4 Days Gorilla and Golden Monkey Tracking Uganda

After breakfast, you’ll be picked up from your hotel in Kampala or Entebbe and embark on a scenic road trip to southwestern Uganda via Kibale town. You will have a stopover at the Equator for photography, and a lunch break at Mbarara town, then proceed via Kabale and Kisoro to finally reach Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in the evening. You will immediately check in at your reserved lodge for dinner and a great overnight sleep.

The long-awaited day is finally before you; your heart beats in the rhythm of the forest in anticipation of that special face-to-face encounter with these majestic giants.

After a sumptuous breakfast, you will be transferred to the park headquarters for briefing that typically starts at 8:00 a.m. You will then be led into the forest by expert trackers and guides, navigating the dense foliage at the foot of the volcano in search of a habituated family of mountain gorillas.

That final uninterrupted hour of your encounter with these gentle giants, witnessing their gentle nature yet powerful existence, will leave you captivated. The treasured moments of trekking these primates in their natural habitat become a part of your essence, transforming you forever. Later, you will return to your lodge for lunch and then relax.

In the afternoon, you can visit the Garama cave, a historic 342-meter-long and 14 meters deep lava tube, on a guided walk. It’s one of the caves which the indigenous Batwa people, a marginalized group, once occupied though it is now inhabited by bats. After, you will relish the night in Mgahinga in the midst of a symphony of sounds and whispers.

Mgahinga sits on the border of Uganda, Rwanda and the DR Congo and features three volcanic peaks: Gahinga, Sabyinyo, and Muhavura. It is one of the only two locations where golden monkey tracking is possible.

After the briefing, you will ascend the slopes of the volcano through bamboo forests in search of a group of these cute primates. Unlike mountain gorillas, golden monkeys are swift in their movements, making them quite challenging to track. But you’ll manage to keep up with their pace and follow them as they feed on bamboo shoots, fruits, vegetation, and sometimes insects. You’ll be allowed to spend only one hour in their presence and will later descend back to the trailhead.

We hope you’ve had adventure-filled encounters in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. After a leisurely breakfast, you may lazily pack up your bags and transfer to Kampala or Entebbe to catch your departure flight.