Women only gorilla trekking safari in Uganda

Planet

Much of this adventure is experienced on foot, allowing our guests to explore Uganda's forests, wildlife and communities with minimal impact. We track rhinos on foot with local rangers at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, follow chimpanzees through Budongo Forest and trek deep into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in search of mountain gorillas. The trip also includes guided walks around Lake Kyaninga, through Lake Nkuruba Nature Reserve and within local communities.

Your gorilla and chimpanzee permits also contribute directly to the protection of Uganda's wildlife and the habitats they depend upon. From the mountain gorillas of Bwindi to the chimpanzees of Budongo Forest, tourism provides an important economic reason to protect these landscapes and the wildlife within them.

We encourage everyone travelling with us to bring a refillable water bottle and reduce single use plastics throughout their journey. We have also carefully selected smaller lodges that take their environmental responsibilities seriously.

Kyaninga Lodge has invested in reforestation and green building practices and uses solar energy. Its distinctive log cabins use considerably less timber in their construction than conventional buildings, while the lodge avoids single use plastic water bottles in guest rooms. The lodge also has strong links with its surrounding community and was built with the involvement of people from the local village.

Protecting Uganda's wildlife is central to the journey. Our visits to national parks, forests and protected areas contribute through permits and entrance fees, while wildlife experiences are led by trained local guides, trackers and rangers. This includes supporting Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary's white rhino breeding programme and taking part in carefully controlled chimpanzee and mountain gorilla trekking.

In Bwindi we also visit Community Initiatives for Biodiversity Conservation, CIBIC, which works with communities living around Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Its work focuses on improving local livelihoods while conserving the biodiversity of this important protected area, recognising that the long term protection of the forest depends upon the communities living alongside it.

People

Keeping tourism income within Uganda and ensuring local communities benefit from our visits is an important part of this journey. We work with Ugandan guides, drivers, rangers and wildlife trackers throughout the trip and favour locally based accommodation with strong connections to their surrounding communities.

Kyaninga Lodge was built with the involvement of the local village, while Katara Lodge employs people from nearby communities and sources ingredients locally for its restaurant. This helps ensure that spending on accommodation and food creates employment and income within the areas we visit.

Our stay at Haven Lodge Buhoma has an especially direct community benefit. The lodge was established by the Buhoma Mukono Community Development Association, BMCDA, which brings together more than 9,000 community members with the aim of improving livelihoods, developing skills and conserving local natural resources. The organisation helps local people gain employment and develop skills that can lead to careers within tourism.

The lodge employs Ugandan staff and its chefs prepare meals using locally grown produce. Revenue generated through accommodation and community experiences is channelled through BMCDA into local projects, including schools, clean water initiatives, rainwater harvesting, fruit and vegetable growing projects and a community savings and credit cooperative.

While in Bwindi, we also spend time with Community Initiatives for Biodiversity Conservation, CIBIC. The organisation works with communities living on the edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to improve livelihoods while protecting the biodiversity of the forest. It is an important part of the journey because it allows our guests to see the connection between conservation and community first hand.

Through our choice of locally connected accommodation, Ugandan guides and drivers, community visits and conservation organisations, we aim to make sure the benefits of tourism extend well beyond the individual traveller and contribute to the people and places that make this journey possible.