|  | Gorilla Forest Camp is a permanent luxury tented camp nestled in the mist-swathed rainforests of a mountainside in the heart of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.
- Cultural interaction
- Forest walks
- Guided gorilla trekking
- Bird watching
| The exclusive location – the sole property within the park’s boundaries - afford Gorilla Forest Camp the status of being the ideal base for gorilla tracking, primate viewing and birding excursions in the park.
Bwindi is situated on Uganda’s extreme western border, very close to the geographical heart of Africa where the confluence of the Rift Valley and the Great Lakes have created an eco-system that perhaps defines the very essence of the continent. Fittingly, Bwindi is one of the most biologically diverse areas on Earth, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is an enduring pocket of a huge primeval forest that once stretched from the Virunga Volcanoes in the South to the Rwenzori Mountains in the North. The fertile 331 square kilometers of the park contain 113 species of mammals (including a herd of the rare forest elephant), 200 species of butterfly, over 360 species of birds and a prodigious 324 tree varieties (10 of which are endemic to the park). In addition to this incredible diversity, Bwindi is home to seven species of primates, attracting the attention of international conservation efforts, of which the most endangered is that elusive giant of Africa-- the Mountain Gorilla. Only 600 of these magnificent animals remain worldwide, and Bwindi is home to just over half of them. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Facilities
The Gorilla Forest Camp offers a bar and dining cottage overlooking the rain forest, as well as a raised natural platform for open air dining. At night, a traditional African campfire is lit from where a lecture might be given by a visiting primatologist, the gorilla briefings are undertaken or guests simply admire the myriad brilliance of Bwindi’s crystal clear mountain sky. | Accommodation
Gorilla Forest Camp has been designed to blend seamlessly into this most atmospheric of environments, carefully-appointed towards the misty valleys and looming, forest-clad mountains that protect this fragile eco-system. Accommodation is in 8 double tents, raised on wooden platforms, each with en-suite facilities and hot and cold running water, WC, basin and unusually – a bathtub looking out onto the forest. Each tent has a spacious wooden verandah where guests can relax, enjoy a private meal and absorb the exotic mystery of the surrounding rainforest that provided the inspiration for the animation of Disney’s The Jungle Book. | Family
Please note that although children of all ages are welcome at the camp, but only children aged 15 and above can track the gorillas. Children of up to 11 years are free of charge, but only if sharing with an adult. | Gorilla Tracking ecoQuest
The gorillas you will track will belong to one of the three 'habituated' family groups in Northern Bwindi. The Mubare Group, the Habinyanja Group and the Rushegura Group. For up to five years each, these groups have undergone an extremely delicate process that has gradually made them used to the presence of humans, and allowed a few privileged vistors to interact with them briefly in the wild.
The gorillas are by no means tame. They are completely wild animals, which even now tolerate human presence for an hour a day at most. Experienced guides will accompany you on your tracking, many of who have been involved in the habituation process themselves. These guides will
brief you in detail on your arrival on the various aspects of 'gorilla etiquette', but the information contained in this set of guidelines is to help you arrive
for your track well prepared and ready to enjoy this unique opportunity to the full. Gorilla tracking is a year-round activity, with no season as such. The rain forest is moist, and it rains very oftern in Bwindi, even in the dry season.
Tracking commences every morning from the park headquarters at 0830 hours. There is a daily maximum of 8 visitors to each gorilla group, and each group is accompanied by a guide and by poeters who will carry your shorter pack for you. The gorillas cover large distances overnight, and they are never constantly in one area. The guides will use their knowledge of the gorillas' habits and information from the previous day to locate the group's whereabouts. Because of this, the time taken to track the gorillas varies enormously, from as little as half an hour to as much as 9 hours before one returns to camp.
The terrain is extremely difficult, which steep slopes (often steeper than a flight of stairs) covered in dense vegetation that gives the park its name. In addition, the altitude of 5200 feet and more means participants do need to be physically fit to enjoy the track. | Rate includes
. All meals
. Laundry
. Most beverages | Rate excludes
. Spirits and champagne
. Gratuities (for guides and camp staff)
. Gorilla permits
. Intercamp flights | Access
Scheduled flights:
- Entebbe Airport
Charter flights:
- Entebbe Airport to Gorilla Forest Camp(Kanyonza Airstrip) - 1 hour 45 minutes
Note: This strip is a grass strip 2,400 feet long, can take aircraft carrying a maximum number of 6 clients. For larger groups, Ishasha airstrip which is 65 km (2 hours 30 minutes) away on rough tracks is used. There is a vehicle based at the camp to handle fly-in transfers.
Road transfers:
- Entebbe to Bwindi - 590km(±11 hours)
Self-drive:
- Entebbe to Bwindi - 590km(±11 hours) | |
|
|
|
Submit Enquiry
|
Gorilla Forest Camp
