Gorilla Forest Lodge
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda
Set within Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, the iconic lodge has been beautifully reimagined for a new era. The palm thatched ten villa retreat, nestled seamlessly in its lush cloud forest surroundings, takes sustainable luxury to another level. The updated lodge uses natural, locally sourced materials, showcasing the best of Ugandan artisanship the lodge. A free flowing open-sided lounge, bar and dining space decorated in shades of pale terracotta, with high-quality furniture and artworks forms the beating heart of the lodge. The Explorer’s Lounge has books, maps, even replica gorilla bones to give you a deeper understanding of the creatures you have come to see; while the spa has an extensive menu of restorative treatments after days spent in the wild. At sunset, a campfire becomes the gathering place where you can drink cocktails and exchange gorilla stories, to a soundtrack of live African folk music. Each of the ten standalone villas has a private viewing deck with swing chairs handmade in Uganda; and to enhance wildlife-watching, every guest has a pair of Leica binoculars to hand during their stay. Bathrooms have huge round hammam-like baths, above which hang..
chandeliers of beads handmade by women in the neighboring village.
Gorilla Trekking: The gorillas are completely wild but have become used to seeing a few humans after years of habituation. Many of the expert guides have been involved in this process since the beginning and are able to explain the complicated etiquette involved in meeting a giant silverback. This is an opportunity afforded only to a select few, as just eight visitors are allowed to view each group every day. Tracking through dense forest with steep slopes means that participants do need to be physically fit to enjoy the track. Once the gorillas are located, spend a maximum of one hour with them before returning back to camp.
Batwa Tribe Experience: Learn about and interact with the local Batwa People. This full day activity involves a three hour walk followed by about an hour spent with the Batwa. The walk back to camp is two hours. The visit includes a music performance, visitation by the goddess, hunting and gathering demonstration and an opportunity to see how they live. The Twa tribe who are also known as the Batwa are the oldest inhabitants of the Great Lakes region of Central Africa. They speak the same language as the Hutu and Tutsi groups of Rwanda. Like most of the tribes in Africa, they have moved from place to place and are now found in Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and eastern portions of the DRC. Statistics show that by the year 2000 their numbers were approximately 80,000 people, making them a significant minority group in these countries. The first records of the Batwa were made by the Egyptians over 4,000 years ago. They described them as short statured people living near the "Mountains of the Moon" extolling their abilities as dancers and story tellers.
Forest Walk: Bwindi is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a spectacular place to visit. In addition to the gorillas, Bwindi is also home to rare forest elephants, giant forest hogs and eleven kinds of primates, such as red tailed and blue monkeys, black and white colobus, baboons and chimpanzees. You can also find forest duiker antelopes, bush buck antelopes and over 200 species of butterflies. We can offer a guided forest walk on the Munyaga waterfall trail. This trail starts from the Park office and ends at the magnificent Munyaga waterfall. The walk to and from the waterfall takes about three hours and is a good way to practice or cool down a day before or after the gorilla tracking.
Queen Elizabeth National Park Drives: While staying at Gorilla Forest Camp you are able to venture out on game drives to Ishasha, located in the south of the well-known Queen Elizabeth National Park popular for its tree climbing lions, savanna elephants, buffaloes, topi, hippos, various bird species, warthogs and the occasional leopard. This is usually a full day outing where you are able to stop for lunch at the hippo pool.
AT A GLANCE
- 10 luxury tents with a personal attendant for your every need
- En-suite bathrooms with indoor bathtub and showers
- Located within the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to almost half the world’s remaining population of mountain gorillas
- Gorilla tracking
- Full day game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Batwa Tribe Experience
- Forest walks
- All Inclusive: 3 meals daily, soft drinks, house wines, local brand spirits and beer, safari activities excluding gorilla permits, laundry
- Wi-Fi in main areas and tents
- Electricity supplied by silent packed generator and battery system
