Bwindi gorilla safari and shoebill experience

Bwindi gorilla safari and shoebill experience takes you to Mabamba swamp on Lake Victoria and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in the southwestern part of Uganda. On this safari expect to encounter the rare shoebill stork which is one of the greatest birds in Africa and then encounter mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park. Mountain gorillas in bwindi impenetrable forest national park can be trekked in Buhoma, Nkuringo, Ruhija and Rushaga regions.

Bwindi gorilla safari and shoebill experience

For a perfect safari to Bwindi and Mabamba swamp, you need to use a local tour operator who will book the gorilla permits, accommodation, and transport. There are a lot of local tour operators in Uganda that can organize this safari for you. Africa adventure vacations is one of the local tour companies you need to look for to do this safari for you. We are licensed by Uganda Tourism Board to carry out tourism activities in the country.

What you have to do is contact us via email with the dates of the month and year you want to travel. You will tell us the kind of safari you want to have which is Bwindi gorilla safari and shoebill experience. We shall first check for the availability of the gorilla permits and then do an itinerary of what the whole safari will be like. We shall count how much the safari will cost you and attach it to the itinerary. When you are okay with the price, we shall send you banking details so that you send part of the money for the safari to book gorilla permits as well as accommodation.

Things to expect on this safari

Have an exciting shoebill experience in Uganda

The shoebill experience

The shoe bill is one of Africa’s greatest bird species in Africa. Shoebill experience in Uganda can be done in a number of places among which include Lake Albert delta in Murchison falls national park, Mabamba bay on Lake Victoria, Ishasha sector in Queen Elizabeth national park, and Uganda Wildlife Education center Entebbe. In all the mentioned places above, you are guaranteed to see the shoebill stork any time of the day throughout the year.

Bwindi gorilla safari and shoebill experience take you to Mabamba swamp on Lake Victoria which is the most common place where shoebill stork experience is done in Uganda. The shoebill experience is done on canoe rides and motorized boats that take you around the waterbody searching for the shoebill stork. Travelers can’t fail to see a number of shoebill stork in this area as well as other bird species. The shoebill experience at Mabamba swamp can be done in the morning or evening hours. Visiting Mabamba swamp can be done before or after encountering Bwindi gorillas.

Gorilla trekking

This safari also takes you to the southwestern part of Uganda in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park to be part of the once in a lifetime activity called gorilla trekking. In Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, you will encounter one of the mountain gorilla families that have been fully habituated for trekking purposes. You must have a gorilla trekking permit to encounter mountain gorillas in Bwindi and the local tour operator needs to get it for you in advance.

Encounter bwindi gorillas

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi is done in Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo. The activity starts early in the morning in all the sectors and the trekkers must wake up early have breakfast and then meet driver guides to transfer them to the sector offices where they will meet other trekkers for that day. The park wardens will check for the validity of the gorilla permits and then group trekkers not exceeding 8 people.

The trekkers will be taught about the rules and regulations of the gorilla trekking activity and armed ranger guides will lead each group in the jungle. During the search for the gorilla family, you will meet different park mammals, primates, birds, and plants. The search for the mountain gorilla family can take 2-7 hours and this depends on the location of the gorilla family as well as the speed of trekkers.

The moment the mountain gorilla family is spotted, trekkers are asked to keep their voices low and move slowly to the mountain gorillas. They must keep at least 7 meters away from the mountain gorilla family and will be given 1 hour to be around these apes. The time given to be around mountain gorillas gives you an opportunity to learn about their habits, take photos, record videos and watch them do daily activities such as nesting, hunting, feeding, coupling, and breastfeeding among others.

To encounter mountain gorillas of Bwindi, you need to secure a gorilla permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority in advance. The local tour operator organizing this safari will book the gorilla permits on your behalf. Each gorilla trekking permit is $700 for foreign non-residents, $600 for foreign residents, and UGX250,000 for citizens of East Africa. Gorilla trekking permit fees include park entrance fees, ranger guide fees, and community development fees.

What to pack for this safari?

This safari to Bwindi gorilla park and Mabamba swamp would require you to come along with waterproof hiking shoes, long cotton stocks, a pair of gaiters, gardening gloves, a light backpack, long-sleeved pants, long-sleeved shirts, insect repellents, facemask, sanitizer, a camera, a pair of binoculars, a hat, sunscreen, drinking water bottle and energy-giving snacks among others.

When to have Bwindi gorilla safari and shoebill experience

This safari can be done at any time of the year however there are months that are better than the rest. The dry months are the best to visit Bwindi gorilla trekking and then have a shoebill experience at Mabamba swamp which happens from June to September and December to February. The dry months are characterized by little or no rainfall that keeps the trekking trails dry, water levels on Lake Victoria are normal, vegetation is short and thin with good views of the mountain gorillas and the roads leading to the park are in good conditions.

Travelers especially the budget ones can have a gorilla safari in Bwindi and shoebill experience at Mabamba in the rainy season to enjoy a huge discount on accommodation facilities. The rainy season in Uganda occurs from March to May and October to November and it’s characterized by too much rainfall that makes the trekking trails muddy and slippery, the vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of the park animals and the roads leading to the park are in poor conditions.