Day 1: Transfer to Mgahinga National Park
Depart Kampala to Kisoro and visit one of the small but significant park with various attractions including endangered mountain gorillas. You will enjoy your lunch meal en-route at Igongo cultural center as you enjoy the beautifully laid scenery of western Uganda, the rolling hills and valleys, crop farms and forests will capture your attention on the way. After lunch you will continue the journey to kisoro reaching in the evening, check in, take sower, and relax while preparing for the hike the following day. Dinner and overnight at Kisoro Travelers’ Rest Hotel (Midrange) or Mount Gahinga Lodge (Luxury).
Day 2: Hike up Sabinyo (3,669 meters).
Wake up early for breakfast, take your packed lunch with you, not forgetting enough drinking water, and drive up to the Ntebeko visitors center for a briefing. From there, embark on a hiking adventure to Mt. Sabinyo. This will take about 8 hours of hiking through the rugged terrain and sharp rims of Mt. Sabinyo. It’s a significant experience as you explore the beauty of all the three countries that share the same volcano; these are Uganda, Rwanda, and D.R. Congo. During the hike, you may encounter the gentle giant apes (endangered mountain gorillas) that populate the slopes of Mount Sabinyo. Reaching the top of the volcano can take about 4 hours. It will offer an amazing exhibition of the mountain slopes and other attractions that surround the borders such as a view to lake Kivu, lake Bunyonyi, Rwenzori mountain and others. Take a rest and have lunch after you descend back to the briefing point to meet your driver to take you back to the lodge. It is advised that when you don’t reach the summit by 3 pm, you should descent back because you won’t be able to finish the hike and descend back on time. For now, mount Sabinyo can only be hiked from Uganda side but preparations to create more trails and routes from Rwanda are on the way.
Dinner and overnight at Kisoro Travelers’ Rest Hotel (Midrange) / Mount Gahinga Lodge (Luxury).
Day 3: Hiking Mountain Gahinga (3,474 m)
Have a morning meal ready with your packed lunch, drinking water and head for a muscle stretch as you proceed for approximately 6 hours of hiking through the clean bamboo trails to Gahinga peak. the first level is easy and a variety of animals can be seen especially the golden monkeys, mountain gorillas since it occupies bamboo trees which are food for animals, the more you hike, steepness becomes tense up to the summit. You will discover various caves on your hike filled with bats and other numerous features including plants, and animals. You will also see the lush swamp that was formerly a crater lake on top of the volcano filled with unique and rare subalpine plants you wont find in Sabinyo and Muhavura. The view is amazing on the summit as you get to see other volcanoes forming the Virunga massive and Ruwenzori mountains. Slope down slowly when returning to the starting point to avoid falling from the stairs.
Dinner and overnight. Kisoro Travelers’s Rest Hotel (Midrange) / Mount Gahinga Lodge (Luxury).
Day 4 and 5: Mount Muhavura (4,127m) hike
You will wake up, have breakfast and pack the necessary requirements. The hike will begin at the base of Mt. Gahinga to the base of Mt. Muhavura. In the native language, Muhavura means “guide” due to many travelers used it s a guide to their long travels. The hike to the peak takes about 8-9 hours to ascend and descend the 12 km. It’s tough but rewarding with wonderful views of the great Virunga mountain ranges and the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains, Queen Elizabeth national park and the canopies of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park. mount Muhavura is the steepest of all the Virunga mountains, and the third tallest. Take your packed lunch and rest a while. Dinner and a night will be waiting for you at Muhavura base camp as you prepare to descend back to the headquarters on day 5 of the hiking tour, which will offer you enough time to take a nature walk to visit the Batwa pygmies that live on the edge of the park. Here you will experience their culture through focal dances and songs, the traditional herbs and their surviving tactics in the forest.
Dinner and overnight at Kisoro Travelers’ Rest Hotel (Midrange), Mount Gahinga Lodge (Luxury).
Day 6: Transfer back to Kampala.
The breakfast meal will be ready upon check out of the lodge. The driver will be ready to transfer you back to Kampala. Make different stopovers at the park headquarters. Here you can stop at the craft shops and pick up souvenirs to take home. Another stopover at the equator for lunch and taking pictures. Afterwards, drive straight to Kampala to your hotel or to Entebbe international airport for your flight.
End of the Tour
