11 Days Uganda Gorillas and Wildlife Safari
This 11 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari is a fascinating and unforgettable adventure that will give you an opportunity to explore the Pearl of Africa. The safari will take you to Lake Mburo national park where you will take part in a game drive and boat cruise to view different animals and then transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park for gorilla trekking. You will later connect to Queen Elizabeth national park where you will be able to view the tree climbing lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, hippos, Nile crocodiles among others during the game drive and boat cruise on Kazinga channel. From Queen Elizabeth national park you will transfer to Kibale national park where you will engage in chimpanzee trekking, Bigodi swamp walk and then connect to Murchison falls national park the largest protected area in Uganda where you will see the big 5 mammals which include the lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and rhinos during the game drive and boat cruise on River Nile.
Highlights of the 11 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to a hotel in Kampala
Day 2: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park and boat cruise
Day 3: Morning game drive and transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
Day 4: Gorilla trekking
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
Day 6: Morning game drive and boat cruise
Day 7: Game drive and transfer to Kibale national park
Day 8: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
Day 9: Transfer to Murchison falls national park
Day 10: Morning game drive and boat cruise
Day 11: Departure to Kampala
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 of the 11 days Uganda gorilla and wildlife safari
Arrival and transfer to a hotel in Kampala, upon arrival at Entebbe international airport on day 1 of the 11 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will brief you about the safari and then transfer to a hotel in Kampala for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Transfer to Lake Mburo national park and boat cruise
After breakfast on day 2 of the 11 days Uganda gorilla and wildlife safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to start the journey to Lake Mburo national park in western Uganda. On the way you will have a stopover at the Equator where you will be able to take photos, buy souvenirs like art pieces, painting, craft items like sandals, bags among others. From the Equator you will continue the journey to Lake Mburo national park and upon arrival you will check into the lodge and have lunch.
Boat cruise, after lunch you will go for an amazing boat cruise on Lake Mburo. The scheduled boat cruise starts at around 2:00pm and takes about 2 to 3 hours ride, during the boat cruise you will have great views of animals like buffaloes, antelopes, warthogs among others which will be drinking water along the banks, hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, aquatic bird species such as blue headed weaver, herons, shoebill stork, malachite kingfisher, African fish eagle, pied kingfisher, rufous long tailed starling, view beautiful landscapes, take photos among others. After the boat ride you will drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Morning game drive and transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park
Morning game drive, after an early breakfast on day 3 of the 11 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to go for the morning game drive in the park. During the game drive you will follow different tracks like the Zebra track, Kazuma track among others which will offer you great views of animal species like giraffes, bushbucks, reedbucks, oribi, zebras, buffaloes, topi, waterbucks, elands, impala among others which will be grazing along the road, bird species like the black bellied bustard, Abyssinian ground hornbill, grey crowned crane, rufous bellied heron among other.
Transfer to Bwindi impenetrable national park, after the game drive you will drive out of the park and start the journey to Bwindi impenetrable national park in southwestern Uganda. On the way you will have a stopover at Igongo Cultural Center for lunch and then continue the journey with views of the beautiful scenery, landscape, Kigezi hills, homesteads, terraced farmlands, local people among others. Upon arrival in the park you will check into the lodge, have dinner and overnight
Day 4: Gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park
Gorilla trekking, after an early breakfast on day 4 of the 11 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari, you will carry packed lunch and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the park headquarters for a briefing about the rules and regulations of gorilla trekking. After the briefing you will be grouped into 8 individuals where each group will be allocated a gorilla family to trek daily and a park guide who is well conversant with trails in the jungle. Grouping of individuals in Bwindi impenetrable forest is done according to age, physical fitness and personal preference because gorilla trekking strenuous therefore in case you are not physically fit you are advised to communicate to your driver guide so that they allocate you a gorilla family that is easy to trek.
Gorilla trekking in Bwindi forest takes about 30 minutes to 8 hours depending on where the gorillas are located, during trekking you will follow trails to where the gorillas slept the previous night and have spectacular views of different bird species such as handsome francolin, Rwenzori batis, strange weaver, dusky twinspot, primates like l’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, blue monkeys, animals like forest elephants, giant forest hog, bushbucks, duikers, plant and tree species among others. Once the gorilla family is found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural environment which gives you an opportunity to learn more about their lifestyle, behaviors, watch them carry out their daily activities like feeding, breast feeding, playing, take photos, record videos among others. After the one hour with the gentle giants you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will be awarded a certificate for participating in gorilla trekking and then meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park
On day 5 of the 11 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Queen Elizabeth national park which is the second largest protected area in Uganda. The journey takes about 3 to 4 hours drive and on the way you will pass via Ishasha sector in southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park. Ishasha sector is famous for the tree climbing lions which will be viewed lying up in acacia, fig tree branches during the game drive. Lions in Ishasha sector are believed to climb trees due to various factors like to have a clear view on their prey, to escape ground heat among others. After the game drive you will go for lunch and then proceed with the journey to Queen Elizabeth national park where you will check into the lodge after arrival, have dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Morning game drive/ lion tracking and afternoon boat cruise
Morning game drive/ lion tracking experience, after an early breakfast on day 6 of the 11 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari, your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive or lion tracking experience in Kasenyi plains. During the game drive you will be able to view different animals such as elephants, lions, leopards, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, giant forest hogs, bird species like grey crowned cranes, yellow throated long crow, red throat spur fowl, African white backed vulture, African wattled plover, black bellied bustard, black headed gonolek among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Boat cruise, after lunch you will go for an incredible boat cruise on Kazinga channel a water body that connects Lake George and Lake Edward. The scheduled boat cruise starts at 2:00pm and takes about 2 to 3 hours ride. During the boat cruise you will cruise meters away from large concentration of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, animals like elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs on the shores of the lake, aquatic bird species like saddle bill stork, long tailed cormorant, African shoebill, yellow billed stork, pink backed pelican, black crake, view fishermen who will be preparing their fishing gears for night fishing, beautiful landscapes, take incredible photos among others. After the boat cruise you will transfer to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Game drive and transfer to Kibale national park
After breakfast on day 7 of the 11 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari, you will meet up with your driver guide to go for another game drive in the park where you will have an opportunity to views other animals that you might have missed during the previous game drive. After the game drive you will drive to Lake Katwe where you will have views of the migratory bird species, animals which will be licking salt and the local people who will be extracting rock salt and selling it to traders to earn a living, from Lake Katwe you will drive back to the lodge for lunch.
Transfer to Kibale national park, after lunch you will check out of the lodge and your driver guide will pick you up to transfer to Kibale national park which is also known as the primate capital. The journey takes about 3 hours drive and on the way you will have spectacular views of the Rwenzori Mountains, crater lakes, tea plantations, primates among others. Upon arrival in the park you will check into the lodge, have dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Chimpanzee trekking and Bigodi swamp walk
Chimpanzee trekking, after an early breakfast on day 8 of the 11 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari, you will meet up with your driver guide and transfer to Kanyachu Visitors Center for a briefing about the rules and regulations of chimpanzee trekking. After the briefing you will be allocated a chimpanzee family to trek and a park guide who will be sharing information about the chimpanzees and also well conversant with trails in the jungle. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park is an adventurous activity that takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located.
During trekking you will be able to view primate species like l’hoest monkeys, red tailed monkeys, grey checked mangabey, olive baboons, bird species, plant and tree species, animals like antelopes, elephants among others. Once the chimpanzees are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which helps you to know more about their lifestyle, behaviors, watch them feed, breastfeed, play, hunt, take photos and record the moments to show people back home. After the one hour visit with the chimpanzees you will trek back to the park headquarters where you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to the lodge for lunch.
Bigodi wetland walk, after lunch you will go for a nature walk in Bigodi swamp a community sanctuary that has improved the lives of people in Bigodi. During the nature walk you will be able to view different bird species such as the great blue turaco, papyrus gonolek, kingfishers, hornbills, primates like the grey cheeked mangabey, black and white colobus monkeys, baboons, vervet monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, tree species, listen to the birds singing in the trees, feel the cool breeze, relax your mind and breath fresh air. After the nature walk you will drive back to the lodge for an evening relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Transfer to Murchison falls national park
After breakfast on day 9 of the 11 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari, you will check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Murchison falls national park. it’s a full day journey that takes about 8 to 9 hours’ drive but rewarding because you will have spectacular views of the Rwenzori mountains, Lake Albert, Lake Edward and Lake George, rift valley, tea plantations, beautiful scenery among others. You will have en-route lunch on the way and stopovers to stretch your legs, take photos as you continue with the journey. Upon arrival in the park you will check into the lodge, have dinner and overnight.
Day 10: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise
Morning game drive, after an early breakfast on day 10 of the 11 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari your driver guide will pick you up from the lodge to go for a morning game drive which starts at around 7:00am. during your game drive you will follow different tracks in the park such as Buligi game track, Victoria game track, Albert game track among others where you will be able to view various animals in the park such as elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, lions, Jacksons hartebeest, leopards waterbucks, warthogs, antelopes, bird species like Abyssinian ground hornbill, black headed lapwing, grey crowned crane, yellow billed stork, secretary bird among others. After the game drive you will drive back to the lodge to have lunch and re-freshen up.
Boat cruise, after lunch you will meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Paraa landing site for an amazing boat cruise on River Nile. The scheduled boat cruise is an exciting activity that takes about 2 to 3 hours ride. During the boat ride you will be able to view various animals such as the elephants, buffaloes, antelopes among others on the water banks, large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, aquatic bird species like grey heron, pied kingfisher, red throated bee-eater, goliath heron, giant kingfisher, swamp flycatcher among others. The boat will continue to the bottom of the falls where you will have beautiful views of the waterfall, landscape, take photos and while at the bottom of the falls, you can either opt for a hike to the top of the falls or return back to Paraa landing site. Hiking to the top of the falls is an interesting and adventurous activity that takes about 45 minutes but strenuous therefore you need to be physically fit. When you reach the top of the falls you will meet up with your driver guide and drive back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Departure to Kampala
On day 11 of the 11 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari you will have a relaxed breakfast, check out of the lodge and meet up with your driver guide to transfer to Kampala. On the way you will have a stopover at Ziwa rhino sanctuary where you will engage in rhino tracking an interesting activity that helps you to view rhinos in their natural environment. After rhino tracking you will continue the journey with en-route lunch and arrive in Kampala early evening. Upon arrival you will be dropped off at any place of convenience or drop off at Entebbe international airport for your next flight.
End of 11 days Uganda gorillas and wildlife safari
Tour includes
- Gorilla trekking permit
- Chimpanzee trekking permit
- Park entrance fees
- Boat cruise fees
- Bigodi nature walk
- Rhino tracking permit
- All activities included in the itinerary
- An English speaking driver guide
- Full board accommodation
- Pick up and drop off
- Vehicle and fuel
- Bottled water
Tour excludes
- Air flight tickets
- Visas
- personal insurance
- Optional activities not included on the itinerary
- Personal expenses like buying souvenirs, cigarettes, crafts, drinks, laundry services, hiring a porter, tips among others.
