If you like the outdoors, don’t mind sweating and getting a bit dirty, and have an interest in seeing one of the most magnificent animals on the planet, read on. Seeing the gorillas in the wild is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I wouldn’t mind doing again.
No flying safari would be complete without visiting the Uganda’s endangered mountain gorillas. I and wife booked a 3 day Gorilla Flying Safari in Uganda with Wild Gorilla Tours in January 2026 and they did well. Jackie was quick answering all my questions and helped me book our gorilla permits plus our aircraft. We confirmed our trip with her and we wire half payment of our trip and she received it safely.
A scheduled flight to Bwindi fly on a scheduled daily flight to Kihihi Airstrip, upon arrival at Entebbe International Airport, I and my wife we were picked up by Aero link representative meet and greet in the morning hours. We checked in again with Aero link flight schedule after we set off to Kihihi Airstrip. Upon arrival, we were picked up by our safari driver Emma who later drove us to our reserved lodge, Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge in Nkuringo.
One of the most quaint, beautiful lodges I have ever stayed in. The best property in Nkuringo, and the most incredible staff. The service was over the top. It also supports the local community more so than any other lodge. It is the best lodge in Nkuringo by far. The food was outstanding, fresh, flavorful, and made with ingredients from the lodge’s garden. Drinks were equally impressive, from perfectly crafted cocktails to homemade teas and juices, plus an excellent wine selection that makes every meal feel special.
The staff are what truly make this place unforgettable. Their kindness and attentiveness shine in the smallest details, warming your suite’s fireplace while you’re at dinner, cleaning muddy hiking boots without being asked, and preparing thoughtful lunches for your treks. Returning after a day of seeing gorillas in the wild, you’re greeted not just as a guest but as part of their family, sharing in the joy of the experience together.
Bwindi Forest is famous for its rare endangered mountain gorillas and this gave us an opportunity to track mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Mountain Gorillas are one of the world’s most endangered apes. It is estimated that there are only about 1000 left throughout the world. Almost half of them can be found in Uganda, and populations can also be found in neighboring Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Day two Gorilla Tracking experience, certainly one of the most exciting days of our 3 day tour. Breakfast was served at your lodge early in the morning and lunch was packed. Together ready with our hiking boots, a hat, long sleeved shirt and trouser, sun screen, skin repellent, rain jacket and a camera, we were ready for the highlight of the day. Our driver was already at the lodge ready to transfer us to UWA headquarters for briefing session about the gorillas and the forest.
After the short briefing by the ranger guides, we were divided into groups of 8 people and given walking and sticks and hired porters at a fee. The UWA ranger guides take the lead into the forest, they are very knowledgeable and will take good care of you while you are in the forest. Even if the weather looks fine before you embark on your hike, the higher you get, the more it rains, so do not forget your rain gear. Mountain gorillas live at high altitude. The dense jungle, altitude and muddy terrain can be tiring and some visitors may find the tracking very challenging.
The hike can take anything from 2 to 8 hours. Keep your own pace and drink a plenty of water. Once in a lifetime gorilla trekking experience starts once you reach the gorillas, take time to simply enjoy the presence of these amazing animals. We were allowed to spend only one hour with them, during which time they may be hanging on trees, grooming each other, suckling their babies, sleeping as you stand 7 meters away, viewing them, taking photos and filming them, asking questions to your ranger about gorillas as you face-to-face with a mountain gorilla. It is a humbling experience that we have ever experienced.
We done a moderate trek which took about 1.5 hours to see the gorillas. We were told there would be a family of 9 but nothing is ever guaranteed and some sightings may not be close but wow we saw one silverback and two black backs super close they were within arm’s length and two even brushed past me on separate occasions. You have to remain very still and quiet when this happens.
The trek was hard. The weather changes all of the time and we had heavy rain the night before our trek so the terrain was very slippery. The sticks and a porter where much needed.
I would highly recommend a porter. You’re giving a local a job who may have had no work for weeks on end 2. Not only to carry your bag they are there for a helping hand to pull or push you where needed up or down the trek. I’m fairly fit and I was grateful for our porter.
After tracking the gorillas, the route back to the park headquarters is often shorter, although some tracks may involve you climbing back uphill in places. We returned to the park headquarters we were awarded our Gorilla Trekking Certificates and we returned back to the lodge for relaxation and dinner.
The following morning after breakfast, our driver Emma drove us back to Kihihi airstrip for our flight back to Entebbe airport, as we had to wait for our evening flight back home. Anyone willing a safari to Africa, take a trip to Uganda or Rwanda. It is a once lifetime adventure.
Emma is a knowledgeable, responsible and skillful driver. He tried his great effort to fulfill our expectations. It really an unforgettable experience for gorilla.
