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Planning notes, destination ideas and safari inspiration from the Rift & Tide Africa team.
Get safari planning ideas, destination notes and occasional offers.
Nairobi-based East Africa safari specialists for tailor-made journeys, beach escapes, and trade-ready planning.
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Planning notes, destination ideas and safari inspiration from the Rift & Tide Africa team.
Get safari planning ideas, destination notes and occasional offers.
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Private Tailor Made Tour
The mountain gorillas and golden monkey trekking safari is for the off-the-beaten-track adventurer who wants a mix of rural, cultural, nature hiking, and primate experiences. The trip is tailor-made for each traveller and takes place in remote African country.
From Entebbe, you will fly to Kisoro, across southwestern Uganda's terraced and highland landscape, and check into a serene forest lodge on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for the next three nights. From here, you will track the mountain gorillas of Bwindi and spend one exciting hour observing the great apes in their natural setting.
On the fifth day, you will explore the region, join the traditional dug-out canoeing excursion on the calm waters of Lake Mutanda and check into the idyllic Gahinga Lodge at the base of Mount Gahinga.
For Rift & Tide Africa, this journey works as a polished starting point for private travellers and travel advisors who want a clear, premium East Africa itinerary. Final routing, lodge level, rooming, permits and special interests can be refined at quotation stage so the trip fits the traveller's dates, comfort level and pace.
Travel and accommodation
7 Days / 6 Nights, 1 country, Arrival in Entebbe to Entebbe
6 nights accommodation
Meals
Meals as per day-by-day itinerary
Safari style
The Primate Collection
Private Tailor Made
Itinerary
5 stops across the route
Trip code: RTT-PRM006
Starting from
Price on request
Public retail pricing. Final quote confirms availability and inclusions.
Request quoteWhy this trip
Route notes
FAQs
Answers are general public guidance. Your final itinerary, inclusions, pricing, and supplier conditions are confirmed during quotation.
Public prices are indicative retail guidance. Availability, seasonal adjustments, rooming, and final inclusions are confirmed when the team prepares your quote.
Many scheduled routes can be adapted with lodge, timing, or extension changes depending on availability and supplier rules.
Share travel dates, traveller count, rooming preferences, gateway city, and any must-see destinations or experiences so the team can respond efficiently.
Approved travel agents can log in for trade rates and partner resources. New agencies can apply through the Become an agent page.
Keep exploring
Compare similar routes before sending your enquiry.
Entebbe
private tailor made
Virunga Highlands Expedition is a 8-day Uganda and Rwanda journey designed around refined pacing, meaningful wildlife encounters and carefully selected lodges, with a route shaped around Entebbe, Lake Victoria, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Bwindi.
8 Days / 7 Nights
Price on request
Plan this journey
Ask Rift & Tide Africa to shape Great Apes & Golden Monkeys around your travel dates, preferred lodge level, permits and pace.
Trip route
Follow the day-by-day flow of this itinerary across East Africa.
Entebbe International Airport
Day 01: Arrival in Entebbe & Shoebill Tracking
Lake Mutanda
Day 02: Fly from Entebbe to Kisoro & Lake Mutanda Canoeing
Day 03: Gorilla Trekking Excursion
Day 04: Optional Activities
Lake Mutanda
Day 05: Bwindi to Mgahinga - Walking Safaris
Day 06: Golden Monkey Trekking
Entebbe International Airport
Day 07: Fly from Kisoro to Entebbe
Entebbe International Airport
Day 01: Arrival in Entebbe & Shoebill Tracking
Lake Mutanda
Day 02: Fly from Entebbe to Kisoro & Lake Mutanda Canoeing
Day 03: Gorilla Trekking Excursion
Day 04: Optional Activities
Lake Mutanda
Day 05: Bwindi to Mgahinga - Walking Safaris
Day 06: Golden Monkey Trekking
Entebbe International Airport
Day 07: Fly from Kisoro to Entebbe
Itinerary
Our driver will pick you up from Entebbe International airport (15 minutes) and check you in at your hotel within Entebbe. You will meet with your trip specialist for a briefing just before dinner.
Otherwise, there are optional activities around Entebbe for those who arrive early and want to stay active. For example, bird-watchers can visit the world-renowned botanical gardens or Mabamba swamps to meet the prehistoric shoebill. You can take a quiet walk to the local markets or shop at the modern malls.
You will stay at: Boutique Hotel Number 5 (Luxury) or Papyrus Guesthouse (Comfortable)
You will take an early morning flight from Entebbe to Kisoro. In Kisoro, you will join the walking guide on a guided walk-through village communities and terraced gardens and stop at the calm shores of Lake Mutanda.
At Lake Mutanda, you will join the fishermen on a canoeing experience across the volcano lake in traditional dug-out canoes. The relaxing ride drops you off for another garden walk to meet your driver uphill.
Stay: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
Stay details available on request.
Stay details available on request.
Featured stays
Specific lodges, rooms and camps are subject to availability. Where a named stay is unavailable, Rift & Tide Africa will recommend a property of comparable character, location and comfort level before confirmation.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Departures
Contact us for current departure dates and quotation-stage availability.
Good to know
private tailor made
Rwenzori Summit Challenge is a 9-day Uganda journey designed around refined pacing, meaningful wildlife encounters and carefully selected lodges, with a route shaped around Entebbe, Rwenzori Mountains.
9 Days / 8 Nights
Price on request
Entebbe
private tailor made
Rwenzori Foothills Trek is a 5-day Uganda journey designed around refined pacing, meaningful wildlife encounters and carefully selected lodges, with a route shaped around Entebbe, Rwenzori Mountains.
5 Days / 4 Nights
Price on request
Your butler will ensure you are up and about by 7:00 am with a packed lunch, the right trekking gear, drinking water, and a walking stick. The trekking excursion briefing starts at 7:30 am at the visitor's centre.
8:00 am: Your gorilla tracking guide and two armed rangers will lead you and six other tourists into the rainforest to find a habituated gorilla group. Once you find the mountain gorilla family, you will observe them for about an hour from a respectful distance, following ranger guidance. Alternatively, you can observe the gorillas for about four hours if you book a gorilla habituation pass.
Your time in the forest cannot be pre-determined as every day differs from the other. However, most trekkers are out of the jungle by 2:00 pm with a unforgettable memory.
We recommend a massage at the lodge spa when you return and a relaxing evening.
Stay: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (packed), and Dinner.
The fourth day of this Uganda gorillas & walking safari adventure has some optional activities to keep you active. Otherwise, you can unwind at your forest cottage for a relaxing day.
Stay back at the lodge and relax, read a book, join a cooking class or take a walk around the property and talk to some locals.
Go back into the mysterious jungle to meet with the gorillas for a second time. Maybe join the rangers for the habituation experience that gives you more time with the gorillas. But remember, you must have pre-booked the trekking permit.
Visit the Batwa forest people on a short forest trail where they showcase their ancient forest medicines, cultures, drama, and dance.
Go on a sundowner picnic on top of the world with 360-degree spellbinding views of the hilly landscapes. It is within walking distance from the lodge.
Stay: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
The day starts early after breakfast and with pack lunch, drive down to Rubuguri junction for an optional 9-kilometer walk down to Lake Mutanda through villages and cultivated gardens. This part allows you to admire the rural landscape and connect with the community layouts of rural villages.
You can join the fishermen on another canoeing experience on Lake Mutanda or join your driver to Kisoro town. At Kisoro town, we will explore the local fresh-food markets and the town's cultural feel before driving to Gahinga Lodge at the base of the Virunga Volcanoes, a few meters outside the park entrance. You will spend the following two nights at Gahinga in a private cottage.
You will stay at: Gahinga Lodge Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (Packed), Dinner
You will be up by 7:00 am to make it to the briefing point by 7:30 am. Ntebeko visitor centre, which is also the Mgahinga National Park's headquarters, is a 10-minute walk from Gahinga Lodge. Your driver can transfer you, or you can start the adventure with a short walk.
After the briefing, the golden monkey excursion will start at about 8:00 am with a lead tracker guide and two armed rangers. You will trek up the slopes in a two-hour window to the bamboo forest zone, where golden monkeys hang out. When you meet them, you will spend about an hour watching their antics and social behaviors.
Golden monkeys are cheeky and playful and will jump up the trees or curiously come close to you than expected. Enjoy the moment, but follow instructions from your lead guide.
You will stay at: Gahinga Lodge Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (Packed), Dinner
The seventh day is your last on the mountain gorillas and golden monkey trekking safari in the beautiful rural landscape. Fortunately, you will fly over this gorgeous hilly region for at least an hour to savour the memories.
You will take an hour domestic flight from Kisoro airport (30 minutes away) to Entebbe International airport.
Please book your flight back home for later that day, or check into our boutique Papyrus Guesthouse for another quiet night in Entebbe. You could do some shopping for souvenirs to take back home and fly back home the following day.
Optional accommodation: Papyrus Guesthouse Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (packed)
