Travel around Uganda and explore the best of her treasures on the 6 Days Gorillas and Wildlife Uganda Safari. The trip comprises of the most thrilling safari activities of trekking for our closest cousins, mountain gorillas and chimpanzees in their natural habitats of Bwindi forest and Kibale forest respectively. This 6 days safari also takes you to Uganda’s second biggest national park Queen Elizabeth National Park for game viewing. The park is famously known for the tree climbing lions in its southern sector and game drives in the north of the park which harbors lots of grazers and predators like leopards, lions, hyenas alongside picturesque landscapes.
Tour highlights
- Day 1: Kampala to Kibale
- Day 2: Chimp trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth
- Day 3: Game drive and boat cruise
- Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi national park
- Day 5: Gorilla trekking
- Day 6: Return to Kampala
Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Transfer from Kampala to Kibale Forest National Park
Our company safari guide arrives at your hotel, meets with you after breakfast and gives a briefing about the day’s journey just before departure to Kibale National Park. Exit Kampala through Busega and drive westwards through via Mityana-Mubende route that takes you through tea plantations before arriving in Fort Portal town which lies about 300km from Kampala.You break at Fort Portal as you have lunch and thereafter proceed to Kibale which is about 35km northeast of Fort Portal. Check in at your lodge, dinner in the evening and the overnight stay.
Lodge options: Kyaninga lodge (luxury) Mountains of the Moon lodge (mid-range) Chimpanzee Forest guest house (budget)
Meal plan: Lunch and dinner
Day 2: Chimpanzee Trekking and transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Get ready for an early morning breakfast at the restaurants, enjoy the cup of coffee to warm you up this cold morning and thereafter head to Kanyanchu Visitors Centre for briefing about the trek. With an armed ranger guide, get into the forest to search for the chimps. These amazing apes wake up very early, leave their nests and start roaming around the forest in search of food. You however don’t have to worry about where to find them because this forest is one of the world’s top destinations hosting the largest number of chimps, over 1,400 chimps in the 795 sq.km park area.
During the hike through the trails, other wildlife in the forest such as black and white colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, red colobus monkeys and baboons among others are expected to be seen. There are a lot of birds around the forest and they are seen throughout the trek. Once the chimps are spotted,we are allowed to spend an hour with them, watch how playful they are, caring for their young ones and sometimes relaxing on the ground. Get back to the visitors centre and transfer to the lodge for lunch or have it in Fort Portal depending on the time the trek ended. Transfer to queen Elizabeth National Park, dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Lodge options: Mweya safari lodge (luxury) Marafiki Safari Lodge (mid-range) Simba safari camp (budget)
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 3: Game Drive and Boat Cruise
An early morning breakfast followed by a drive to Kasenyi plains for the game drive. First is a beautiful sunrise and then lots of animals busy grazing; Uganda kobs, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs and elephants. Big cats in this area include lions and leopards plus other predators including hyenas.A variety of birds are also seen throughout the game drive. After about 4 hours of the drive, return to the lodge, refresh, relax and go for lunch at noon.
Slope to the docking area on Kazinga channel for the boat cruise. The 2 hours boat ride is a an adventure of its kind that rewards with views of large crocodiles, lots of hippos, countless birds, buffaloes and sometimes elephants along the banks of Kazinga Channel. It also offers scenic views of Mweya peninsular and other landscapes as well as the large Lake Edward where the boat makes the U-turn back to the starting point. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 4: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
A yummy breakfast in the morning, check out of the lodge and drive via the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park where on a lucky day, lions are seen relaxing on tree branches to enjoy the cool fresh air as the sun gets warmer. We are heading to Bwindi and so we continue via Kihihi to the park where we arrive in the evening. 7-8 hours journey with en route lunch. Check in at your lodge on arrival in Bwindi, have dinner and rest.
Lodge options: Mahogany Springs lodge (luxury) Gorilla Mist Camp (mid-range) Trekkers Tavern (budget)
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 5: Gorilla trekking and transfer to Lake Bunyonyi
Rise up early, have breakfast and head to the starting point of the trek for briefing and meeting the ranger guide to lead us through the activity. It is not just about searching for the mountain gorillas but as well hiking the steep and gentle slopes of the forested landscape. When we finally find the giant apes, we enjoy an hour with them before exiting the forest to the headquarters for certificates of participation in gorilla trekking. An option to visit a Batwa community is provided if the trek ends early and later on transfer to Lake Bunyonyi for the overnight stay.
Lodge options: Arcadia cottages/Birdnest lodge (luxury) Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort (mid-range) Crater Bay cottages (budget)
Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 6: Transfer to Kampala
This is one of the coldest areas in Uganda and a cup of tea in the morning for breakfast warms up the body before heading out for an exploration. Travelers that plan to fly on this day may not go for canoeing but the views of the lake, the hills and mountains and various birds surely end the touring the most incredible way. Set off for Kampala through Mbarara town, a stopover at the equator in Kayabwe and drop off in Kampala or Entebbe.
Meal plan: Breakfast and lunch
End of the tour
Note: Accommodation in Bwindi depends on the sector for you trekking
The package includes;
- Transport from location of departure andfinal destination
- Safari vehicle
- Professional safari guide
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Chimp trekking permit
- Activities mentioned in the itinerary
- Bottled drinking water
- Accommodation
- Meals per itinerary
It excludes;
- Accommodation in Kampala/Entebbe
- Air ticket and visa
- Extra meals and drinks
- Alcoholic drinks
- Activities not indicated in the itinerary
- Items of personal interest
- Tips