of the wild. It’s then time to head for home and commence the final leg of your journey, stopping on the way for lunch at the Equator, and dropping you off at your next destination in either Kampala or Entebbe. Here we bid you farewell. Perhaps check out our Hotel on Return option.

Tour Ends

Customise your Tour

Check out these options or just tell us what you are looking for and let us see what we can do.

 

Hotel on Return

Let us take care of you on return from your safari. We will drop you off at the hotel and provide accommodation, dinner and breakfast the next morning – after which we will pick you up and drop you at Entebbe Airport in time for your departure flight.

Stay: Entebbe

Via Via or upgrade to Karibu Guesthouse

 

Fly Down

Skip the long drive and fly from Entebbe to Kisoro in the morning. Transfer to your lodge in time for lunch and enjoy a relaxing afternoon at the pool, a spa treatment, or a visit to the Batwa Cultural Centre, the original “forest keepers”

Stay: Rushaga, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Rushaga Gorilla Lodge or upgrade to Rushaga Gorilla Cottage

 

Gorilla Habituation Experience

Spend extended time with the gorillas and researchers by participating in the habituation process. Gain deeper insights into gorilla family dynamics and conservation.

Stay: Rushaga

Rushaga Gorilla Lodge or upgrade to Rushaga Gorilla Cottage

 

Jungle Rafting on the Biriri River

Enjoy a full day of adventure rafting, floating, or canoeing through the jungle on the Biriri River with SANA Gorilla Rafting. Includes transport, rafting, board, and accommodation.

Stay: Rukungiri

Rukungiri Heritage Hotel Country Club (No upgrade available)

 

Golden Monkey Trek

Head to Mgahinga and trek to see a habituated troop of the critically endangered Golden Monkeys, unique to the Virunga region.

Stay: Lake Mutanda

Mutanda Lake Resort or upgrade to Chameleon Hill

 

Mgahinga Volcano Trek

Join with a specialist guide to trek one of the three Virunga Volcanoes. Choose from Mount Gahinga (3,474m; easiest); Mount Muhabura (4,127m; challenging) or Mount Sabinyo (3,645m; not for the feint hearted!)

Stay: Lake Mutanda

Mutanda Lake Resort or upgrade to Chameleon Hill

 

Lake Bunyonyi Chill-out

Take a rest day at the stunning Lake Bunyonyi. Enjoy safe wild swimming, a boat cruise to the islands, a dug-out canoe trip or just chill by the lake.

Stay: Lake Bunyonyi

Paradise Eco Hub or upgrade to Birdnest

Price List

Pricing is per person based on two people sharing.

Item Mid-range Upgrade
Essential Gorillas
5 Days		 $2,295 $2,645
Extra Day Options
Hotel On Return $95 $195
Fly Down $465 $465
Gorilla Habituation (Add) $800 $800
Jungle Rafting $445 $445
Golden Monkey Trek $425 $535
Mgahinga Volcano Trek $445 $545
Lake Bunyonyi Chill-out $325 $395
Single Room +$40/night +$70/night
Savings
Delete Day 1 (Hotel/Transfer) $95 $195
Travel by Tourist Van -$40/day -$40/day
Join up with another couple of friends. For a group of 4, sharing double or twin rooms, price per person is only $1,945 per person mid-range and $2,295 for luxury upgrade.

What’s Included

Expertise: Professional, English speaking driver guide and Local Specialist Guides/Rangers on each trek Permits: Mountain Gorilla Activities: All park entry fees, bush walks and game drives Transport: Custom Safari 4×4 Land Cruiser with pop-up roof, fridge and charging points Accommodation: Hand-picked lodges – mid-range or upgrade Meals: Full board (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Drinks: Soft drinks and drinking water. Complimentary water bottle Safety: Emergency air evacuation coverage.

What’s Excluded

  • International flights and visas.
  • Travel insurance (mandatory).
  • Vaccinations and anti-malarials.
  • Premium soft and alcoholic drinks.
  • Options: upgrades, supplements and savings – unless specifically included
Though Uganda is relatively compact compared to other safari destinations, transportation is nonetheless a significant feature of any African safari – connecting the dots between activities and destinations. We aim to minimize impact of time spent ‘on the road’ by carefully optimizing routes, creatively breaking up the journey and promoting activities to get you out of the vehicle every chance we get! Nonetheless, significant journey time is inevitable and of paramount importance to us is your comfort and, above all, safety. Our risk assessment identifies four key factors.

Vehicle.

Our preferred vehicle is the Toyota 70 Series Landcruiser with custom 6-seater safari package. This has 4 comfortable, customer captain’s seats in the elevated rear cabin and two lower front seats for driver and occasional ranger/guide. For larger groups, we use an extended 8-seater version with 6 customer Captain’s seats.

Comfort.

All captain’s seats are window seats for excellent game viewing. The vehicle has an open ‘safari’ roof for standing and game viewing in the parks and is equipped with wifi (subject to network coverage), charging points and a fridge for cold drinks and snacks.

Safety.

These vehicles are super-strong, relatively slow and unstressed, providing inherent safety and protection. They have excellent ground clearance and 4-wheel drive to cope with all but the roughest terrain. Enhanced safety features include GPS tracker, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, warning triangles, tools and two spare tyres.

Maintenance.

A robust maintenance regime is essential to ensure reliability and safety on the road. All our vehicles are rigorously maintained and inspected before each trip. You will see this for yourself. We intend to get you there – and back! If you like, you can count the wheelnuts on some of the other trucks – ours will have 6.

Driver.

Our driver-guides are suitably qualified and experienced. They are instructed not to exceed speed limits (50kph in town; 80 on the open road) and are required to maintain an accurate safety record. As driver and guide, they will be more than happy to offer information and dialogue along the way, but we would ask that conversation is sensitive to road conditions and to be mindful of distracting the driver.

Route.

Routes are carefully planned and optimized to minimize overall travel time; limit drive time to 2.5h hours between breaks; a maximum 10 hours within a 24-hour period; and, to avoid driving after dark (19.00). This is as much for your comfort as it is driver safety.

The Unforeseen.

This is Africa. Things do not always go according to plan. Punctures and breakdowns happen; traffic conditions can create huge delays; adverse weather can wash out tracks. Your guide will keep you fully informed of such events and their likely impact. He is also required to advise our duty officer so that we can assist in improving outcomes: sourcing and sending a mechanic; checking and agreeing alternative routes; or calling the lodge to hold dinner.

Feedback.

We welcome your constructive feedback on our transportation – or any other aspects – before, during or after your tour. Please contact +256 704 042234 by phone or whatsapp, or email: [email protected] with suggestions or to report concerns.

Joeboentoe Safaris deliver a vital and sustainable funding stream to our non-profit operations, with resources especially directed towards supporting and empowering local communities. Through these initiatives, tourism becomes a practical vehicle for social impact, helping to fund community development, training opportunities, and conservation-linked livelihoods.

Safaris are delivered in partnership with Meanda Uganda, a leading Ugandan tour operator, as part of their strong commitment to responsible and ethical tourism. This collaboration ensures that each journey is professionally managed while also aligning with shared values of environmental stewardship, cultural respect, and meaningful community engagement.

Our joint mission is to curate transformative safari experiences that touch the soul, creating lasting memories for travellers while honouring a deep and active commitment to conservation and local communities. By combining immersive wildlife encounters with authentic cultural interaction, we aim to ensure that every safari contributes positively to both people and nature.

Highlights

Why Book This Essential Gorilla Safari?

For those with no time to lose, this compact, 5-day tour gives you the bucket list experience you came for – with a little added value. Travel into the jungle to spend a while, face-to-face with the mountain gorillas, and stopover on the way back for a bush walk and game drives in the savannah of Lake Mburo.

If you can squeeze in an extra day or two, check out our customise options.

Our non-profit NGO delivers safaris in partnership with Meanda Uganda. As part of their Responsible Tourism Charter, Meanda Uganda share 25% of their profits with Joeboentoe, with an additional marketing bonus for safaris initiated through us. So, as you travel around Uganda and come face-to-face with those who may be struggling more than others, just know that you are supporting their journey as well as your own. Read more about it above in the tab ‘Sustainable Safari’.