This 4 days Mgahinga golden monkey tracking and Batwa trail experience safari will take you to Mgahinga Gorilla national park one of the Africa’s best forested park found in the south western Uganda. Mgahinga gorilla national park is found in the great Virunga massif which includes other two national parks which is Volcano national park in Rwanda and Virunga national park in DR Congo and all the three parks are home to the mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. Mgahinga gorilla national park is the only park where you meet both the magical mountain gorillas and the beautiful golden monkeys in Uganda. This 4 days Mgahinga golden monkey tracking and Batwa trail experience safari includes meeting eye to eye with the beautiful Golden monkeys and spotting other wildlife species in the park such as bird species, other primates like L’hoest monkeys and spending time with Batwa pygmy people during the Batwa trail experience. On this is golden monkey tracking and Batwa trail experience safari, you have a chance to explore the beauty of this unique National Park. This 4 Days Mgahinga golden monkey tracking and Batwa trail experience safari starts and ends in either Kampala city or Entebbe international airport.

Highlights of the 4 Days Mgahinga golden monkey tracking and Batwa trail experience safari

Day 1: Pick up from Kampala city /Entebbe international airport – Transfer to Mgahinga national park

Day 2: Golden monkey tracking – Explore Lake Mutanda

Day 3: Batwa trail experience – Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

Day 4: Morning boat canoeing on Lake Bunyonyi – Return to Kampala city / Entebbe international airport

What to pack for this 4 Days Mgahinga golden monkey tracking and Batwa trail experience safari?

Water proof hiking boots

Water proof long sleeved jacket / coat

Water proof long trouser

Sun glasses

Cap / round hat

Heavy duty garden gloves

Insect repellant

Both Warm/heavy and cool clothes

Camera and an extra battery

A pair binoculars

Small hand bag

Detailed itinerary.

Day 1: Pick up from Kampala / Entebbe international airport – Transfer to Mgahinga gorilla national park.

On this first day of your 4 Days Mgahinga golden monkey tracking and Batwa trail experience safari, very early in the morning at (0600hrs) after breakfast at your place of residence or on your arrival at Entebbe international airport with an early morning plane (at least 0900hrs) for meet and greet by our company representative who will be your safari guide, be briefed about 4 Days Mgahinga golden monkey tracking and Batwa trail experience safari and later start your drive to Mgahinga gorilla national park found in southwestern Uganda on the southern hemisphere of the planet. Mgahinga gorilla national park is one of the best forested national parks in Africa to see primates and do other adventurous activities such as cultural tours, volcano hiking and bird watching safari. On your way to Mgahinga gorilla national park, you will have a stopover at Kayabwe equator line which divide the planet into two parts. At this place, there is a water experiment which is done on both sides of the planet to show how forces move differently on each side of the planet, while at this international landmark but only found in few countries, you will have a chance to take some memorial photos when you have spread your legs on each side of the planet, have a cup of coffee and proceed with your journey to Igongo cultural center to have lunch, visit the museum to learn about the background of Ankole people. After lunch and visiting Igongo cultural center, drive straight to Mgahinga gorilla national park to check in at your booked lodge, freshen yourself, relax, dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation options; Lake Mutanda Resort (Luxury) Lake Mulehe safari Lodge (Mid-range) Lake Chahafi Lodge (Standard)

Meal plan: Lunch /Dinner

Day 2: Mgahinga gorilla national park – Golden Monkey trekking – Explore Lake Mutanda

On the second day of the safari you will wake up early in the morning to prepare for your day, pack all your required items for golden monkey tracking like camera, binoculars, get your insect repellant, have heavy breakfast since you will need to use a lot of energy during the forest walk when searching for the beautiful golden monkeys, get your packed snacks, meet your safari guide and drive to the park information center to join other guests to be briefed about the rules and regulations to follow while looking for the golden monkeys, what to expect during the forest walk and how to behave in the presence of the golden monkeys, be allocate a golden monkey family to track and a ranger guide. Later after briefing, start your forest walk to search for the magical golden monkeys in their natural habitats.  Golden monkeys are one of the most endangered primates in Africa with an estimated number of only 4000 individuals are still alive. These primates are only found in the Virunga massif which includes Mgahinga gorilla national park in Uganda, Virunga national park in DR Congo and Volcanoes national park in Rwanda. During the forest walk while searching for the golden monkeys, you may have a chance to encounter other wildlife species such as L’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkey, forest elephants and on a lucky day, you may encounter mountain gorillas. The time spent while looking for the golden monkeys is not known but can take between 45 minutes to 4 hours depending on the location of the family you are tracking. Once you encounter them, you will stay with them for a maximum of 1 hour and you will be free to take as many photos as you would want. After golden monkey tracking experience, return to your lodge to have lunch, relax and later late in the Afternoon go to explore Lake Mutanda with a boat canoeing safari to visit islands on the Lake such as the skeleton island and many others. Dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation options; Lake Mutanda Resort (Luxury) Lake Mulehe safari Lodge (Mid-range) Lake Chahafi Lodge (Standard)

Meal plan: Breakfast/Lunch /Dinner

Day 3: Mgahinga gorilla national park – Batwa Trail experience – Transfer to Lake Bunyonyi

Wake up very early in the morning to be served breakfast, have all your luggage packed in the vehicle, get your packed lunch from the lodge and check out of lodge to visit the Batwa pygmy people community for your great memorable cultural experience. The Batwa people used to stay in the forests of Bwindi and Mgahinga before both places were made national parks to protect the mountain gorillas, golden monkeys and other wildlife species by Uganda Wildlife Authority. So, this left the Batwa people homeless and living unhappy life because they were not used to life without forests where they used to hunt small animals for meat, and gathering fruits. So, the Batwa trail was established to demonstrate the Batwa life style to the entire world and to preserve it for the Batwa feature generation to know the ancestral origin. The Batwa trail will take you way back into the indigenous lifestyle of the Batwa people through the forest the same way how they used to live in the forest these include demonstrating to you their hunting skills, how they used to build their houses using local materials, visiting the local doctor and colleting local herbs, visiting caves in the forest which used to be their hiding places during tribal wars, how to make fire from wood and later be entertained by the woman groups with their cultural dances and drama. After spending some time with the Batwa pygmy people, return to the starting point, enjoy your packed lunch and later drive to Lake Bunyonyi to spend your evening relaxing while. Dinner and an overnight.

Accommodation options; Birdnest Resort @Bunyonyi (Luxury), Bunyonyi Rock Resort (Mid-range), Bunyonyi View Resort (Standard)

Meal plan: Breakfast/Lunch /Dinner

Day 4: Lake Bunyonyi – Morning boat canoeing – Return to Kampala / Entebbe international airport

On this last day of your 4 Days Mgahinga golden monkey tracking and Batwa trail experience safari, wake up early in the morning to be served breakfast and go for an amazing morning boat riding /canoe ride which is carried out using a dugout motorized canoe with an experienced local guide. The morning boat riding on lake Bunyonyi will take you along the lake shores and visiting some Islands such as the Akampene island also known as “the punishment island” which was used by the Bakiga communities to punish criminals in the society and those girls who were found pregnant before marriage as it will be, your local guide will narrate to you all its attached stories. You will spot several bird species along the lake shores  such as black herons, fish eagles, African kingfisher, Hadada ibis, great cormorants, egrets, slender billed baglafetch, bee-eaters, sunbirds an enjoying the beautiful sceneries of the beautiful terraced hills. After your boat riding / canoeing safari on Lake Bunyonyi, return to your lodge to check out and start your journey back to your residence in Kampala or Entebbe international airport to check to prepare for your return flight. This will be the end of your 4 Days Mgahinga golden monkey tracking and Batwa trail experience safari.

The inclusions of the 4 Days Mgahinga golden monkey tracking and Batwa trail experience safari;

Private transport for 4 days using a modified safari van / Land-cruiser (4WD, air-conditioned)

Return airport transfers (Pick up and drop off)

English speaking safari guide for 4 days

Private accommodation on full board (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) for 3 nights

Fuel for 4 days

All en-route meals and mineral water throughout your 4 days safari

1Golden monkey tracking permit per person

Explore Lake Mutanda tour

Batwa trail experience tour

Lake Bunyonyi boat canoeing tour

Stopover at Kayabwe equator landmark

A visit to Igongo cultural museum

The exclusions of the 4 Days Mgahinga golden monkey tracking and Batwa trail experience safari;

Domestic and international flights

Travel visa

Travel insurance

Souvenirs and gifts

Tips

Alcoholic and soft drinks

Others things that are not mentioned on the list of inclusions