This Uganda wildlife safari and gorilla tracking safari for 9 days takes you to explore Uganda’s top attractions in Uganda’s most popular national parks. You will start by a visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park for a game drive safari experience along Kasenyi and Queen’s Mile. And then a visit to the Ishasha section in search ofthe tree-climbing lions and a guided bush walk for a closer interaction with nature.
You will also take a must-visit to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for a 2-day gorilla trekking tour and a cultural visit of the Batwa community before visiting Lake Mburo National Park, which is an extension of the Tanzanian plains with big herds of zebras, impala, elands, warthogs, buffaloes, and other savannah species.
Uganda Wildlife Safari and Gorilla Tracking Itinerary:
Day 1: Kampala – Queen Elizabeth National Park
Our driver-guide shall pick you up at 7:30 am from your hotel or residence and drives you to Kasese via Fort Portal. You will make your first stopover for lunch in Kasese as you enjoy the winding scenery of the foothills of Rwenzori mountains.
After lunch, you will drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park while enjoying the beautiful scenery, ready for an evening two-hour boat trip along the famous Kazinga channel. This is a worthwhile opportunity to see hippos, buffaloes, kobs, elephants, and warthogs among others. This trip also gives visitors a chance to see spectacular bird species.
Dinner and overnight stay at Enganzi Safari Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 2: Queen Elizabeth – Ishasha
Begin your day with a cup of coffee, and then an early morning game drive for a lion tracking experiential research tour along Kasenyi and Queen’s Mile. Other wildlife to encounter while on this tour include elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs, spotted hyenas, bushbucks, stripped jackal, comical warthogs, the elusive leopards, Uganda kobs, and a variety of bird species.
You will later proceed to the Ishasha sector where you will take on yet another evening game drive in search of tree-climbing lions.
Overnight stay and meals at Ishasha Jungle Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 3: Ishasha – Bwindi – Part of Uganda Wildlife Safari
Enjoy an early morning guided bush walk for a closer interaction with nature, and spend the mid-morning on a game drive in search of the tree-climbing lions. Thereafter, you will head to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, on a journey that takes about 5 hours but drives through interesting features. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to rare mountain gorillas.
Apart from mountain gorillas, there are a wide variety of primates to see including blue and red-tailed monkeys. The forest itself is lush and green with streams running through it.
Dinner and overnight stay at Silverback Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 4: Bwindi Gorilla Tracking
Begin the day with breakfast as you get ready for gorilla trekking, which begins at 8:00 am with a briefing from Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) staff. Ensure that you carry along with you a rain jacket, drinking water, snacks, and jungle boots among others. The guides will lead you inside the jungle to see the shy primates for a group you have been booked for.
Do not forget to take your lunch boxes and all the necessary gear to track the rare mountain gorillas, perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on earth. The tracking may take between 2 to 6 hours, but it’s well worth the effort. The afternoon is spent on relaxation and leisure at your lodge.
Dinner and overnight stay at Silverback Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 5: Second Gorilla Trekking
After breakfast, you will go for the second gorilla tracking, but to another gorilla family, returning in the afternoon for relaxation and sightseeing around the lodge.
Dinner and overnight stay at Silver back Lodge Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 6: Batwa Cultural Experience
Today is dedicated to a Batwa cultural experience where the Batwa demonstrate their hunting techniques, gather honey, point out medicinal plants and demonstrate how to make bamboo cups. Women of the community shall perform sorrowful songs which echo and leave guests with a moving sense of the richness of this fading culture.
Dinner and overnight stay at Silverback Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 7: Bwindi – Lake Mburo National Park
After early morning breakfast, you will drive to Lake Mburo National Park via Igongo Cultural Village in Mbarara. This is the place where the future meets the past, so you will learn more about the Ankole culture. You will then proceed to the national park with an en-route game drive, as you go to check in at your lodge.
The afternoon is dedicated to a boat ride amidst hippos, which is a much more rewarding and amazing experience.
Overnight stay at Rwakobo Safari Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 8: Lake Mburo National Park – Part of Uganda Wildlife Safari
Get on a morning game drive through Lake Mburo National Park, which is an extension of the Tanzanian plains, with big herds of zebras, impala, eland, warthogs, buffaloes, and other savannah species. For birders, this is one of the best places to find African Fin foot, Papyrus, and Bush-Shrike, among others. The evening is spent on a bush walk for wildlife viewing.
Overnight stay at Rwakobo Safari Lodge. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 9: Lake Mburo – Entebbe Departure
After early breakfast, this morning is dedicated to sightseeing and relaxation. Thereafter, you will drive back to Entebbe at your own convenience with a stopover at the Equator crossing and your lunch en route before driving to Entebbe airport. Meal plan: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Uganda Wildlife Safari Includes
- Airport transfers
- Transportation by a 4wd vehicle
- Accommodation and meals as per the itinerary
- Lion tracking experience
- Boat trips
- Two Gorilla permits per person to be secured and paid for in advance
- Park fees
- Batwa Cultural experience
- Bush walk Ishasha & Mburo
- Community visits
- Services of English-speaking Driver/guide.
- Enroute lunches
- Day Game drives
Excludes
- Expenses of personal nature like Visa, drinks, laundry, tips to local guides, telephone, porter fee while trekking, personal insurance, and tobacco.