8 Day Coffee and Gorilla Experience

Itinerary for the 8-day Coffee and Gorilla Experience

Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe

The 8-day Coffee and Gorilla Experience starts at Entebbe Airport, where you will be met by a company representative/guide who will transfer you to your place of overnight stay.  Depending on the time of your arrival, you may visit the Gorilla Conservation Cafe in Entebbe to learn more about Coffee in Uganda.

Gorilla Conservation Coffee is a social enterprise of Conservation Through Public Health, an award-winning NGO and nonprofit supporting local farmers and helping to protect endangered gorillas and their fragile habitat.  Accommodation at Papyrus Guest House.

Day 2: Entebbe- The Clarke Farm

Today set off for Clarke’s farm and Coffee Estate situated on 1500 acres of land. The  Clarke farm has seven hundred acres of coffee, mainly Robusta, with a few hectares of Arabica. 

It was set up to teach both smallholder and large-scale farmers expert agronomy practices. It also acts as a tool for educating non-farmers or school children on how Ugandan food and Robusta coffee are produced. You will arrive in the evening for relaxation at the lodge.  

Accommodation and Meals at the Coffee Lodge.

Day 3: Clarke Farm Activities- Coffee farm tour

After a relaxed breakfast head out for the coffee farm tour. Get immersed on the farm tour led by experienced farm staff. You will be driven through the coffee forest and taken to the nursery and coffee factory where they can learn.

Learn how coffee is grown and prepared for the market. Activities on this tour include picking your coffee cherries or potting coffee trees. The session ends with a unique coffee-tasting and cupping experience in the coffee lab as you discover the flavors of coffee in a whole new way!

After lunch, spend the day participating in activities at the farm. You may embark on scenic walking with amazing hilltop views as you head out for nature river walks, jogging, and mountain biking trails of various difficulty levels, bouldering/ rock climbing.

Accommodation and Meals at the Coffee Lodge.

Day 4: Clarke Farm Activities / Relaxation

Spend this day at leisure or partake in any other activities you may have missed out on the day before.

Accommodation and Meals at the Coffee Lodge.

Day 5:  To Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

After breakfast, head out to Bwindi Forest NP, the home of the mountain gorillas arriving in the late evening for relaxation.   Accommodation and Meals at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge

Day 6: Gorilla Trekking or Gorilla Habituation Experience

In the early morning, you will be briefed on gorilla tracking at the park headquarters. Accompanied by a guide and your packed lunch, you will go in search of the gorillas in a small group. You walk through the forest, in good spirits you go uphill, sometimes you descend again and then climb up a slope again.

The duration of gorilla tracking is unpredictable. The walk can be quite strenuous due to the muddy trails and mountainous areas, but it is definitely worth it! For an hour you can spend time with these peaceful ‘Gentle Giants’ as they go about their daily activities of grooming, feeding, and playing.  Later head back to the trailhead and thereafter proceed to your accommodation for relaxation.

If the gorilla trekking ends early, you may visit the Batwa Community to learn about their way of life.  Accommodation and Meals at Ichumbi Gorilla Lodge

Alternative: Gorilla Habituation Experience. 

The Gorilla Habituation Experience gives you the chance to spend 4 hours in the company of the Mountain Gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. You’ll trek into the forest alongside park rangers – blazing a trail through the wilder sides of the forest – in search of gorilla families.

Day 7:  Bwindi National Park – Igongo Cultural Center

Breakfast and you head to Igongo Cultural Center arriving in time for late lunch / have lunch en-route.  You may make use of the spa and wellness center for relaxation. Alternatively, check out the  Biharwe Eclipse Monument by driving there or taking a trek up the hill.

Accommodation and Meals at Igongo Cultural Center and Country Hotel.

Day 8: Igongo Museum – Entebbe

This day will start by visiting the Igongo Museum to learn about Ankole’s cultural heritage and checking out the Nkwanzi Crafts Shop.

Thereafter you will transfer to Entebbe with a stop at the equator for photos or shopping and lunch en-route then proceed to Entebbe arriving in time for relaxation before departing for the airport.

Included in the 8-day Coffee and Gorilla Experience

Ground transportation in a safari customized 4WD Toyota Landcruiser with gasoline/fuel, Mineral water in the vehicle, services of an English-speaking Driver/guide, primate permits,  Accommodation,  Meals as shown (B-breakfast, L-lunch, D-dinner), all activities mentioned, Statutory Taxes where applicable   

Excluded in the 8-day Coffee and Gorilla Experience

International Airfares; Excess baggage charges; Ugandan Entry Visa Fees USD 50 per person; Items of a personal nature such as Room service, Alcoholic drinks, and Beverages, Laundry, etc.; Tips and Gratuities,  International Airport Departure Taxes, Optional activities unless specified as included, Any other services not expressly shown in the itinerary or indicated as included.