5 Days Uganda Gorilla Trekking

Packing is essential for any trip, especially if you are moving to an unknown country. There are certainly some must things you should not leave behind. Most international airlines will restrict your check-in luggage to around 20 to 30kgs (55lbs). We have made a list for you. Just make a printout and double-check the list.

• 1. Passport, itinerary, travel insurance docs and e-Tickets These items should be in the top of your packing list. Keeping a Xerox copy of every document is also useful.
• 2. Medicines and Prescription
• 3. Camera, video and binoculars
• 4. Smart Phone, portable music player or tablet
• 5. Power banks
• 6. Right Clothes and toiletries Casual, comfortable, ‘non-bright’ colored clothing is suitable throughout the year on safari.
• 7. Layering is key
• T-shirt, shirt or blouse -full sleeves and collars help to protect from the sun and mosquitoes
• A pair of safari trousers - those that zip off at the knees are very handy, too
• Comfortable walking shoes (or boots) and socks
• Fleece or warm jacket
• Full-covered Hat
• Bandanna or cotton scarf and a sarong
• Maybe a pair of open sports sandals for general daytime use in warmer months
• Swimsuit - a number of lodges and camps have swimming pools
• A light, compact raincoat if it is likely you will encounter rain during gorilla and chimp trekking

An African safari is a trip of a lifetime. To help you prepare and enjoy it to the fullest, we have prepared a list and tried to make the backpack as light as possible.

Have a look at our list

DRESSING:

• Casual and loose-fitting clothing like short/long-sleeved shirts
• Lightweight breathable pants
• Long-sleeved fleece or sweater for evenings and/or early mornings
• Heavy sweaters/pullover, scarf, warm gloves, rain jacket/poncho and windbreaker for the rainy season/cold season
• Nightdresses/paijamas
• Sun hats and scarf for the dust

TOILETRIES:

• Small towel
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Soap (bar or gel soap), conditioner and shampoo with less fragrance
• Body Lotion
• Facial tissue
• Comb and small mirror
• Toilet Papers
• Antibacterial gel
• hand- wipes

FIRST AID KIT:

• Pain killers (prescribed by your physician)
• Insect repellent and misquote repellents
• Cold and allergy medicine
• Bandage, gauze, and tapes
• Malaria pills
• Diarrhea medicine
• Prescription antibiotics effective fight against a range of bacteria

Food is an important part of the whole travel experience. Uganda is truly a foodie destination to feel the heart and soul with some unique tastes. Ugandan cuisines represent the mixed-flavors of Arab, Asian, English and Indian. The local produce such as sweet potatoes, corn, cassava and beans are cheap almost everywhere in the country. Indian, Chinese and Italian restaurants are the most famous in Uganda.

Traditional Foods :

Ugali: - Maize meal porridge served with a stew of peanuts, beans, chicken, mutton or beef.

Chapati- A staple bread made with wheat flour, baking powder, salt and water

Katogo- A traditional Ugandan breakfast with fried plantains served with soup, beans, beef and vegetables.

Chaloko- Made with pinto beans, green peppers, tomatoes, and red or purple onions.

Mandazi- A fried bread that is sweetened with coconut milk and shaped into circles or triangles.

Nsenene- A popular dish of fried grasshoppers that are often sold in pubs and roadside eateries

Uganda Beverages :

Various fruit juices, tea and coffee are popular drinks. In alcoholic beverages, Western beers are available across the country as well as locally fermented drinks such as banana beers and wines that include pombe, lubisi, and tonto.

The entry point to Uganda is Entebbe International Airport, which is located in Entebbe Town. Entebbe Town is nearly 46km from Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Further transfer from the airport is done by vehicle. Normally, your tour operator receives you from the airport and takes care of your further transportation.

Domestic Airlines & Flights in Uganda

• There are some domestic flights, which connect several parks.
• Fly Uganda runs domestic flights for Bwindi National Park and Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth.
• Aerolinks also runs domestic flights to several parks.
• Charter flights can also be organized by your tour operator. But the price is a little high.
• The remote location of Kidepo Valley National Park is more often reached by air than road.

Visa, Passport And Other Entry Requirements

Passport is necessary for all foreign visitors with a validity of at least 6 months.

If your nationality is one of the list, you don't need to apply for a Visa for entering Uganda:

A valid yellow fever certificate is a must, which is also a part of Visa application.

Visas should be applied in advance through an official Visa-application portal.

Entry requirements can be changed, so please contact your local Uganda Embassy to verify everything in detail.

East African climate varies, making it more difficult to predict the weather during your safari. Still, some particular weather is felt most of the year. From December to March and from June to September are normally considered the best to travel Uganda. These months offer the dry season with July and August, receives the most number of tourists. October- November and April-May experience the most rain-falls. The advantage of the wet seasons is the easy availability of gorilla permits. Uganda experiences an average temperature between 23°C to 27°C. The nights are quite cool and the sun shines during the day. So overall, the temperature is steady and pleasant. Whether you come to Uganda in the dry or wet months, you will find the safari amazing.

Travel insurance is mostly recommended if you are planning to visit an unknown country.

Go through the detailed policy and check whether your insurance covers the below thing or not.

• Medical expenses and hospital benefit
• Personal accident and liability
• Cancellation of your trip
• Delayed departure
• Scheduled airline failure
• The cost of Personal belongings and baggage
• The cost Personal money, passport and travel documents
• Legal expenses
• The activities you’re likely to be doing in Uganda

List of stylish outfit for Uganda Safari

• long sleeve safari shirt anti-insect repellent
• Safari Dress with insect repellent fabric
• Safari Shorts
• Safari trousers with zip-off legs and insect repellent fabric
• Fully-covered hat
• swimwear
• Comfortable walking shoes
• excellent hiking boots
• safari hiking socks, anti-sweat
• water bottle
• Good sun-screen(SPF 30+)
• Mosquito Spray with DDT
• Cotton underwear and cotton nightwear
• Hand sanitizer
• light fold-up rain jacket for the Gorilla Trek
• Light sweater for Gorilla trek – it may be cold in the morning.
• Gloves for the Gorilla trek

Tip: Avoid bright colored dress, it attracts tsetse fly. Loose-fitting dresses are good for protecting skin from harsh sun rays.

Check the vaccines and medicines list and visit your doctor at least a month before your trip to get vaccines or medicines you may need.

Traditional Foods :

Ugali: - Maize meal porridge served with a stew of peanuts, beans, chicken, mutton or beef.

Chapati- A staple bread made with wheat flour, baking powder, salt and water

Katogo- A traditional Ugandan breakfast with fried plantains served with soup, beans, beef and vegetables.

Chaloko- Made with pinto beans, green peppers, tomatoes, and red or purple onions.

Mandazi- A fried bread that is sweetened with coconut milk and shaped into circles or triangles.

Nsenene- A popular dish of fried grasshoppers that are often sold in pubs and roadside eateries

Uganda Beverages :

Various fruit juices, tea and coffee are popular drinks. In alcoholic beverages, Western beers are available across the country as well as locally fermented drinks such as banana beers and wines that include pombe, lubisi, and tonto.

Mandatory vaccines for all travellers

• Measles
• Yellow Fever
• Hepatitis A
• Malaria
• Typhoid

Tips to stay fit

• Get vaccinated
• Take antimalarial meds
• Eat and drink safely
• Prevent bug bites
• Keep away from animals
• Reduce your exposure to germs
• Avoid sharing body fluids
• Avoid non-sterile medical or cosmetic equipment
• Know how to get medical care while traveling
• Select safe transportation
• Maintain personal security

Check the vaccines and medicines list and visit your doctor at least a month before your trip to get vaccines or medicines you may need.

Traditional Foods :

Ugali: - Maize meal porridge served with a stew of peanuts, beans, chicken, mutton or beef.

Chapati- A staple bread made with wheat flour, baking powder, salt and water

Katogo- A traditional Ugandan breakfast with fried plantains served with soup, beans, beef and vegetables.

Chaloko- Made with pinto beans, green peppers, tomatoes, and red or purple onions.

Mandazi- A fried bread that is sweetened with coconut milk and shaped into circles or triangles.

Nsenene- A popular dish of fried grasshoppers that are often sold in pubs and roadside eateries

Uganda Beverages :

Various fruit juices, tea and coffee are popular drinks. In alcoholic beverages, Western beers are available across the country as well as locally fermented drinks such as banana beers and wines that include pombe, lubisi, and tonto.

Mandatory vaccines for all travellers

• Measles
• Yellow Fever
• Hepatitis A
• Malaria
• Typhoid

Tips to stay fit

• Get vaccinated
• Take antimalarial meds
• Eat and drink safely
• Prevent bug bites
• Keep away from animals
• Reduce your exposure to germs
• Avoid sharing body fluids
• Avoid non-sterile medical or cosmetic equipment
• Know how to get medical care while traveling
• Select safe transportation
• Maintain personal security

An African safari is a trip of a lifetime. To help you prepare and enjoy it to the fullest, we have prepared a list and tried to make the backpack as light as possible.

DRESSING:

• Casual and loose-fitting clothing like short/long-sleeved shirts
• Lightweight breathable pants
• Long-sleeved fleece or sweater for evenings and/or early mornings
• Heavy sweaters/pullover, scarf, warm gloves, rain jacket/poncho and
• indbreaker for the rainy season/cold season
• Nightdresses/paijamas
• Sun hats and scarf for the dust

TOILETRIES:

• Small towel
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Soap (bar or gel soap), conditioner and shampoo with less fragrance
• Body Lotion
• Facial tissue
• Comb and small mirror
• Toilet Papers
• Antibacterial gel
• hand- wipes

FIRST AID KIT:

• Pain killers (prescribed by your physician)
• Insect repellent and misquote repellents
• Cold and allergy medicine
• Bandage, gauze, and tapes
• Malaria pills
• Diarrhea medicine
• Prescription antibiotics effective fight against a range of bacteria

ELECTRONICS:

• Camera, extra batteries and charger, memory cards, mini-tripod
• Flashlight and headlight
• UK plug adapter and transformer/voltage converter, if applicable
• Portable music device

OTHER:

• Maps, guidebooks
• Binoculars
• Money
• Sunglasses, sunscreen, and lip balm
• Candies and snacks
• Playing cards, games and reading material

PACKING LIST FOR GORILLA TREKKING & CHIMPANZEE TRACKING:

• Rain poncho (lightweight)
• Long-sleeved shirt & pants
• Waterproof trousers
• Sturdy hiking boots
• Leather gardening -type gloves
• Sunscreen, insect repellent
• Still Cameras and Camcorders

Uganda doesn’t have a tipping culture, so tipping is not mandatory. Still, visitors do leave a tip to show thankfulness. A small amount of tips is a lot of money for them. Ugandans earn very less amount of money per day. The small amount of tips becomes the biggest reason of their happiness, especially the persons who are working in the tourism industry. If you are really happy with the service, you can really make their day by giving a healthy tip. It’s usual to tip drivers, hotel/lodge/camp staffs, safari and gorilla tracking guides and porters at the end of a safari or hike. For guides, you can tip between USD$10 to $20 per day per guest For a porter, US$5 to US$10 For a private driver, you can tip US$20 to US$30 per day for the group. For the lodge/hotel or camp staff (US$5 to US$10 per guest), and many lodges have their own tip box where you leave money to be shared out amongst the staff.

Check the vaccines and medicines list and visit your doctor at least a month before your trip to get vaccines or medicines you may need.

Traditional Foods :

Ugali: - Maize meal porridge served with a stew of peanuts, beans, chicken, mutton or beef.

Chapati- A staple bread made with wheat flour, baking powder, salt and water

Katogo- A traditional Ugandan breakfast with fried plantains served with soup, beans, beef and vegetables.

Chaloko- Made with pinto beans, green peppers, tomatoes, and red or purple onions.

Mandazi- A fried bread that is sweetened with coconut milk and shaped into circles or triangles.

Nsenene- A popular dish of fried grasshoppers that are often sold in pubs and roadside eateries

Uganda Beverages :

Various fruit juices, tea and coffee are popular drinks. In alcoholic beverages, Western beers are available across the country as well as locally fermented drinks such as banana beers and wines that include pombe, lubisi, and tonto.

Mandatory vaccines for all travellers

• Measles
• Yellow Fever
• Hepatitis A
• Malaria
• Typhoid

Tips to stay fit

• Get vaccinated
• Take antimalarial meds
• Eat and drink safely
• Prevent bug bites
• Keep away from animals
• Reduce your exposure to germs
• Avoid sharing body fluids
• Avoid non-sterile medical or cosmetic equipment
• Know how to get medical care while traveling
• Select safe transportation
• Maintain personal security

Each of our treks is managed by a team of professionally trained trekking guide, cook and porters. Our guides and trek crew are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience to our clients. All our Guides have loads of experience and are well versed about the routes, natural history and cultural background.

All our staff of highly trained professional guides is here to make your journey as safe and secure as possible. Our Guides are medically certified and have abundant experience on Kilimanjaro and its environments.

We believe in customer loyalty and satisfaction, due to which we work hard to give the best experience to our clients so that they have a wonderful experience.