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Volcanoes Safaris’ Award-Winning Bwindi Lodge Celebrates 25 Years of Pioneering Great Ape Tourism in Uganda

Operator Offers 7-Day Gorilla and Chimpanzee Safari for a unique combination of Uganda’s most remarkable lodges and trekking experiences.
 

Kampala, Uganda (November , 2024): Volcanoes Safaris, the pioneer of gorilla and chimpanzee safaris in Uganda and Rwanda since 1997, proudly celebrates the 25th anniversary of its award-winning Bwindi Lodge in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. For travelers in 2025, a new interpretation center will open alongside the company’s award-winning social impact projects, while five new gorillas have been habituated for trekking in Bwindi, providing 40 new permits per day. Over the past quarter-century, Volcanoes Safaris has set the standard for great ape tourism, crafting unforgettable guided safaris that connect visitors to Rwanda and Uganda’s wildlife parks while making a lasting social impact in local communities. From its humble beginnings as a simple camp in 1999, Bwindi Lodge has evolved to ten elegant hand-built suites with personal butler service, with a full renovation completed in 2023.

As Volcanoes Safaris marks this milestone anniversary, it is a testament to its commitment to conserving wildlife and uplifting communities while providing exceptional hospitality. Launching X 2025, will be an Interpretation Center for travelers to learn more about the Batwa people, the original inhabitants of the Bwindi forest. Similar to its effort with the Batwa Heritage Trail at Gahinga Lodge to preserve their endangered culture and traditions, the new center will introduce travelers to the ‘keepers of the forests,’ their legacy and connection to the mountain gorillas, and their current plight living as conservation refugees.

 

Quote from Praveen

As Volcanoes Safaris marks this milestone anniversary, it is a testament to its commitment to conserving wildlife and uplifting communities while providing exceptional hospitality. In addition to offering guests immersive encounters with Bwindi’s endangered mountain gorillas, Volcanoes Safaris has spearheaded community-based projects such as the award-winning Bwindi Bar and Tea Cooperative. Through training and employment, the Bwindi Bar empowers the local youth to develop hospitality skills, fostering sustainable economic growth within the community. TKTK was X when he started his training at Bwindi Bar, hoping to build new skills and find employment locally so he could stay close to his family. Today, he is TKTK, leading the training program, which currently has X students who will join the X others who have graduated from the program since its launch ten years ago. In 2013, the VSPT began simple tea farm on property in partnership with the local communities to support nearby farmers similarly, promoting self-reliance and access to an authentic taste of Ugandan culture. To date, X lbs of tea have been processed and sold to Volcanoes Safaris’ five lodges, providing above-market value compensation. 

 

This anniversary also coincides with the Uganda Wildlife Authority announcing five new gorilla families at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest being habituated for trekking, bringing the total number of permits available daily to 194. Volcanoes Safaris is thrilled to expand opportunities for guests to witness these extraordinary primates up close from Bwindi’s Buhoma or Ruhija sectors. With its 7-day Gorilla and Chimpanzee Safari, travelers can combine Uganda’s most remarkable lodges and trekking experiences. Starting at $11,225 per person, guests embark on life-changing gorilla treks from Bwindi Lodge while chimpanzee trekking from Kyambura Lodge or Kibale Lodge in western Uganda. This signature itinerary provides an unparalleled opportunity to encounter both of Africa’s great apes, all while being escorted by Volcanoes Safaris’ expert guides in their comfortable fleet of Land Rovers en route to luxury accommodations designed to blend harmoniously with their natural surroundings. 

In addition to the 7-day safari, Volcanoes Safaris proudly customizes itineraries that allow guests to delve even deeper into East Africa’s conservation landscape. Travelers can enjoy one-on-one fireside chats with members of local NGOs, such as Gorilla Doctors and Conservation Through Public Health, gaining unique insights into the collaborative efforts to protect East Africa’s great apes and promote biodiversity.


As Volcanoes Safaris looks to the future, it remains dedicated to creating positive social change, conserving East Africa’s unique wildlife, and connecting travelers to unforgettable natural wonders. The 25th anniversary of Bwindi Lodge is not only a celebration of Volcanoes Safaris’ journey but also a reaffirmation of its pioneering spirit, driven by a deep respect for nature and an unwavering commitment to community-based tourism.


Rates for the 7-Day Safari start at $8,430 per person on full board in the low season. Rates include accommodation and meals, all soft and alcoholic drinks (except French champagne), cellar collection wines, cocktails and single malt whiskeys, laundry services, lodge activities, and massage and spa treatments.


A $50 per person per night community fee is applied and donated to Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust (VSPT), which was established in 2009 as a non-profit organization to support long-term, self-sustaining projects that enrich the livelihoods of local communities, promote the conservation of the great apes, restore natural habitats and work with communities to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Guests can visit and participate in the community and conservation projects at each hosting lodge.


For more information, visit www.volcanoessafaris.com.

 

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About Volcanoes Safaris: 
Volcanoes Safaris has been at the forefront of reviving gorilla and chimpanzee tourism in the region since 1997. As pioneers of sustainable mountain gorilla tourism in the region Volcanoes Safaris became the first international safari company to take clients to Rwanda in 2000. In 2004, Virunga Lodge, built by Praveen Moman, was opened and was the first lodge to be built by an international company near the gorilla park after the war. 
In 2022, Volcanoes Safaris is celebrating its 25th anniversary and is recognized as the leader in great ape tourism specializing in mountain gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Rwanda and Uganda. With four magnificent lodges, reimagined in recent years, guests can enjoy all the highlights of Uganda and Rwanda in comfort and style while primate trekking in East Africa. Guests can also experience and participate in community and conservation projects run by the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust. The Dian Fossey Map Room was opened at Virunga Lodge in 2017 in honor of Dian Fossey and includes a permanent exhibition charting the ‘Conservationists and Explorers of the Virunga Volcanoes’.

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Alexandra Avila

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