Private • Uganda
3 Days Fly In Gorilla Safari to Bwindi
Fly from Entebbe to Kihihi and trek the Nkuringo gorillas from a camp at 2,100 m
Overview
About this journey
- Region
- Southwestern Uganda
- Duration
- 3 days
- Departures
- All year round
- Party size
- Up to 6
The charter leaves Entebbe at 07:30 and puts you down at Kihihi airstrip 55 minutes later, with the western arm of the Rift beneath you for most of the way. A 90-minute drive on red murram brings you up to the Nkuringo sector of Bwindi in time for lunch, looking south into the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 8 to 10 hour road journey from Kampala is skipped in each direction.
Day two is the trek. A Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger and a tracker who has followed the Nkuringo group for eleven years lead you in. Finding the gorillas takes anywhere from 45 minutes to four hours, depending on where they slept, and then you have your hour with them. You are back at camp for lunch, with the afternoon free for the outdoor bath or a bird walk.
The last morning is a walk along the forest buffer zone with a community ranger, then the flight home. You land in Entebbe by early afternoon, in time to connect with an evening departure. Two nights at Kigezi Highland Camp, full board, with your own Arrive Africa guide throughout.
It suits couples and small parties of up to six who want the gorilla hour without giving three extra days to the road.
Highlights
What you'll experience
One Hour with a Gorilla Family
Your permitted hour inside the group is unhurried and close. A juvenile may hang from a branch at shoulder height while the silverback yawns and looks straight through you. Our guide Patrick Amanyire calls it 'the forest deciding you are harmless'.
Fly over the Rift Valley
The charter tracks south-west along the western arm of the Rift, and on clear mornings the pilot banks low enough for you to count the islands on Lake George. Fifty-five minutes, and worth the window seat.
Walking into the Highlands
A short acclimatisation walk through the buffer-zone community on your first afternoon, past terraced sorghum fields and Hagenia trees hung with old man's beard lichen. The forest announces itself a full kilometre before you enter it.
Night Sounds at Camp
Kigezi Highland Camp sits at 2,100 m and the nights are properly cold. Dinner is eaten beside an outdoor fire while tree hyraxes scream in the canopy, a sound first-timers always take for something far larger.
Community Forest Walk
On the last morning a ranger from the Nkuringo community conservation zone leads you to a waterfall on the forest edge and explains how gorilla permit revenue funds the local school and a women's weaving cooperative.
Why choose us
Why choose a Private Journey?
Three days is enough for Bwindi if you fly. This is what the flight buys you.
No Long Road Transfers
The charter cuts out the 8 to 10 hour drive from Kampala in each direction. You land at Kihihi with energy intact, acclimatise that afternoon, and trek the next morning.
Private and Fully Guided
Your party has its own Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger, tracker and Arrive Africa guide throughout. Permits are secured in advance, and the pace on the slope is set by you.
Conservation at the Core
Every gorilla permit funds Uganda Wildlife Authority anti-poaching patrols. The community walk on day three introduces you to the people who live beside Bwindi and protect it.
Itinerary
Your day-by-day journey
Day 1
Fly to Kihihi and drive up to Nkuringo
The charter leaves Entebbe at 07:30, crossing the papyrus fringe of Lake Victoria before climbing into clear sky above the western highlands. Kihihi airstrip is a grass strip backed by eucalyptus, and your guide meets you at the windsock.
The drive to the Nkuringo sector of Bwindi takes roughly 90 minutes on red murram, the last stretch steep enough for first gear. You arrive in time for lunch on the camp's stone terrace, looking south into the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The afternoon is yours. Rest, walk the camp gardens with a birding checklist (the handsome francolin and Kivu ground thrush both show reliably here), take a short walk through the buffer-zone community past terraced sorghum fields, or sit with your guide for a briefing on gorilla behaviour and trekking etiquette. Dinner is early, and so is bed.
Meals · Lunch, Dinner
Day 2
Gorilla trek with the Nkuringo group
Breakfast is at 06:00, porridge, eggs and strong Rwenzori-blend coffee, and the briefing at park headquarters begins at 07:30. The Nkuringo group ranges across steep, vine-laced slopes, and finding them can take between 45 minutes and four hours depending on where they slept. Your team is a Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger, a tracker who has followed this group for eleven years, and a porter if you want one to carry your daypack on the harder climbs.
Once the trackers find the group you have your permitted hour with them.
Back at camp by early afternoon, lunch is waiting on the terrace. The rest of the day is yours: a soak in the camp's stone outdoor bath, a nap while the mist rolls in off the Congo side, or a longer bird walk with your guide.
Meals · Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3
Community walk, then fly back to Entebbe
The final morning starts with a gentle walk along the forest buffer zone, led by a ranger from the Nkuringo Community Conservation Programme. The path drops through banana groves, past a spring where women collect water, to a waterfall the local children call Kyambura (no relation to the gorge further north, just a name that stuck). The ranger points out the secondary school that permit fees helped build, visible from the upper path.
Back at camp there is a packed breakfast box or a sit-down meal, depending on your flight time. The drive to Kihihi takes 90 minutes, the charter leaves mid-morning, and you are in Entebbe by early afternoon, early enough to connect with an international departure the same evening.
Meals · Breakfast
Inclusions
What is and isn't included
Included
- Return charter flight Entebbe to Kihihi (per aircraft, shared by the party)
- 2 nights at Kigezi Highland Camp, full board
- 1 mountain gorilla trekking permit per guest
- Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger and tracker on trek day
- Arrive Africa private guide throughout
- All park entrance fees
- Nkuringo community conservation walk with a local ranger
- Porter available on trek day (gratuity not included)
- All ground transfers between Kihihi airstrip and camp
- Bottled water and snacks on the trek
- Pre-departure briefing document
Not included
- International flights to and from the region
- Entry visas and any transit visas
- Travel and medical insurance, which is mandatory
- Alcoholic drinks and premium beverages
- Laundry, telephone and other items of a personal nature
- Tips for your guide, drivers and lodge staff
- Optional activities not listed in the itinerary
Pricing
Available all year round
A private itinerary with no fixed departure dates. Rates are per person in USD.
Journey Details
Essential information
Minimum Age
15 years, a Uganda Wildlife Authority rule for gorilla trekking
Safari Duffel
Soft-sided bags only for the charter, 15 kg per person in the hold. A small daypack for the trek.
First Group Event
Charter departure from Entebbe, 07:30 on day 1
Last Group Event
Charter arrival at Entebbe, about 13:00 on day 3
Guaranteed Departures
A private departure for any party of 1 to 6 guests, with no minimum.
Alternate Sightseeing
If a guest cannot manage the full trek, the ranger can arrange a shorter forest walk near the park boundary while the rest of the party continues to the gorillas.