Combine gorilla tour in Bwindi with Sabyinyo hiking
Combine gorilla tour in bwindi with Sabyinyo hiking is one of the short safaris that take you to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park to encounter mountain gorillas and thereafter Mountain Sabyinyo in Mgahinga national park for hiking. Bwindi impenetrable forest national park is located in the southwestern part of the country harboring endangered mountain gorillas that are more than the total population in the whole world while Mountain Sabyinyo is located in Mgahinga national park which is also found in the southwestern part of Uganda.
Combine gorilla tour in Bwindi with Sabyinyo hiking
This safari will take you to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park where you will trek and encounter mountain gorillas, and then Mgahinga national park where you will simply hike Mount Sabyinyo. The safari can be done at any time of the year but we recommend the dry season because it’s characterized by little or no rainfall. This gorilla tour in Bwindi with Sabyinyo hiking starts and ends in Kampala/Entebbe or it can start in Kigali and end in Kigali.
The safari starts from Kampala and takes you to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park using Kampala/Entebbe via Masaka, Mbarara, Kabale, or Kisoro road. Luxury travelers can fly to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park from Kajjansi airstrip/Entebbe international airport to Kihihi airstrip for those trekking in Buhoma and other sectors can use Kisoro airstrip. Travelers starting the safari from Kigali will use Cyanika border in Kisoro or Katuna border in Kabale to get to the park. On arrival in the park, you will check in your booked accommodation and have an evening relaxing as you prepare for gorilla trekking the next day.
Encounter gorillas in their Natural habitat
The second day of the safari will be for gorilla trekking and it begins with waking up early in the morning for breakfast at the lodge. Driver guides will be ready to transfer you to the sector offices where you will meet park wardens and other trekkers. The trekkers are grouped not exceeding 8 people and park wardens do teach the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity before assigning armed ranger guides to lead the trekkers.
The armed ranger guides communicate with the trackers to know where the mountain gorillas are so that they use the shortest routes to locate the gorilla families. The search for gorillas takes 2-5 hours depending on the location of the gorilla family and then the speed of trekkers. During the search, trekkers will get opportunities to encounter different wild animals. On sitting the mountain gorilla family, trekkers will be given 1 hour to be around the members, learn about their habits, watch them do daily activities, take photos, and record moments.
As you combine gorilla tour in Bwindi with Sabyinyo hiking, After mountain gorilla trekking, you will go pick up your gorilla trekking certificate and then head to your booked lodge for lunch. Later in the afternoon, you can decide to spend the evening relaxing, do nature walks around the park or lodge where you will explore the national park on foot, and encounter different wild animals, birds, and vegetation.
The third of the safari will be for transfer to the Mgahinga national park. The day will start with a morning breakfast at the lodge and later you will check out and meet your driver to transfer you to Mgahinga national park which is located near the park. Mgahinga national park is another home for mountain gorillas and on arrival at this park, you will check into your lodge, relax and wait for lunch.
After lunch, you will join travelers that are going to visit the Batwa communities to know about their culture. Local guides will lead you around the forest boundaries telling you stories of how they used to live in the jungle and the plants they used to cure illness. You will later visit the Batwa homes where you will interact with the local people, watch them do daily activities, and taste their local foods. You will visit the traditional healers who still use plants to cure illness, visit gift shops, and get entertained by the traditional dancers. You will return to the lodge, wait for dinner and prepare to hike the next day
The fourth day you will wake up early in the morning for breakfast and then meet your driver-guide to transfer you to the ranger station where you will meet other hikers. Wardens will give you a short briefing about the rules and regulations of the hiking activities as well as what you should expect. Hikers with excess luggage will hire porters, all hikers will pick sticks to help them balance during the hike, and then armed ranger guides will lead the hike.
Hiking Mountain Sabyinyo takes you through thick vegetation cover, bamboo, and rugged terrain. You need to be physically fit to make it to the summit of Mount Sabyinyo because it involves going through steep and muddy paths. While hiking Mount Sabyinyo, you will meet different wild animals, birds, and vegetation cover. Hiking Mount Sabyinyo takes 4 hours to reach the summit with different stopovers at peaks and descending can take 2-3 hours. At the summit, you will have great views of the surrounding volcanoes, national parks, and communities. You will descend back to Ntebeko where you will meet your driver guide to transfer you to the lodge.
You will spend the night in Mgahinga national park and on the fifth day when you wake up in the morning. You will have a relaxed breakfast and then check out your lodge, meet your driver guide to transfer you to Entebbe international airport or your place of residence. To have this safari, you need a gorilla trekking permit which you buy from the Uganda Wildlife Authority at a fee of $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 citizens of East Africa. To hike Sabyinyo you will need hiking permits which you can buy from the park at $80 for foreign non-residents, $70 for foreign residents, and UGX50,000 citizens of East Africa.
Carry with you waterproof hiking shoes
What to pack for a gorilla safari to Bwindi and Mountain Sabyinyo?
Items to bring for a gorilla safari to Bwindi and hiking Mountain Sabyinyo include waterproof hiking shoes, a pair of gaiters, long cotton stocks, gardening gloves, a light backpack, long-sleeved pants, long-sleeved shirts, a rain jacket, a sweater, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellents, face mask, sanitizer, drinking water bottle, and energy-giving snacks among others.
Best time to have this safari
A safari to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mount Sabyinyo can be done at any time of the year however there are months that are better than the rest. The dry months from June to September and December to February are the best to have this safari. They are characterized by little and sometimes no rainfall that makes the trekking trails/hiking trails stay dry, the vegetation is short and thin with good views of the park animals and the roads leading to the parks are passable.
Travelers can still go gorilla trekking in Bwindi and hike Mount Sabyinyo in the rainy season of March to May and October to November however these months are characterized by too much rainfall. The rainy season is good for budget travelers because they enjoy huge discounts on accommodation facilities. The rainy season is however characterized by too much rainfall that makes the trekking trails/ hiking trails muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of wildlife and the roads leading to the parks are in poor condition.
